What Does it Take to Go to the Show?

The phrase "the show" has had three distinct meanings in my life to date. First, it was what ballplayers called the big leagues. When you were in minor league ball and you got called up to the parent club it was said you were "going to the show." I was a pretty big baseball fan back in the day and always loved that phrase.

Home of the Buffalo Bisons

Later in life I found myself in Buffalo, NY (a place where many of the scenes from that great baseball movie The Natural were filmed) attending graduate school and dating my first love,  Barbara. As a grad student, I did not have lots of cash to pay for creative dates, so Barb and I went to plenty of movies.  Her mom called going to the movies "going to the show." I always wondered where that came from, but I never asked.

Movies used be cheap!

Now as my life enters yet another new phase, "going to the show" has taken on yet another new meeting. And this one has way more work attached to it than watching baseball or catching a flick. In my current world of working in the aviation industry, "going to the show," as in "Are you going to the show next week?" is now all about hard work. Its about going to the air show or the fly in or the aviation expo.

Going to the show used to be all about fun. Checking out the cool airplanes, watching the Blue Angels do their thing, rummaging through miles of parts bins looking for the right-side shoulder belt holder for a 1976 Cessna 150M (thank you eBay!) or spending money on the latest doo-dad that I just HAD to have in my cockpit because all the cool pilots did. Those were the days...

I used to actually watch the airshow...

For Aviation Access Project, 2013 is "the year of the show." As this is our roll-out year, we wanted to visit several large shows to help get the word out about our shared ownership plan. So far it has worked. We got enough interest from the LSA Expo in Sebring to keep us busy for the rest of the year. But now we are going to Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, home of Sun 'n Fun, a show second only to EAA AirVenture in size and importance. It is not as easy as  hopping in the car to head to the theater or the subway to get to the stadium. Prepping for exhibiting at a major airshow takes time, money and effort.

First, exhibit space must be secured. This means strategizing over location vs. cost, convenience vs. visibility and eating vs. sleeping.  It also means negotiating a contract with the venue and negotiating the cost sharing between us and our strategic partners (Bristell USA LP and True Flight Aerospace will both be with us at Sun 'n Fun.). Rick gets to do this fun stuff.

Next is the media.  The shows are opportunities to get in front of the aviation media and get word out about our news and programs. This means arranging press conferences, media briefings, press releases, radio ads, print ads and social media presence.  This is my job.  And it does not end until well after the show closes, as there are always follow-ups to, well, follow-up on.

And we'll have a few hundred meetings while at the show. Vendors, partners, potential vendors and partners, lots and lots of customers, and miscellaneous others we'll need to talk to. Gotta get ready for all of them.

What about accommodations?  Oh, we only need a bunch of rooms in the same hotel for the same very busy block of time. Oh, all those rooms need to be near the show and as inexpensive as possible. Free breakfast is nice, and free wi-fi critical.  And we can't tell you far in advance who is coming and therefore how many rooms we actually need as business considerations change every day. Rick is much more charming than I am, so he gets to schmooze reservations agents.  Add a rental car for driving all over Polk County in search of various things we'll be sure to need. And don't forget airfare, since we carry LOTS OF STUFF to these shows -more than fits in the back of my plane.)

Speaking of stuff, here's a sampling of some of what we have to get ready:

• palm cards
• brochures/promo materials
• price lists
• stress balls (you can see where these might come in handy...)
• great big check to do a little presentation
• banners, signs, and various display items
• a whole carton of AOPA Pilot from January (the Bristell is on the cover.)
• forms/receipts/clipboards/pens (lots of pens...)
• contracts/agreements
• tents/tables/chairs/tablecloths
• logo-laden clothing to wear
• business cards
• coolers/ice/snacks/drinks
• orientation materials for Flight Center Director Candidates
• A bunch more miscellaneous stuff I can't stand to think about right now.

Air show? You mean there are airplanes around here and we are on the grounds of an airport? Who knew?! Let me add that to the social media feed I am generating about the show!  (Yes, check us out on Twitter and Facebook  for live updates!)

Don't get me wrong. I am NOT complaining. I love my job and I love aviation and I love airports. But it was easier back in the day when "going to the show" did not require months of planning and weeks of follow-up. Simpler times...

Let's all go to the show!

Calling All Flight Center Directors and Candidates!

