Can aviation still attract young enthusiasts?

I think it’s “My Opinion For What It’s Worth” but i may be wrong.
Aircraft are generally very difficult to get access to ,local airfields sometimes not s local.

Correct. Sorry to have confuse some folk.

Nevertheless, there seem to be quite a lot (?) of privately funded CPL(A)s being issued despite the state and prospects of the job market for low-timers.

Thanks!

I think it’s “My Opinion For What It’s Worth” but i may be wrong.
Aircraft are generally very difficult to get access to ,local airfields sometimes not s local.

MOFWIW….sorry?

M.O.F.W.I.W., back in the good ol days when I was at school, we had a forward looking woodwork teacher who got us kids to build a series of 8ft Pram dinghy’s, which we then sailed on a local creek. Boys and girls were involved in all aspects and many went on to have their own boats later in life.
The difference between that and doing the same with aircraft would be cost, not only in the vehicle itself, but in the associated airfield rates etc. The creek I mentioned came free of charge, airfield don’t. Nice idea but, a lot of financial input would be needed from the local government………….if they want to own aircraft as part of their inventory.

Our a/c is parked with its tail backing up to an airfield access road. I often see Dads and Mums coming past walking a toddler – girl or boy. If they pause, showing an interest, I’ll invite them to sit the child in one of the a/c seats and if they’ve got a camera, take a photo or two.

I’ve noticed that small girls are never backward in comng forward but, the boy’s are often tentative and hesitant and seem to my eye a little fearful. It all changes after a while and they can see that there is little to worry about !

I know that this isn’t the way it used to be. Small boys were always confident and the girls less so. The traditional attitudes have changed and I’m interested to know why.

I too grew up in the 1960’s and 1970’s. I don’t necessarily think we can blame the teaching profession for not inspiring us. I don’t know about anyone else but I think in my case it was probably me who failed to inspire the teachers. I learn best when I want to learn, not when I am being ‘instructed’ to learn. That’s why my two best subjects always were History and English, for the simple reason that I found certain parts of our collective history to be endlessly fascinating and on top of that I just happen to love words and the impact they can create.

I think it’s all to do with nurturing an interest when interest is shown. When I was at school, I couldn’t write as freely and fluently as I can now, not because I couldn’t do it, I suspect it was more because I couldn’t be bothered, didn’t have the desire. And now, I have had several pieces published in local newspapers, come third in a National competition for a piece I wrote for the Nursing Mirror and have had one book published.

I hope that I have been able to help a few people here with their research projects in much the same way that many have helped and guided me. That’s what I mean about nurturing an interest and this is why fora like Historic, the Great War Forum and World War Two Talk have such a significant role to play.

Regards,

kev35

Good for you !

Can I call you when my car breaks down on the motorway ?
Can I call you to to remove the blockage that’s causing the backup in my house drains ?
Can I call you to do a 50 hour service on my a/c?
Can I call you to rectify my 12v wiring mistake when altering a circuit on my small boat?

Perhaps none of the above presents any special difficulty for you. If such is the case, it makes you somewhat unique. My home airfield has some 40 – 50 staff engaged in a variety of jobs to do with a/c maintenance, airfield maintenance, flight instruction and suchlike. There are just two women. One, pre-eminent in her field.

During just over fifty years of aviation related experience, I knew of just three female flight instructors but, no engineers. I do not think that that ratio will ever change – at least, not by much. Your response to my comments shows a certain sensitivity that is not necessary. My comment was an attempt to explain the title to this subject. Because so many teachers in State education are female (about 80%) it follows that education has become feminised which is not necessarily a good idea when educating young boys – they need male influences to provide typical male interests, such interests not being quite the same – generally speaking as female.

Whether you approve or not, it remains a fact that male occupations are not the same as female. That is not to write that females cannot do, or work at, these male occupations, it simply means that most prefer to leave the greasy, smelly ‘nuts and bolts’ work to the males.

I have two delightful young grandaughters. My wife and I attend their school on every possible occasion to support them in their various activities. I have noticed that in this school there is not one male member of staff. No men teachers. The pupils are mixed gender with the majority girls. There are posters everywhere written in brightly coloured paints or crayons. Most of the posters carry a message concerning behaviour. “Be kind to each other”. “Share”. “Look after each other”. And so on. All or most of the posters feature some advice or injunction about conciliation or other modifying influences.

Nothing wrong with that you might think and you would of course be right. But for small boys who are competitive, robust and always looking to test their mettle against their compatriots in the playground hierarchy such restrictions would stifle their boyish instincts.

My comments were not directed against the ladies. They were, if anything at all directed towards a feminist teaching establishment that, inadvertantly, is prejudiced against teaching boys to be boys and perhaps, accounts for the comparative lack of interest shown by small boys in what was always referred to as traditional male pursuits. As the title of this subject infers.

So it behoves all Dad’s and Grandad’s to fill in the gap and take your children to airshows, teach them to make a kite out of brown paper, bamboo, string and flour paste, teach them to fish with rod and net. Show them how to build a camp with a bit of string and an old quilt cover. Saw some timber and help them build their sledge. They will remember these things for all of their days. Mine do !

There is to my mind another influence – a very pronounced influence, on the interests of children especially boys. State primary schools are almost exclusively staffed by female teachers. Being female, their recreational teaching preoccupations are with ‘soft’ subjects such as needlework, cooking, knitting, skipping and group sporting activities such as rounders, netball and the like.

