Hello again, District VII members. Time is moving along fast. Spring will be here in no time, and we will be enjoying our hobby outdoors.
I was fortunate to be able to see some of the District VII members at a few indoor events and a couple of swap meets. I’ll write more about those in upcoming articles, but I want to take a moment and discuss the upcoming season.
A concern of many clubs is membership size and growth of the hobby. Clubs have faced a reduction, in part due to aging members and change in interests. We often talk about this but what does it really take to help growth?
There are no easy answers, but one thing that we see that works is club outreach to the community and becoming involved in community events. Let me highlight a couple of clubs in our district and how this has worked for them.
One of these is clubs is the Circle Masters Control Line (CL) Flying Club in Milwaukee. This active club participates in many area events including, but not limited to, demonstrations at EAA’s Winter Flight Fest and AirVenture. Club President Chris Sterner sent me a recent example of the club’s outreach:
The Circle Masters Control Line Flying Club attended the 2024 Makers Faire event in Milwaukee on November 2-3. The event was held at Discovery World Science Museum on the shore of Lake Michigan. We had four large tables displaying different disciplines of CL, representing Stunt, Speed, Combat, and Sport airplanes.
The club was also given the use of an outdoor pavilion area where we performed demonstration flights. We also fired up a pulse jet throughout the weekend, which certainly garnered people’s attention. This was a great opportunity to increase club membership and show that CL is still thriving in the greater Milwaukee area.
Another club that sent a report on its successful membership drive is the Pontiac Miniature Aircraft Club (PMAC) in Michigan. This club is active within its community, taking advantage of every opportunity to participate. The members voluntarily participate in static displays, showing off their models, inviting the public to their flying site, and answering the many questions asked, at as many community events as possible.
Among the events in which they participated throughout 2024 included a static display at the Selfridge National Guard Open House held at the air base, a static display at the Oakland County airport during the facility’s open house, and displays at the M1 Concourse racetrack during events.
It takes members’ commitment to host these displays, but their hard work in promoting the hobby and introducing themselves resulted in 20 new members joining the club throughout the 2024 season, with many being new to the hobby.
Excellent job PMAC and Circle Masters. The hard work and dedication shown by these clubs is an example for all of us. Clubs in District VII, let’s hear what you are doing for community relations and to expand your clubs. Sharing this information will benefit us all.
Time to wrap up for this month. Get your events your clubs are hosting in and don’t think that only large events count! Who knows, you might see me pop in at one of your club picnics. Until then, continue to share the passion!