By the time most of you read this, the 2013 Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo will be just about two weeks away.  For one week in April, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida becomes the world's busiest airport.  And Sun 'n Fun, which started out as a local EAA fly-in, becomes North America's 2nd-largest aviation event.  Although my break has been over more than a week now, the event billed as "Spring Break for Pilots" is certainly filled with "Sun" and "Fun."

And we'll  be there. And we'll be busy. And how!

Aviation Access Project and low-wing partner Bristell USA LP will be holding down exhibit spaces LP023 and LP026 in the "Paradise City" LSA area near the turf runway at the south end of the airport. We're near parking, food, the shuttle service, and the LSA flight line.  Joining us will be our friends from True Flight Aerospace who will be showing off a mock-up of their re-invention of the iconic Grumman American Tiger.

The Tiger and it's namesake.

The new Tiger is expected to play a big role in our plans to offer larger aircraft in our shared ownership program. The combination of the lovely Bristell and the classic Tiger will make our display a must-see location at Sun 'n Fun!

But, we'll be doing much more than showing off the best-looking airplanes in the sky.  We'll be doing some press briefings, some radio interviews, several forums, holding meetings with suppliers and customers and hosting a Flight Center Director Orientation Session (FCDOS).

What's a FCDOS? Since we rolled out our concept at the 2013 LSA Expo, we have been inundated with dozens of requests to open an AAP Flight Center at airports all around the USA and 6 other nations. These are not requests to purchase shares of our aircraft (we have over 100 of those), but rather requests from individuals and small businesses to learn how to integrate the AAP model at their location.  We are in the process of vetting those candidates and establishing a priority list. As a result, to date we have Flight Centers with planned 2013 openings in five states and have our first 13 Flight Center locations established.

So, we need to get some future center directors up to speed and we have to introduce our business model to  others who are interested in possibly joining the family.

110 pages of fun, the "BOM"

The orientation session will cover the basics of our business plan and how that plan is implemented by the policies in our Business Operations Manual. (Yes, we do call it "The BOM.")

If you are a Flight Center Director Candidate or are interested in joining us, please be sure to attend this session. Details on time/date/location will be available at our exhibit at Sun 'n Fun. We expect it to take place over the weekend to be convenient for as many people as possible. There is no cost or commitment, no hard sell or pressure. Just real solutions to real problems.

Aviation Access Project: We Manage, You Fly, That's It 

(Really.)

The Daffodil Principle

Note: Guest post by Anthony Hebert

Not the small print in our contracts!

I recently asked two highly enthusiastic and innovative gentlemen, who are truly pursuing a grand and exciting dream, where they saw the Aviation Access Project in ten years.  Since asking that question I have given it some serious thought and I realized that is not the question I should have asked.

Instead the question we should all ask ourselves is “What impact will my actions have on those around me in ten years?”

I had a professor in college who I remember dearly, not for his academic teachings, but for his social teachings. Dr. Hill does not need recognition for his academic and professional success. His record and amazing accomplishments speak loudly and reflect great credit upon himself.

However, his social teachings were subtle, respectful and kind.

Dr. Hill would ask each of his students to write a brief autobiography at the beginning of the semester and then he would collect them. At the beginning of each subsequent class Dr. Hill would briefly mention something from a student’s bio that he had read.

Dr. Hill subtly taught the importance of respect to all his students.

Ten years later and Dr. Hill is still teaching me about life. I recently reconnected with Dr. Hill on LinkedIn and he shared the most wonderful story with me called the Daffodil Principle.

Narcissus alcaracensis (Daffodil)

In the Daffodil Principle a daughter finally convinces her reluctant mother to drive two hours in thick fog to visit so that she can share with her mother the majesty of color created by daffodils before they were gone for the season. After arriving at her daughter’s house the mother almost gives up the journey due to the thick fog. But the insistent daughter convinces her mother to continue on with the journey.

At the final destination breaking through the fog the mother is treated to five acres of artistic glory covered with 50,000 daffodils. She is in awe as she witnesses something only akin to the hand of God pouring paint of every color from the sky swirling all over the side of this mountain.

Her only question is “Who planted all these?”

The answer……”One Woman.”

The Daffodil Principle describes one woman’s passion to bring joy to thousands of visitors one painstakingly planted flower at a time until, more than 35 years later, she transformed the side of a mountain into a canvas of beautiful colors consisting of 50,000 daffodils. WOW!

The message here is twofold:

First, this woman set out on a passionate goal to impact the lives of all those around her, whom she did not even know, who would see her work.