What these teachers won’t be doing is encouraging young boys in what should be their natural preoccupations such as using a bag of tools and their imaginations to make things like crude aeroplanes, sledges, wheeled wooden carts, sail boats, all of which were commonplace when I was a boy. As a consequence I had – in keeping with my friends, a ready facility with tools of most descriptions and as I grew up could translate that into necessary DIY aound my house.

Instead of all that, I get an impression that the boys are included in the ‘soft’ activities of the girls. I don’t think that that is very good for the boys and their advancement into adulthood when they will be expected to provide the nation’s workforce to get their hands dirty in doing all the jobs that are so necessary to every day life and the very ones that the girls by natural inclination shy away from.

My wife and I were driving into Chichester yesterday and we passed a large expanse of ‘green’ on our left side. Children, in their whites were playing cricket and my wife pointed out the presence of girls in mixed teams with the boys. Having played the game for umpteen numbers of years, I know that cricket is not that robust a game requiring physicality in the way that rugby does. However, boys and girls play games in very different ways. I write that having witnessed many displays of feminine brutality in hockey and lacrosse. My mind wandered to the possibility that boys playing in mixed teams may well – even unconsciously – modify their natural sporting aggression with potentially dire effect on our international efforts.

The explanation that lies behind most of the above is the insane and muddleheaded preoccupation with equal opportunities that demands that the sexes are treated equally in all respects and makes no allowance for the permanent and natural differences between the genders.

I assure you that there are some girls who detest “soft” subjects such as needlework, knitting, netball etc. I can assure you that some girls would rather make model aircraft, learn how to fix things and use tools instead of doing boring “girly” rubbish we are all supposed to be into. I can assure you that some girls are more interested in science, technology and aviation and such things are not, and should not, be solely regarded as “male interests”.

The main difference between the sexes is that males are stronger than females, but as far as aptitude and intelligence and scientific ability go, it is insulting to be continually told that being female means you cannot grasp scientific ideas or are not capable of changing a fuse or rewiring a plug!! I have met some men who should not be allowed within 100 miles of anything technical yet people assume that men will always be good at such things – that is a load of crap as much as it is a load of crap to say that women will not be any good at technical things just because they happen to be female.

I guess that flying is almost a pain for alot of people who have to do it,how many commuters are train spotters –non i would guess.

I know that but you are.
And your other thought is so true. Whenever I flew in the 60s it was always an adventure.

Thank you for the compliment but I’m not posting comments to secure such feedback, I’m posting to try and add some balance to what so often seems to be ‘a glass half empty mood’ that seems to prevail here!

Just to reemphasise part of an earlier post – “Young people (male and female) are a lot more interested in aviation than some people seem prepared to give them credit for.” That’s not just around Newark but in areas around aviation sites all over the country!

One other thought to ponder – with the age of mass travel for holidays and the like, I believe that a lot of the aura that once surrounded aviation has dissipated somewhat, now in some cases going on an aircraft is almost like catching a bus. Back in the 1970s the one thing that grabbed my attention with Newark Air Museum was being able to get close up and go into an aircraft and then ‘shock – horror’ being allowed to work on them!!

TO – what you are doing and have achieved is wholly commendable and it would be marvellous if it was replicated nationwide but as in many things there will be as many weak as strong areas and the weak need that parental and school encouragement and support.

For additional clarity re Scouts – many Packs are allowed to select, which Badges they would like to try to work towards and many youngsters are encouraged to check out the requirements of the Badges for themselves by using the Scoutbase website. At least they did in the two different Packs my sons went to – one did the Badges at Newark and the other went to Duxford! :rolleyes:

Which is I think the nub of the OPs question.

Quite right trumper, but even then the interest is there and from wherever it came, answering the OP’s question – obviously aviation can still attract young enthusiasts! :eagerness:

Agreed TwinOtter but if they are already in the air cadets they already have an interest.The problem is getting those who MAY get an interest but don’t know it yet out of the house and finding a way to start the interest in the first place.

People shouldn’t just focus on schools & education when they consider experiences that young people can gain from aviation.

At Newark Air Museum they have an active programme that is designed to engage with the ATC, plus Cubs and Scouts.

Members of 1237 (North Hykeham) Squadron, Air Training Corps (ATC) are active participants at many NAM organised events, including: aircraft opening; writing articles for the newsletter; vehicle marshalling at event like next weekend’s Tribute to the Lightning; and ceremonial roles like the recent memorial dedication, as detailed in this link!

As I’ve posted elsewhere about these parts the Aviation and Air Researcher Badges with the Cubs and Scouts provide a great way for organisations to engage with young people. Earlier this year I delivered one such session for a group of Scouts and one of the female members of the Pack asked to be formally invested into her Patrol in a ceremony held inside the Wessex helicopter – something that she’ll hopefully remember for a long while!

As part of that Pack’s onward development work for the Aviation Badge they were going paragliding.

Young people (male and female) are a lot more interested in aviation than some people seem prepared to give them credit for.

There is to my mind another influence – a very pronounced influence, on the interests of children especially boys. State primary schools are almost exclusively staffed by female teachers. Being female, their recreational teaching preoccupations are with ‘soft’ subjects such as needlework, cooking, knitting, skipping and group sporting activities such as rounders, netball and the like.
.

Quite right, added to the fact that many children don’t have a father living at home. So have little paternal influence at home or school.

Yes I do realize there are a lot of females involved in aviation. Not as many as there are men though.