ppragman
FLIPY FLAPS!
There are a few things standing in the way of "booming GA"
Costs - obviously it's expensive - find a way to make it as cheap as operating a snow-machine (that's a snowmobile for you down southers), or a small boat, or a jetski, and people will do it. If someone was able to manufacture an airplane that cost about $30,000 brand new and we'd see people tripping over themselves to fly. A j-3 cub (according to wiki) cost around $2500 in 1947. Adjusted for inflation that's almost $25,000 now.
Similarly, a brand spanking new 1956 172 cost $8700. Adjusted for inflation that's about $71000. That's actually something that's reasonably affordable when you compare it to the costs today - $307000 and change. It can be done, just nobody has the balls to go out and do it. If I was independently wealthy and had the time and money to pour into it (maybe I'll call Romney, I imagine he's looking for work), I'd make an "open" airplane, I'd certify it, then I'd give away the plans to anyone who wanted to manufacture it. Combine that with expensive fuel and you've got an airplane being more like a Yacht than a SeaDory.
Culture - Aviation isn't as much fun as it should be. We're so risk averse as to suck a substantial amount of the fun out. In commercial operations, safety is and must be the first and foremost concern, but for private pilots bouncing around in their cub on the weekends we need to bring some of the joy back into flying. If CFIs weren't there to build hours to move on - and not all are, but the majority probably are - and if a brand new airplane didn't have more glass than the space shuttle and a checklist longer than my arm then things may be a little better. A "get back to basics" stick-and-rudder approach would pull more people in if the costs were lower. Flying right now isn't a social endeavor most places. How many "fly ins" are there at your local airport? How many "airport pancake breakfasts?" How many pilots who actually have airplanes will take people with them on the weekends? Is there any way for random pilots to meet to go split costs and fly? How many pilots will go out of their way to help young guys get hours? I bet there are plenty of people at the airport who would love to just have someone to talk to and go fly their airplane around with, but there isn't anyway for these guys to get in contact with one another. Hell, if I were a CFI and had another job on the side, I'd probably go fly around with some guys and "give dual" just to meet new people and have fun - the sad thing is, I don't see a lot of that other than for "man, I can fly with this guy and get a few more hours, closer to that airline gig" or "man, I could make some money freelancing on the side."
The funny thing is, if you make flying more "fun" which people generally associate with "unsafe" then it will get safer because more people will be talking with one another about it. There'll be more hangar flying on crummy days. More "so there I was" stories for the older guys to pass onto the younger guys. People rag on CAP pretty hard around here - myself included at times, but ironically, CAP actually does this a little bit - it's a flying club for anybody, everybody and all the rest. If people are interested in the actual act of flying, then low and behold people will do things like attend safety standdowns, participate in the WINGS program, or join AOPA because it'll seem like another way to learn more about something they enjoy doing. Right now, generally flying isn't that much fun.
Here's something that's wrong with GA: I walked into a flight school down south to find out about getting checked out in a Cherokee 6 they had. I wanted to fly something around that I was familiar with (I have over 1000hrs in one) and something where I could take some friends. I asked, "hey, what does it take to get checked out in the Cherokee 6 here?" The counter girl was immediately surly for starters, then she tried to sell me some career pilot program stuff about getting my commercial (I hadn't told her I was ATP rated at that point hadn't been able to). Then told me that I'd have to get at least 10hrs with a CFI, before I could rent it - but it wouldn't be a good airplane for a low time pilot to fly. At that point I said, "well, I've got over 1000hrs in PA32s, so can I sit down with a CFI and go through systems again then go fly and get a checkout?" - her response? "No, it has to be in our airplane." So I just walked out and didn't bother trying to rent it. I've heard about similar stories with other people too. Let's make aviation fun again.
Costs - obviously it's expensive - find a way to make it as cheap as operating a snow-machine (that's a snowmobile for you down southers), or a small boat, or a jetski, and people will do it. If someone was able to manufacture an airplane that cost about $30,000 brand new and we'd see people tripping over themselves to fly. A j-3 cub (according to wiki) cost around $2500 in 1947. Adjusted for inflation that's almost $25,000 now.
Similarly, a brand spanking new 1956 172 cost $8700. Adjusted for inflation that's about $71000. That's actually something that's reasonably affordable when you compare it to the costs today - $307000 and change. It can be done, just nobody has the balls to go out and do it. If I was independently wealthy and had the time and money to pour into it (maybe I'll call Romney, I imagine he's looking for work), I'd make an "open" airplane, I'd certify it, then I'd give away the plans to anyone who wanted to manufacture it. Combine that with expensive fuel and you've got an airplane being more like a Yacht than a SeaDory.
Culture - Aviation isn't as much fun as it should be. We're so risk averse as to suck a substantial amount of the fun out. In commercial operations, safety is and must be the first and foremost concern, but for private pilots bouncing around in their cub on the weekends we need to bring some of the joy back into flying. If CFIs weren't there to build hours to move on - and not all are, but the majority probably are - and if a brand new airplane didn't have more glass than the space shuttle and a checklist longer than my arm then things may be a little better. A "get back to basics" stick-and-rudder approach would pull more people in if the costs were lower. Flying right now isn't a social endeavor most places. How many "fly ins" are there at your local airport? How many "airport pancake breakfasts?" How many pilots who actually have airplanes will take people with them on the weekends? Is there any way for random pilots to meet to go split costs and fly? How many pilots will go out of their way to help young guys get hours? I bet there are plenty of people at the airport who would love to just have someone to talk to and go fly their airplane around with, but there isn't anyway for these guys to get in contact with one another. Hell, if I were a CFI and had another job on the side, I'd probably go fly around with some guys and "give dual" just to meet new people and have fun - the sad thing is, I don't see a lot of that other than for "man, I can fly with this guy and get a few more hours, closer to that airline gig" or "man, I could make some money freelancing on the side."
The funny thing is, if you make flying more "fun" which people generally associate with "unsafe" then it will get safer because more people will be talking with one another about it. There'll be more hangar flying on crummy days. More "so there I was" stories for the older guys to pass onto the younger guys. People rag on CAP pretty hard around here - myself included at times, but ironically, CAP actually does this a little bit - it's a flying club for anybody, everybody and all the rest. If people are interested in the actual act of flying, then low and behold people will do things like attend safety standdowns, participate in the WINGS program, or join AOPA because it'll seem like another way to learn more about something they enjoy doing. Right now, generally flying isn't that much fun.
Here's something that's wrong with GA: I walked into a flight school down south to find out about getting checked out in a Cherokee 6 they had. I wanted to fly something around that I was familiar with (I have over 1000hrs in one) and something where I could take some friends. I asked, "hey, what does it take to get checked out in the Cherokee 6 here?" The counter girl was immediately surly for starters, then she tried to sell me some career pilot program stuff about getting my commercial (I hadn't told her I was ATP rated at that point hadn't been able to). Then told me that I'd have to get at least 10hrs with a CFI, before I could rent it - but it wouldn't be a good airplane for a low time pilot to fly. At that point I said, "well, I've got over 1000hrs in PA32s, so can I sit down with a CFI and go through systems again then go fly and get a checkout?" - her response? "No, it has to be in our airplane." So I just walked out and didn't bother trying to rent it. I've heard about similar stories with other people too. Let's make aviation fun again.
