AOPA Flight Training Initiative

There was a reasol I got out of flight training in the first place was the money... It gets expensive fast, but I should complete my license though...
 
I could have saved AOPA a bunch of money on this survey and study which they have posted here:

http://download.aopa.org/epilot/2011/AOPA_Research-The_Flight_Training_Experience.pdf

Page 10 "claims" that 68% of those in aviation training visited the AOPA forums while only 13% visit the FAA website.. Frankly that kills the validity of the survey for me.

With that being said, the reason GA pilots have dropped from 800,000 to 600,000 over the last 20 years simply comes down to the cost of being involved in General Aviation.

Flying is not cheap anymore. Fuel prices are a killer these days. We burn a lot of fuel per hour and the powers that be insist on charging us top dollar for that fuel. Until that changes, this industry will continue to decline. Fuel burn today is right at $60 per hour in a C172, DA40 or PA-28. Add the cost of the instructor and the cost of the plane and you have something that most folks simply do not have the money for. The only way to come out cheaper is to rent really old 2 seat planes that are often older than the student and the instructor combined.. And that doesn't save you that much when you add it all together.



Joe
 
I wonder how many student pilots who never earn their private certificate due so from a financial perspective, rather than a lack of interest or motivation. It seems that the AOPA Flight Training Initiative is focused more on keeping students motivated and garnering new interest in flight itself, rather than addressing the sheer cost of getting certified.

To be fair, there really isn't much AOPA can do to mitigate the sheer expense of flight training though.
 
JOEFRIDAY2 said:
Flying is not cheap anymore. Fuel prices are a killer these days. We burn a lot of fuel per hour and the powers that be insist on charging us top dollar for that fuel. Until that changes, this industry will continue to decline. Fuel burn today is right at $60 per hour in a C172, DA40 or PA-28. Add the cost of the instructor and the cost of the plane and you have something that most folks simply do not have the money for. The only way to come out cheaper is to rent really old 2 seat planes that are often older than the student and the instructor combined.. And that doesn't save you that much when you add it all together.


Joe
Click to expand...

Pretty much this.
 
Most students see it as spend money to spend more money. People just dont have the disposable income anymore with new Iphones and Androids coming out every 3 months. There are far more captivating gadgets for the post Sesame Street generation than studying FARs these days. Also young people want new and innovative anymore, something 40 yo Cessnas arent.:rolleyes:
 
I'm another cost casualty - I sold my share of my 172 when we decided to try and have kids (we had to use fertility treatments, thus the additional cost). I want to get back flying again, but honestly, I just don't see that happening. I'm working on a plan now to perhaps buy a auto-fuel STC C-150 sometime in the next few years, but that may be my only shot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top