Second, she diligently pursued this dream relentlessly one flower at a time year after painstaking year until she had accomplished her goal.

Now imagine an army of people working together toward one goal of giving everyone access to aviation relentlessly one Flight Center at a time.

These two gentlemen (Editor's note: That's Rick and Len to the rest of you!), whom I have had the honor of meeting, have assembled a team of passionate aviation enthusiasts that together will one day touch the lives of everyone on the face of this planet in some way shape or form just as two men did 109 years ago on December 17, 1903.

They WILL reinvigorate the Passion of Aviation started by the Wright Brothers one Plane and one Flight Center at a time until everyone has Access to the joy of Aviation through 1000 Flight Centers. 

Own the Passion of Flying!

Where Do You See Yourself in Ten Years?

Aviation Access Project staff just got back from a whirlwind tour of parts of the Midwest, visiting potential flight center locations in Arkansas and Kansas.  Two events surprised me the most:

1) Seeing a WWII fleet submarine in a field in Oklahoma. (Check it out here.)

2) Being asked the question "Where do you see Aviation Access Project in ten years?"

While I think we can all agree that item #1 is surprising, I should have anticipated item #2. After all, it is a staple of the job interview, and we were essentially being interviewed by a potential Flight Center Director. Also, since I teach interviewing skills for a living, I should not have been taken aback. But I was. And it was a VERY good question. Here's why:

If you get to the in-person job interview stage, it means that -at least on paper- you meet the qualifications for the job and you merit a closer look.  That closer look should be designed, in part, to get a sense of the vision and aspirations of the candidate.  That sort of insight  into a person or organization can be valuable and can be help determine whether the candidate has what we call in the academic space a good "institutional fit."  The "Where do you see yourself" question provides exactly that.

So, where do we see Aviation Access Project in 10 years? Anyone considering becoming part of our family should  ask that question.   So, here's our answer.

The goal is 1000 flight centers. At least 2,000 aircraft under management.  At least 16,000 new aircraft owners.  Many thousands of them will be new pilots.  We'll have thousands of new AOPA members as each new Airshare Owner who is not a member gets a complimentary one-year membership courtesy of AAP.  These flight centers will be located in all 50 states and several other nations.  Many of the flight center will feature our "Eagle's Nest" concept -a sort-of pilot country club with lounges, classrooms, libraries, restaurants, simulators and more.  The AAP roundel will be a common sight around airports and will be synonymous with quality training, excellent owner experiences, family-friendly atmosphere and dedication to the passion of flying.

But MUCH more important than where we see us in 10 years is the question "Where do you see general aviation in 10 years?" Because the mission of AAP is NOT to make money for the owners of AAP. It is NOT to pad the egos or resumes or bank accounts of AAP staff. It is NOT to put bigger airplanes in the hangars of AAP stockholders. Rather it is the mission of AAP to bring hundreds of thousands of new pilots to the rolls and, as a result, revitalize our industry and change the economies of scale.  Here's the current FAA industry forecast for the next 20 years:  FAA Aerospace Forecasts FY 2012-2032. Ten years from now we want the forecast to include the following :

"Unanticipated in earlier years of this report was the success of industry innovations such as Aviation Access Project in increasing the number of Sport, Private, and Commercial pilot certificates and the resultant increase in aircraft registrations."

AAP is essentially in the business of creating and managing partnerships -groups of people who come together for a common goal. We firmly believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, that 8 working together can do more than 8 or even 80 working alone. Collaboration is more powerful than going it alone and is also way more fun.  TOGETHER we will make a positive difference.  

Not sure about all that? Well, come back and check up on us in 10 years. (For more pictures from our trip, click here.)

PS. You'll  be learning more about the person who asked the question in an upcoming blog post.

Aviation Access Project:  We Manage, You Fly, That's It.

Len and Rick's Excellent Adventure

On the heels of the very successful Rick and Carla's Florida Vacation," comes the next installment of the Spring 2013 Flight Center Site Visit Tour. (Get your commemorative t-shirts here.) This time Len joins Rick for a swing through the Midwest. Stops include Nashville, Chicagoland, Southern Wisconsin, Cedar Rapids and Wichita.    

