But I only have 20 bucks

[Sprint100]

As quoted from AOPA Pilot, January 2008...
"It is profoundly dispiriting that a new Cherokee 180 with IFR steam gaugescost $16,200 in 1967. The essentially identical airframe...at $229,200 increased in price by 1,417 percent in a 40 year span.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, median household income in the U.S. increased from $11,975 to $48,201, or 403 percent during the same time span.
Putting it another way, a median wage earner could buy a PA-28-180 for about 16 months worth of income in 1967. Today, you'll have would have to put 57 months of income to get one."

I hope this recession we're in puts GA airplane prices where they should be.

 

[esa17]

Prices today are more a function of litigation rather than inflation. All this "recession" will do is lead to decrease in GA production which will....wait for it....drive up prices.

 

[Sprint100]

Prices today are more a function of litigation rather than inflation. All this "recession" will do is lead to decrease in GA production which will....wait for it....drive up prices.

..and the demise of GA shall begin LOL

 

[esa17]

..and the demise of GA shall begin LOL

Again....just like apple computers was about to die in 1998.

 

[scramjet]

Eh, I rather not see Joe Schmo be able to afford an airplane just like that, he can't even drive a freaking car right. But I seldom doubt most Schmos have it in them to stick to the difficulty of getting a pilot's license if they don't really want it. So I suppose price matters little in that regards.

 

[Falcon10]

Eh, I rather not see Joe Schmo be able to afford an airplane just like that, he can't even drive a freaking car right. But I seldom doubt most Schmos have it in them to stick to the difficulty of getting a pilot's license if they don't really want it. So I suppose price matters little in that regards.

Just because you have money doesn't mean you have brains. Ever fly with the weekend warriors at your airport?

 

[tonyw]

And vice versa.

Just because you have money doesn't mean you have brains. See any random celebutard.

 

[B767Driver]

Airframes weren't made to last forever. At some point in time the older airframes are going to be junked and there will be no cheap avenue for airplane ownership. That is a serious threat to GA.

I know the LSA models are supposed to be the "cheap" avenue into aviation, but they are 6 figures and that ain't cheap.

And for me personally, the designs of the LSA's do nothing for me. Maybe I'm too "old school" for the newer designs.

 

[BenWlson]

..and the demise of GA shall begin LOL

Begin? I think it started a long time ago.

How many small GA airports have you seen close up and disappear over the years?

I remember going to the airport as a kid with my dad and the tie-down ramp was packed with airplanes from one end to the other and you had to join a waiting list to rent a spot. That same ramp today barely has two rows of airplanes and that is it.

Watch the documentary "One Six Right". (It's outstanding in HD!) This film hits on this issue real well.

There is an aviation history book I read (can't remember the name, but I'll try and find it) that discusses how many investors/entrepreneurs after WWII had dreams of providing airplanes to all the pilots returning from the war and envisioned every family owning an airplane. Countless factories were created and produced a huge supply of reasonably priced aircraft. The problem is that they didn't sell well enough. Companies were left with inventories that they couldn't get rid of and were left in bankruptcy. There were lots of buy-offs and mergers and it left the industry with just a few remaining suppliers who could set their prices accordingly to demand to maximize their profits, hence, unaffordable to the majority.

 

[Berkut]

Looks like kitplanes and car gas are the future of GA.

 

[BenWlson]

Looks like kitplanes and car gas are the future of GA.

I've flown one of these kit-planes for $9/hour in auto gas!

Building a new one will still cost you $50-75k, though, even if you already have the tools.

 

[Berkut]

Building a new one will still cost you $50-75k, though, even if you already have the tools.

Compared to the cost of a type-certificated aircraft, $75k is quite a bargain.

 

[SteveC]

Just because you have money doesn't mean you have brains. Ever fly with the weekend warriors at your airport?

And vice versa.

Just because you have money doesn't mean you have brains. See any random celebutard.

"Vice versa"???

 

[Foxcow]

Is inflation taken into consideration?

What cost $16200 in 1967 would cost $97244.52 in 2006.

Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2006 and 1967,
they would cost you $16200 and $2698.76 respectively.

 

[KLB]

Looks like kitplanes and car gas are the future of GA.

You can always find an STC to use avgas in most ga planes now! The flight school that I used to instruct at did.

 

[Sprint100]

Is inflation taken into consideration?

Yep inflation was accounted for.
As far as litigation issues there has to be laws that can protect the manufacturer so those extreme costs aren't passed to the consumer.

 

[esa17]

Yep inflation was accounted for.
As far as litigation issues there has to be laws that can protect the manufacturer so those extreme costs aren't passed to the consumer.

See: General Aviation Revitalization Act signed by President Clinton.

 

[staplegun]

"Vice versa"???

From the OED:

vice versa

/viss vers, visi/

• adverb: with the main items in the preceding statement the other way round.

— ORIGIN Latin, ‘in-turned position’.

 

[Berkut]

See: General Aviation Revitalization Act signed by President Clinton.

That certainly helped, but it's going to take a lot more than that to save GA.

 

[Sprint100]

That certainly helped, but it's going to take a lot more than that to save GA.

What else would be needed to bring prices down.