When flying at competitions, or just going cross-country, a tow/retrieve driver is a crucial part of your team. This is why it is extremely important to show appreciation and respect toward your driver. Without these volunteers, you could be sleeping out with the mosquitoes and drop bears! In towing competitions, the tow driver literally has your life on the line. HG Comps Inc., as a collective, have decided to offer some guidelines to help you look after your driver and ensure we have a pool of happy, experienced and willing drivers into the future.
I have been a driver for the last 18 years, mainly for my partner Andy, a hang glider pilot of 27 years. My experiences have been mostly positive, except for the odd grumpy pilot (we’ll call him ‘Mr Grumpy’) who didn’t get picked up first when he thought he should! While most pilots and teams are respectful, drivers I have spoken with over the years found this unfortunately not always to be the case. Some have relayed stories of driving for teams where they have been verbally abused and generally disrespected, treated poorly and given abysmal reimbursements!
Back in 2007 when I started driving (I think I got tricked into it!), the share of reimbursement for a driver was $25 per pilot per day which I considered to be a reasonable token of appreciation at the time. We are now 18 years down the track and I hear some teams still reimburse at $25! Pilots are even trying to not reimburse their driver for ‘no fly’ days, which is not new, as I have had this happen many times. Remember that your volunteer driver is there to look after you, they are not on holiday, pilots shouldn’t expect volunteers to not get reimbursed on no fly days! Drivers actually hate the ‘no fly’ days as they have to wait around with a bunch of unhappy pilots. We would rather you’d be out there flying than sit there with us in the rain.
Many of our driver volunteers have well payed jobs in the ‘real world’, so they are not driving for you for money. Those who come to mind have the following occupations: barrister (not barista – if you don’t know the difference I can’t help you!), CEO, nurse, podiatrist and accountant. Some of these are also ex-pilots – do you begin to see their value? These people are giving up their own free time to drive for you. It is not a holiday for them, they are helping out as volunteers.
If you were sent on a job for a week out of town, you would expect to be reimbursed for your accommodation and meals. Volunteer drivers don’t expect the Taj Mahal or a Michelin star restaurants, although both would be nice! A spot on your campsite, a shared cabin, food and drink, a meal at the pub, and a salad roll for lunch all help to show your appreciation and respect for the time, effort and expertise they put in for you.
Making sure the car is full of fuel at the start of the day is another must! A driver (let’s call her Angela) recently told me that after a day of towing in the dusty Birchip tow paddock, she pulled out of the gate only to realise the team had left her just 20km worth of fuel. She then spent time looking for a service station to fill up, using her own money, when she could have been on the road to pick up pilots. Roadside Assist is an awesome thing to have on your car as well, if the driver breaks down or runs out of fuel, they can call the RACV or equivalent for help. The quicker they get back on the road the sooner you get picked up!
To give a general idea of what transport costs for other sports, Perisher (Kosciuszko National Park) snow-skiing lift passes for one adult will set you back $202 per day, and mountain bike shuttles in Derby, Tasmania, cost $145 per person for two days. Considering this, each pilot’s share for reimbursing their drivers are rather more reasonable. While volunteers are not being paid, they should not be left out of pocket for their efforts to help make your lives easier. Volunteer drivers are an integral part of the team, we should treat them with respect and show our appreciation by paying appropriate reimbursements. If you want to shine in the eyes of your driver, purchase them a comp T-shirt, so they remember you next time you ask for help.
When you do all these things, drivers will be happy to offer their help and you won’t be madly scrambling to find someone at the last minute. For guidance on what we think are appropriate reimbursements, see our Guidelines at HG Comps.com. And keep hang gliding awesome!
