WingsWaterAndWheels wrote:
As for myself, there are 2 possibilities for me to make it possible to join an EuroGa flyin: going by CAT or having it in Norway/Sweden in which case I would gladly join with the C185, if the weather cooperates
Funny you should say that. I was thinking of something similar this morning when reading this thread. For me, to join one of the flyin’s in Croatia, would cost me in the region of €5.5K for aircraft rental alone. So obviously I’m not going to do that.
But I wondered, would there be an interest in doing a “meetup” rather than a “flyin”? That is, as a group, meeting up somewhere that is well served by loco commercial traffic where people were encouraged to “get there by any means possible” rather than simply fly in?
It might be an option worth considering?
It would also provide a backbone of a group who were definitely going to make it (If you’ve pre-booked airline tickets, you are going to go no matter what the weather is).
The trick might be finding a nice location that is well served by loco carriers from different locations.
I don’t want to miss an event I had so much trouble fitting in our schedule and finally get stuck in a desolate, rainy airstrip with a hungry family while you guys have fun and my paid-for hotel reservation get lost. She will be even more reluctant to the next flying trip so my license will be useless and I would rather stick to [add a hobby]
Putting aside weather or ground hassle (slots, ppr, hotel, taxis…), I don’t think it’s a good idea to take family (partner & kids) into a “pilots fly-in”, maybe worth going with other pilots? there are better attractions to fly the family, some are exotic and some are nearby, even if it means one does them over and over and over and over…
Imagine @Antonio dragging his family to join Aero at EDNY instead of touring around Pyrenees or Atlas
PS: EDNY is nice destination for family trip, it’s the pressure to get there in/out on time for the show
Wx has proven to be the main factor. I think @ibra makes a valid point regarding sharing seats. It would make a VFR pilot less dependant on wx if he could join an IR pilot/aircraft. In the end it’s not about the number of aircraft but about the number of people joining. And there is a cost advantage that could tip the scale too.
dublinpilot wrote:
But I wondered, would there be an interest in doing a “meetup” rather than a “flyin”? That is, as a group, meeting up somewhere that is well served by loco commercial traffic where people were encouraged to “get there by any means possible” rather than simply fly in?
I’m sure some will agree, and some, mostly owners, will not be interested. I for one will certainly not board some stinky airliner to fly to some place in EU, when I have my own steed (yes I’m lucky, but I made most of the choices myself during my life 
)…
Loving to fly, I wanna fly 
A fly-in, as for instance a EuroGA one, just gives me the excuse to plan, and undertake the flight, having a goal in mind, a mission. Meeting people once arrived is just the icing on the cake.
Peter wrote:
I think some nominal amount like €20-50 would limit the size of the group to those who want to come and are in a position to do so.
I still don’t think it would make a difference in the amount of the people attending. Assuming the practice is introduced here, I would still be interested in trying to make a EuroGA fly-in. But I would delay the go/no-go decision to the day of the event, or maybe the day before.
Post #129 of 16 pages of ideas and suggestions
Any way to set up polls in a part of the forum? That would give us an indication of what the majority of people think about all these brain storming results… maybe.
Dan wrote:
I’m sure some will agree, and some, mostly owners, will not be interested. I for one will certainly not board some stinky airliner to fly to some place in EU, when I have my own steed
Indeed, and very understandable. But I suspect that if we look, we might be able to find locations that fit both. Those who can fly there, can do so knowing that they won’t be the only one there, given that there should be some members who will arrive by CAT/Rail/Road.
That is true, although predictably some of the best fly-ins have been ones which are much less airline-accessible.
A classic case is Mali Losinj. We had a great one there in 2014. But a recent attempt got a zero response (after a mailshot!). A lot has changed e.g.
Similarly, Brac is another destination which produced a great fly-in in 2016.
I can’t imagine getting on CAT to go somewhere to talk about the hobby I’ve just left behind.
Especially when it’s costing me money sitting there.
My journey to the airfield is a fraction of the time and cost to Gatwick or Stansted.
We all have so many variables to consider, and life is getting more complicated for most people, not less.
I don’t think there is a secret formula to be discovered. It is what it is.
Some destinations/timings/wx will work out and some won’t.
Within the scope of what is likely to be done, I’m not convinced there’s much to be done, to specifically induce a greater turn out.
Let me re-phrase it.
The greatest single issue is not getting enough people; with a decent destination and promotion we usually can. The main challenge has been, as described, not getting people who are basically just dreaming.
This is because somebody needs to organise it with the airport – fuel and parking. Individual pilots are never going to be doing that; it would not make sense. And if say 50 are “interested” then the fly-in dies because almost no place can park 50. It can collapse completely because once parking becomes questionable, almost everybody drops out.
There are secondary challenges, to do with so many “going places” pilots having dropped out during covid.
Peter wrote:
And if say 50 are “interested” then the fly-in dies because almost no place can park 50.
Complete nonsense @Peter, and the best way to scare eventual candidates away, well done
For one thing, 50 “interested” will lead to 1 up to maybe 20 attending. Now I have difficulty to call out fields not providing that capacity, out of high season that is.
As for ““going places” pilots having dropped out during covid”, that has been mentioned quite a few times by now, but is certainly not constructive for future fly-ins.
But what about looking back at the successful EuroGA fly-ins of the past? If you took part in some, please list them, and try to remember what made them great. This would provide some tools for future events.
I’ll start, and it’s gonna be real quick since I only attended the Andorra–La Seu d’Urgell, 16-17 October 2021.
Dan – I don’t think we disagree. But, I’ve met you and I don’t think you are the typical GA pilot. You have organised your life for copious free time – something which takes many years to set up. And I’ve done the same. But this is not usual.
I’ve posted many times what makes a fly-in work or not. This search digs out various threads. More specifically, here and some others.
Yes, Andorra was great. It’s a very special place; not common. Aart is planning another one to LECD (was tried in April 2018 but died due to wx, and we had quite a nice one at La Rochelle instead).
Your list is spot on too.
I did all the fly-ins (we used to do 2 a year; one May and one September) except one in Sicily in 2021; I got as far as Dubrovnik and was stopped by a TS around Sicily. I can make a list of why each one worked; the list would be similar each time. The usual stuff has already been posted many times, but the extras which really made them bigger were individuals doing local stuff e.g.
Can I hand this over to someone to organise?
