A Little P.R. Goes a Long Way
Paul Witcomb

On July 21st I was invited to speak to the Del Webb community group about hang gliding. This development is just north of the Cottonwood airport.

Instead of spending the day talking, I invited them up to launch to explain our special way of getting high. The folks from Del Webb were a great group of people. I was surprised by the turn out, 50 plus people. There were the fifty and the regular crowd which I expected, but I was pleased to see many young families with kids who asked as many questions as the adults.

My perception was they were impressed with the technology of our wings and I tried to talk up how safe our sport really is. As we all know we suffer from a negative public view. We need to change this.

Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and it started to blow down early. All to familiar this year. Thanks to Jerry and Marshall the spectators got to see somebody launch. Both perfectly executed. Thank you Guys!

I think we made a few brownie points with these people. As our flying sites become more threatened I feel we need to be more proactive promoting our sport.

The Verde Valley is no exception. There are several developments in this area that could threaten our future here. There has been talk of a regional airport to replace the Sedona and Cottonwood airports. This was just shot down by the county. It is going to come back in another form I am sure.

Change is coming. The Sedona airport WILL have a control tower. It is only a matter of time. This will effect our flights to the east of Mingus Mountain.

All in all I think we have a good chance to champion our cause here as long as the locals consider us a part of the community.

So be sure to mark your calendars for the last weekend of September for the Verde River Days. This is a good way to showcase our sport, and besides we always have a great time.

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