Starting a fly in

H

hawknips

Guest
Hello all,

I thought this would be a good place to ask how does one go about starting and organizing a fly in. I have been talking about starting a West Coast Podcasters fly in on my podcast so now I better do it. But where do I start? Does anyone out there have any advice for me? What things do I need to know? What makes a great fly in? How do I go about doing this?

thanks in advance for any and all help you can provide me.

-Will

The Pilot's Flight PodLog an Aviation Podcast
http://pilotwill.libsyn.com/
http://web.mac.com/pilotwill/Site/Home.html
 
Oh, I think Diana, Adam, Ed, or Tony (who did I miss?) may be able to say a thing or two. They seem to take on a bit of a life of their own, though, and you may find it difficult to bow out once you've become identified as the "organizer." And ALL of those organizers had a multitude of people helping out, at least after the first year. If they didn't, they'd have gone crazy. (That's not to say that they didn't, of course :))

First thing is to make sure that the locale you select will be able to handle growth. Attendance will be sparse the first year or two. Get the word out via your podcast, your website, and the Blue, Red, and Purple boards. Have the other podcasts mention it. But you might want to limit the advertising the first year until you get your feet wet!

Is it going to be an overnighter, or just a fly in and out the same day? Food involved? If so, have plenty available, but try to make it returnable, in case you don't get the droves you expect. Remember that the weather can wreak havoc on your plans, so have contingencies for those that do brave it, but allow that many just won't show if it's inclement.

Arrange discount fuel with the FBO, and make sure there'll be parking for the planes. Have some vests, and get a volunteer or two to help guide the planes to parking. Maybe do a spot landing contest or precision taxi or something similar! Try for local sponsorship. Adam and Andrew were able to get Smithfield to do a really nice donation for the last WingsBQ.


Don't try to do it all yourself. Delegate!

I'll come up with more useless advice and post it hear later. In the meantime, watch for posts from those who've done it!
 
hawknips said:
I thought this would be a good place to ask how does one go about starting and organizing a fly in. I have been talking about starting a West Coast Podcasters fly in on my podcast so now I better do it. But where do I start? Does anyone out there have any advice for me? What things do I need to know? What makes a great fly in? How do I go about doing this?
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Will, who do you want to come to your fly-in? Where do most of them live? Would it be a 1-day event, or a weekend event? How many meals would be involved? What kind of activity would be involved during your fly-in?

It helps to have a good web site for a fly-in. Chip has done a wonderful job with the web site for our Gaston's fly-in over the years:

www.gastonsflyin.com

At our Gaston's fly-in this past year we had at least 95 people attend over a 6-day period with over 45 airplanes. It looks like we will have even more next year.

Delegation, as Grant mentioned, is important. :yes: People like to help and be involved.
 
pick a place/time and a central coordination place. For the midwest fly ins I use this website since PoA'ers is who I am trying to attract. Maybe you could set up a wiki or something to organize your podcasters. Or maybe this forum or others would be a good organization point. Arrange for food, talk to the FBO's about fuel and accomodations they can provide. If lots are going to stay over night getting a block rate at a nearby hotel could save some money. Check about any local attractions that may cater to the aviation (or techie) minded. This last fall at Ames I got us a tour of the wind tunnel facilities at Iowa State which was really really cool.
 
There are many levels of "fly-in," ranging from an informal "meet-for-lunch" to something like Sun'n'Fun or EAA AirVenture. Keep in mind that the bigger and more complex it is, the more financial support and infrastructure you need. The AYA's annual convention, lasts three days (not including arrival and departure days), attracts 250 people and 120 airplanes, and includes seminars, flying events, competitions, meals, etc. It takes a committe of half a dozen folks about 18 months to plan and organize, requires dozens of volunteers to run, and has a budget of over $25K (paid for primarily by registration fees). OTOH, I've single-handedly organized get-togethers for lunch on 24 hours notice with no investment at all.

So just what do you have envisioned for your West Coast PodCast Fly-In? How big (airplanes and people)? How long? What sort of activities? No doubt we can come up with any number of things to include, such as:

  • Aerial demonstrations (acro, jumpers, fly-bys)
  • Flying contests
    • Spot landing
    • Air races
    • Flour bombing
    • Air rallies
  • Ground contests
    • Rigged preflight
    • Taxiing or parking
    • "Name that Part" or other knowledge tests
    • Aircraft judging (best paint job, best panel, etc)
  • Special technical events
    • Weighings
    • Tach checks
  • Seminars
    • Technical, like preventive maintenance, engine operation, or exterior care
    • Flying technique (better landings, instrument approaches, etc)
    • Safety (local FAASTeam Rep can help)
  • Organizational meetings (e.g., AYA's annual Board of Directors and General Membership meetings)
  • Social
    • Pancake breakfasts
    • Lunches with speakers
    • Dinners with entertainment
    • Visits to tourist attractions
...or any one of dozens of other ideas. IOW, what's your vision?
 
Well it certainly takes a few years to perfect and develop beyond just a lets fly to KABC for lunch. PM me with a Phone number and I'll share what I know.
 
AdamZ said:
Well it certainly takes a few years to perfect and develop beyond just a lets fly to KABC for lunch. PM me with a Phone number and I'll share what I know.
Click to expand...
Careful, Adam! He might turn you into a podcast! :D :D :D
 
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