The number of pilots in France can be roughly determined by the ststistical
base of the FNA, to which all pilots, so far as I know, must belong.

They list 47000 pilots, plus another 13000 glider pilots. As many of the
glider pilots may also be included in the first figure (redundancy) and the
discussion is not particularly centered on gliding, I propose we simply ignore
the 13000 figure for the purposes of this discussion, and consider the number
to be 47000. Divided into the overall population figure of almost 60M, this
yields 1 pilot for 1275 pop. The US figure, I believe is about 800000 pilots,
for nearly 300M population - or 1 pilot per 375 pop - 3 1/2 times as many.
Approximately 50% of US pilots are instrument rated, compared with 15% of
French pilots. If you exclude airline pilots, the percentage of IR rated PPL's
in France is anecdotal.

This last statistic is demonstrably related to the acquisition cost of IR
training in France. A PPL with a few hundred hours will expect to pay close to
20K/EUR for an IR rating - which is 2X the cost at Flight Safety Academy,
and several times the average cost paid by US PPL's. Most pilots see in this a
volontary distinction between "private" pilots (relegated almost to
"recreational" status) and "professional" pilots (meaning mostly ATP, employed
as airline pilots - the corporate and ait taxi sectors being also anecdotal).

There has been considerable attention paid of late to the matter of
eliminating this traditional prejudice. With the advent of JAR-FCL licensing
standards, strongly influenced by FAA regulations, there is much demand for a
more "useful" IR program - more accessible to private pilots. Time will tell
what success this initiative will have - for now, the number of licenses
issued in France (all categories) continues to decline every year, and the
costs associated, including fuel costs are indisputably related to this
decline.

The number of airports is not an issue. I have not done a simple calculation
of total land area for number of airports, but the truth is that every major
and almost every minor urban center is served by one or more airports, open to
public use. You can go anywhere you want in France, and find an airport close
to your destination - much as in the US. If you want to go IFR, you still have
many options, and I would even wager that the IFR Airport coverage of the
territory is as good as it is in the US. Too bad there are no IR rated
pilots!!

The balance of power between pilot lobbies and anti-airport lobbies is much
less favorable (to pilots) in France than in the US. The AOPA is present but
of limited effectiveness, while the FNA, who is supposed to fill this role, is
so ineffective that pilots often wonder which side they are on. The
anti-airport lobbies are vociferous and omnipresent - though they focus most
of their energies on major airports and scheduled transport (They have just
obtained a 20K/EUR fine, automatically levied on all planes landing between
midnight and 5:00 at Paris CDG, continental Europe's busiest airport,
regardless of the cause. The fine may also be accompanied by seizure and
impounding of the aircraft). Citizens' attempts to have local airports closed
down have met with little success - not because of any energetic response from
users, mind you, but because French law rather strongly defends their right to
operate, particularly when the airport was there before the neighbors, which
is almost always the case. They have succeeded however in imposing fines and
restriction of operating priviledges for pilots who inadvertently fly over
this or that village in proximity to airports, and one can see police with
rangefinder binoculars enforcing these rules.

With fuel at USD $7.50/gal, and a wet rental rate of EUR195 (USD $255) for a
C-172R, there is little doubt that the pricing and taxing structure is
disuasive. With the entire territory much smaller, and ground transportation
much more effective than in the US, flying is of less utility as well. This
could change with the continued development of the European Union, as it is
now possible to fly toGermany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Holland etc without
border formalities or customs checks. (This has been theoretically possible
for a few years, however until very recently police continued to impose border
checks and customs inspections for small aircraft. This has now been proven
illegal and should make the 500nm travel radius much more attractive).

One final irony - The progression of European regulation seems to continue
the practice of "pay-per-use". Landing fees, airway fees and fuel surtaxes pay
for the system which, in the US, is subsidized from the general fund. This
really makes the US system more "socialist", as all of the people have to pay
for services used by 0.27% of the population.


G Faris