YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YOUTH IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT

There’s a lot of talk and writing about “today’s youth.” This time, I have to voice my own opinion on the matter: I think it’s good that we’re thinking about our clubs—and, in doing so, about our junior members as well. However, complaining is out of place. An aging membership isn’t a death sentence. Or to put it another way: Is model flying and/or model building perhaps an activity in which members in the second half of their lives feel more at home than teenagers? When I see how certain sports clubs—especially soccer clubs—can barely keep up with the rush of girls and boys, we have to be honest and admit—and this includes, for example, cycling as well— —that their recreational offerings apparently better align with the wishes and expectations of today’s youth. In any case, I’m glad and grateful that our sports clubs are investing in infrastructure and training. Please forgive me if, when looking at our model aviation organizations in recent years, I’ve increasingly gained the impression that we model aviators are too much

are backward-looking—we’re flying without ailerons again. Teacher-student flying sessions and other vacation activities are important and also fun. Teenagers will perceive this much the same way as any PC gamer would. At the Pro-Aero youth camp, they’re closer to reality and find themselves challenged because their future is at stake. Plus, we tend to go overboard in our efforts for our young people. They’re often underchallenged and will soon be outflying our long-time, experienced members. “What more do we need to learn? We already know everything!” Conclusion: We need a new “model flying” product that sparks interest and curiosity—one that can’t simply be bought off the shelf or achieved through better communication. Perhaps, similar to the Technorama in Winterthur, we need a future aviation lab for young people.

With best regards, Emil Ch. Giezendanner