Posted on 10/01/2014 11:57:22 AM PDT by pabianice
In the October, 2014 issue of AOPA Pilot, we are struck by the pessimism the magazine takes about general aviation (GA). As the world’s largest non-airline civilian pilot and airplane organization, its attitude towards its members’ passion is surprising.
First, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President and CEO Mark Baker pens an article in which he admits that the price of new airplanes – even the Light Sport Aircraft that were to bring flying back to the average pilot – is too high for most to afford. Instead, he and AOPA are now pushing flying clubs as the answer to the rapid drop in the pilot population and number of hours flown by GA aircraft. A few pages later, Editor in Chief Thomas Haines repeats everything Baker has said. For a flier, this is not good news.
From the excitement and promise of 2004’s Sport Pilot/LSA fantasies (owning a new airplane and getting back into flying), AOPA has been reduced to extolling the virtues of buying a used Cessna 150 or 152 as a club and being able to fly it around the patch “for as little as $65 an hour.” Travel? Not so much. The $30,000 new LSA in 2004 turned out to be the $150,000 LSA, with the smallest new factory-produced singles starting at about $300,000. A private pilot’s license now will cost upwards of $10,000. While the Sport Pilot’s license can be had for as little as $5,000, once again, what airplanes are there for the sport pilot to fly? Aeronca Champs are now $35,000 and up, parts are scarce, and 50-year-old, 75-mile-an-hour fabric-covered taildraggers are not on most peoples’ shopping lists. As of 2011 (the last year figures are available), there were 210 Recreational Pilots (under the utterly failed Recreational Pilot Certificate instituted in 1990); 4,350 Sport Pilots; 195,650 Private Pilots; 123,900 Commercial Pilots; and 142,650 Airline Transport Pilots. Total pilots numbered 618,660, down from 827.100 in 1980, a drop of 26% in 31 years. That the major manufacturers were law-suited out of making single-engine piston airplanes in the mid-1980s didn’t help, either.
It’s true that some changes in economic conditions are causal. The Vietnam War GI Bill provided millions of veterans with the money for education, and tens of thousands became professional pilots. Manufacturing costs were modest into the 1970s, with a new, basic model Cessna 150 airplane costing $6,995 in 1966. Used small aircraft like an Aeronca 7AC Champ, Piper J-3 Cub, of Cessna 120 could be had in frayed-if-flyable condition for as little as $800 - $1,000. My 1946 Cessna 120 cost me $3,000 in 1976. And flight instruction could be had for as little as $2/hour (trust me; I was in the right seat).
To make matters worse, the FAA has stubbornly refused to move aviation medicine out of the 1940s...
As long as I have a window I will always love flying.
Liability
Noise pollution kooks
War on “the rich”.
It’s really a lack of utility because of competition.
Used to be that a light airplane could take you places you couldn’t get to on the carriers.
With the rise of commuter carriers flying high speed turboprops and jets to just about every little town, that’s no longer true.
And the seat cost on the commuters may be high relative to driving or equivalent distance city pairs in major hubs, but it’s still FAR cheaper then owning and maintaining your own beast.
Been there done that...
My impression is this is the most heavily federally regulated pursuit I could have selected.
Of course, this leads to probably the most costly pursuit I could have selected.
To complete private pilot training takes minimum $5,000 - $7,000. That's probably low balling it. I quit counting as I pay as I go. My goal right now is to complete my Private Pilot's license.
After that, I don't know. I have to worry about my bienniel physical which health insurance does not cover and of which there is a host of ailments that can ground a person.
Purchase and maintenance of a private, two or four seat small plane is also federally regulated, which drives cost, to the point I'm not even considering purchasing.
Pilot's are regularly harassed by law enforcement officials due to perceived threats of small planes. They happen to use airports.
Like I said, I'm not sure how much flying I'll do once I get my ticket.
I’m still toying with the idea of getting a pilot’s license.
ping
Flying is great. I just can’t afford it now that I’m married.
