Fact. Every year, there are more and more people in their 20s and late teens, and an increasing number of young women. I’ve noticed the same at multiple airshows in different states.
And the remaining ones are mismanaged leading to further closures.
Back in the 90's when I started instructing that was exactly the philosophy of the flight school I worked for. Before LSA rules they figured out the could pick up old 7AC Champs for next to nothing. They were easy to maintain, no electrical systems, minimum instruments. We would solo our students in the Champ and then transition to the Piper Tomahawk or Cherokee for the Cross Country, ATC, Night and Instrument training.
Yes really. Concur on the Warbirds but don’t care either. Can’t comment on booth space size but all of the real estate is occupied except for like one booth in hangar C so vendors big and small are here in force. Also Paradise City at least a third bigger than last year. This is just my observation being out here for the full week since 2019 and our second year camping next to Paradise City.
I've noticed the same, but usually where I see them are the job fair and/or airline recruiting booths. That doesn't do much long-term for GA.
Disagree. I was looking for recreation and personal travel when I got my cert at 28, and there are younger folks getting into it. If you wait until after they have families with kids, you might as well forget about it for another 20 years. I could never do it today, but because I'm already trained and have a decent amount of experience, I can use GA to fly my family around the country for all of our travel. My 8 year old has literally been to Washington state and Florida and never set foot on an airliner nor been in a car more than one state away from home here in WI. And that means I have two kids who are already airplane nuts and very GA positive, even if they never learn to fly themselves.
This. The younger crowd will be happy to drive to the airport in their high school/college beater and be able to learn in a clapped-out 1970s Cessna. The older crowd that's driving to the airport in a Lexus or BMW would rather fly a Cirrus. Ideally, if you own a flight school, you do both. Number of flight schools I know of that do both: Zero.
OMG those prices.About as close as I’ve seen.
Aircraft 5C1
Texas Skies Flight School Members receive a $10/hr discount on aircraft rentalwww.texasskiesflightschool.com
$495 dry for SR22, $395 dry for SR20, and the old 172s are $175! OMG those prices.
When I got my private in 2003, I paid $69/hr for a 172N. Supposedly that equates to $95/hr today. Even correcting for the difference in fuel prices, that would be about $135.
andersonaviationtx.com
It's great that that place is doing so well.
Well just because you say it doesn't make it so; it's just your opinion. Since I don't share it, we'll just agree to disagree and leave it at that.
Well if thats your definition of mismanaged then you may want to review that again. Most small airports I have experience with are managed to break even or operate at a profit. Part 91 GA recreational aviation is not known for its revenue generating abilities at that level. Commercial/business GA or airlines yes. And because of that, the trend as been for small airports to manage themselves toward the commercial side. Some can balance the two requirements, however, as the number of small airports decline and the numbers of commercial GA aircraft increase, you can see which group they becomed managed for.
Parks don't generate revenue, libraries don't generate revenue, fire departments don't generate revenue... see, that's called a public good. Spending tax dollars on things the public may benefit from. You never have to visit a park, or library, or have a fire truck show up, or go to an airport.
Exactly, since to you believe a local airport is managed the same as local parks, libraries, fire departments, etc. So what percentage of the local "public good" directly benefit from a local airport?
I think it more has to do with more people willing to pay the premium for a place to store their plane inside and whatever other things they can fit inside. People used to be OK with tying down outside. Now it seems people just accept they have to
The vans rv-12 has foldable wings to make it easy to trailer, but from what I read, you need 2 people, so people don't tend to store them off airport.
Not foldable, removable. And it's definitely a 2-person operation. I considered storing off-airport, but it simply wasn't practical for a number of reasons.
Or you can have large recreational facilities (hike/bike trails, golf course, skate parks, etc.) and fire stations on the airport grounds. See KLUK. Though they did just close the shorter parallel 21/3 to build more aviation infrastructure.Exactly, since to you believe a local airport is managed the same as local parks, libraries, fire departments, etc. So what percentage of the local "public good" directly benefit from a local airport?
And if you look closely enough at the data, you'll find a number of those local airports that have the potential to grow are making moves for greater autonomy from those local governments for those exact same reasons. Unfortunately, as I noted above recreational Part 91 aircraft are not revenue generators like the commercial side of GA. Just follow what Signature has been doing. Regardless, on average 10 GA airports are closed every year, but not from a lack of need. Rather the collective local "public good" prefers their money spent on more libraries, fire stations, and even golf courses especially when you have a large open, former airport, to build one on.
Yeah, my local school has nothing that isn't from my high school days. And I'm retired. But time to "return to flight" for the first time since COVID hit (and that annoying prostate cancer, and the glaucoma, etc.) so off I go in a plane similar to the last one I flew.
True. I've found several CFI's that would train me in an experimental. However, at the moment, it looks like my first plane will be a C177B Cardinal.
I always thought it was Alaska, with about twice the percentage pilots as in the lower 48.
Kias vs ktas.Max cruise speed faster than Vne?
I resemble being part of the older crowd and drive to the airport in my late model Lexus. However, I prefer to rent the plane with the lowest hourly rate that fits my mission.
Why would you ever want to leave the EAB area for certificated purgatory? The cost of parts would skyrocket (PMA) you could no longer perform ANY maintenance and the cost of acquiring one would near $300k-400k
You have a experimental EXHIBITION 172?