You may wonder what the purpose of these trips is.  Actually, there are several reasons for heading out:

1. We have found the best way to interview prospective Flight Center Directors is in-person.  We want to meet him or her, learn about their passion for aviation, their experiences, their interests.  
2. We want to meet as many of our potential AirShare Owners as we can. We are family at Aviation Access Project.
3. We love visiting airports! 
4. We have something called the "Site Visit Protocol," which is really just Rick-speak for a checklist of items we review at each potential location.  These include, in no particular order:
1. Signing of various contracts/paperwork, etc.
2. review of physical facilities (offices, hangar, amenities)
3. Inspection of any aircraft that are coming along for the ride. 
4. Scouting of local BBQ joints for Rick
5. Finding suitable locations for AAP signage (no, really --we look at this)
6. Reviewing the "Marketing Protocol" (Rick-speak for the communications activities we engage in prior to a center opening) with the Director
7. Meeting key staff and local officials
8. Planning the "Kick-Off" (Rick-speak for what the rest of us call "the grand opening.")
9. Ordering an airplane. (This is a fun step!)
10. Training
5. We need to get out of the office every now and then.
6. An in-person visit is the BEST way to determine how serious a potential Director or Owner is and how willing are they to help do the work of building a local AAP outpost. 

Site visits are critically important, and the last major step between being a Flight Center "Candidate" and an actual Flight Center.   At this point, the workload (and income) is split between the Center and AAP HQ.  

We do site visits in a certain order. One thing we  look at is geography. We did a bunch in Florida all at once since it made geographical sense.  The same with the current Midwest group.  Next, we look at interest level and commitment. The more you are ready to go, and the more potential owners have expressed interest or submitted deposits in an area, then the more likely your location is going to be placed at the top of the list. AAP is new and is small.  We have to prioritize.

So, how interested are YOU in an AAP flight center or aircraft at your local airport? If you live in the triangle defined by Nashville, Milwaukee and Wichita, and you want to see the AAP roundel at your airport, then let us know.

You can follow Len and Rick on their journey by keeping an eye on our Facebook page.

Thanks for Your Support

In a little over a month, we've gone from zero page views to well over 1000, with readership increasing with each new post. Aviation Access Project would just like to say "Thank You" to the hundreds of people who have expressed an interest in finding a new way to "access" aviation. Your interest, frankly, is overwhelming and humbling.  Please continue to check in with us as we expand our national network of shared ownership aircraft and our flight centers.  Please also to continue to support our wonderful partner Bristell USA LP.  They have a great plane and a great passion for aviation.  Check us out on Facebook, and see you at Sun 'n Fun!

How's It Work?

One thing I like about Aviation Access Project's shared ownership program is its simplicity.  I took this graphic right out of our Business Operation Manual ("The BOM"):

I figured "hey, images are cool!" Well, they may be cool, but this one does nothing to explain to a potential client how they go about getting an airplane at their airport, how to get trained, or how much it will cost. If you look at our website or brochure, you see lots of information, about WHY we are here and WHO we are, but you have to dig deep to learn HOW it works.  That is partly on purpose, as we want to talk to you.  Or rather, we want to LISTEN to you -our job is to figure out your needs and meet them. Own as much of an airplane as you need. No more, no less.    

So, let's get simple:

Step 1: We chat. If you are interested, we take a refundable reservation deposit of $100.00. )

Step 2: We get organized.  We need 2-16 people at an airport in order to place a plane so we work together with you to get the word out. (8 is the standard number of shares per plane.) 

• We can establish a Flight Center at this location if staff, space, and budget allow. 
• Or, one of the share owners of the plane can be "managing owner." For a break on the monthly maintenance fee, they manage the aircraft for us.
• Or, if there is an active flight center nearby, that center can manage your plane as well.

Step 3: Once we have enough interest at a location, we sign some papers and take deposits. 

Step 4: We order a plane from Bristell USA LP or if the owners wish, we secure an alternative aircraft on the open market. (We like SportCruiser/PiperSport and Flight Design.)

Step 5: Plane arrives, we finish the share allocation process and hand over the keys. (We make a big deal about this part, look for a future post showing the delivery process.)

Step 6: New owners begin Sport Pilot training or transition training with an AAP-designated Flight Pro.

Step 7: Monthly Maintenance Fee paid to AAP for all recurring expenses except fuel. (This includes storage, insurance, maintenance, reserves, etc.)

We Manage. You Fly. That's it.

Simple. 

Interested in a shared ownership opportunity at your location?  An email or phone call is all it takes. 

T