I have read this before - that there are less than a million GA pilots in the US - yet I seem to meet them all the time. I have held a basic single engine, land, airman’s certificate for a good many years, so I am one of them, but it sure seems like there are more than 2 pilots per one thousand Americans to me.
The article is dead on.
Used to fly, then had kids and the cost of kids was greater than the cost of the airplane. Would love to get back into it but I can’t afford 100K+ for a LSA and the regulations make flying out for breakfast too expensive.
Factor in the cost of insurance, annual, hangar rent, avgas, and biannual and unless I hit the lottery..it’s just not going to happen. Still...I envy those who can.
The “FAA” and the Litigation “Industry” will always take “care” of the Airline and Corporate “Pilots” and keep the air “Safe” for “Them”!
Getting in your own airplane and flying across the country is a unique freedom only a very few will ever know. It is almost uniquely American.
It is risky, expensive, demanding and can be fatal but it provides unrivaled freedom. It can only be done well by those who have a passion for it. It is a skill and a craft that must be maintained and cultivated but it provides a life time of experience and learning. I know pilots with decades of experience and thousands of hours on their log book that delight in continuing to learn and improve their competence.
Then there are the men who delight in building airplanes and restoring them. Some never fly but relish the challenge of doing something very critical very well.
A Cessna 172 is a common, basic first airplane for a pilot who has recently obtained a pilot’s license and has no specific work related needs for it, although a 172 can certainly serve work related transportation needs for some unless they might normally need a large pick up to haul a lot of very heavy items around.
A new Cessna in the early 70s would cost approximately the equivalent today of about $90,000. Today a new 172, with better radios and avionics, but still roughly the same plane in terms of speed, carrying ability, etc is pushing $300k.
In order to not get killed paying income taxes, we bought a house so that we could write off the interest. Unfortunately, that resulted in my not having the currency to remain current ... so to speak.
I got my ticket 25 years ago at KVNY when it was still affordable, $2000 TOTAL, $60 per hour wet with instructor, $30-$40 WET no instructor. Renting planes for a few hours was never a problem, but try renting one for the weekend and watch out. We had a Flying Club in Burbank which was great and we could take planes for the weekend, but that ended when Burbank threw out ALL General Aviation 20 years ago. Van Nuys barely has any GA today also. All General Aviation seems to be here at Whiteman now for the most part.
I bought my 180hp 1979 172 about 13 years ago and then used that to get my instrument rating, My Wife and I flew to our home in AZ every week for 10 years, Annual Cost was about $10K-$15K for everything but when your boy Obama got elected AvGas TRIPLED in price. SO I had to cut back. What used to cost $100 max for a round trip is now an easy $300
Airplanes are expensive and they will never get back to being affordable to the average joe. There are way too many lawyers and laws. Not to mention the constant currency devaluation we have going through since 1971.
Regardless of that though, You are still better off BUYING a good used 152 or 172 which you can get for $20K to $60K and use that for ALL your Training. I paid $45K for mine, but I also paid cash for it, NEVER FINANCE A TOY, so I had no other payments other than operating expenses:
$100 month tie down
$1100 and up for a Hangar if you can find one, I am in my hangar now with my 172 and the Velocity I am about 90% done building.
$1500 for the annual if nothing major wrong.
$800 per year for FULL Coverage insurance.
and just in FUEL it will run $45-$65 per hour to fly it.
Instructor will run you $30-$40 per hour
Rental 172 is $160-$200 per Hour Wet
In the long run you are better off Buying a Plane than renting, If you REALLY want to fly. even though it will be 30-40 years old and will cost you a lot up front.
Features of that flying holiday to the Bahamas or Aspen or Orlando in your own plane bring most often to readers pangs of disappointment and envy as such trips are as inaccessible to them as a lunar landing.
(We’ll see about that.)
Flying a rental these is about $125 or more an hour including taxi time.
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