This thread is incredibly depressing. More so, because I just read it
this morning before heading out to my flying club's first-in-many-years
group BBQ in front of the club office. While there, I got to see the
makeup of my club for the first time, and to say that the strong
majority of 60+ (or even 70+) was distressing is putting it mildly.
Don't get me wrong, I like these guys a lot. Some of them taught me how
to fly, and they're fun to hangar fly with, as they just have more
stories. (Many that add the element of being shot at.) [ Extra aside,
the small number of women was also disturbing. ]

But, as many have mentioned, there were no young people, and that
spells disaster for GA. (I'm 32, by the way). What was especially so
disturbing was hearing everyone complain about the airports that are
closing, or are being encroached on, and about young people not liking
the noise, or developers not admitting that "the airport was here
first," etc.

And I just kept thinking that none of that really matters. Airports
will continue to close as long as aviation is a 400,000 person niche in
the US population. All organization like the AOPA can do is slow it
down.

I agree with those that believe that something substantial must be done
to increase the ranks of pilots. Not that I have solutions. But
identifying the issue is worth something. I have resolved to encourage
and/or seduce some friends of mine into flying.

I, by the way, am headed back to grad school and will be without income
for two years, minimum, which is going to put a crimp on my flying, to
say the least. So I can understand the financial difficulties. But,
being bitten by the bug, I have budgeted several thousand dollars to at
least finish my commercial rating. I have no intentions of flying for a
living. I do it for the love of it. (Eventually, I want my CFI, so I
can show someone else how to do it, which I know I will love even
more!)

-- dave j
-- PP-ASEL-IA
-- jacobowitz73 --at-- yahoo --dot-- come