What GA needs

"Zaroc Stone" ...
You were doing fine until the last item. 2-3X the price of a luxury
car? Would this be $150,000? You just priced the majority of people
out of the market. I've owned 2 airplanes (not at once) hold a
Commercial, Instrument and Multi engine ratings. After 4000+ hours, I
had to give it up. I can't afford aviation any more than I can afford
a boat. I make more than a lot of people do, but not enough.

I've seen a lot of pilots who stop flying "cold turkey". The common first
reason given was money, but asking more questions revealed they were more
concerned about their skill degradation and the perceived value. Most of
these guys had some hard IMC in their past with the acquired skill and
equipment to match. Most viewed it as a challenge, like a mountain to climb.
Now they've "been there done that", with the nagging knowledge that their
skills have atrophied and it's costing them $400 to go up for an hour.

Side note: You're probably rolling your eyes about that $400 number. But
remember you are probably not that owner of a 30yo hi-perf airplane that has
gotten a total of 25 hrs over the last two years, with bladders, an
intermittent avionics problem, and a new Garmin " just because it would get
you interested again".

It is very hard to get these guys to give up on the Hard IMC paradigm and
get back into less complex airplanes. Their main excuse is always Speed.
Sometimes I'm successful and get them into a club; sometimes they just walk
away with their memories.

My experience of the typical flying club member: 10 to 20 hours per year,
about $100 per hour with no sales tax, and a general low whine about
availability without any actual example of when he couldn't get a plane.
That really is flying heaven for most.

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:21:05 GMT, "Mike Isaksen"
wrote:


"Zaroc Stone" ...
You were doing fine until the last item. 2-3X the price of a luxury
car? Would this be $150,000? You just priced the majority of people
out of the market. I've owned 2 airplanes (not at once) hold a
Commercial, Instrument and Multi engine ratings. After 4000+ hours, I
had to give it up. I can't afford aviation any more than I can afford
a boat. I make more than a lot of people do, but not enough.

I've seen a lot of pilots who stop flying "cold turkey". The common first
reason given was money, but asking more questions revealed they were more
concerned about their skill degradation and the perceived value. Most of
these guys had some hard IMC in their past with the acquired skill and
equipment to match. Most viewed it as a challenge, like a mountain to climb.
Now they've "been there done that", with the nagging knowledge that their
skills have atrophied and it's costing them $400 to go up for an hour.

Side note: You're probably rolling your eyes about that $400 number. But
remember you are probably not that owner of a 30yo hi-perf airplane that has
gotten a total of 25 hrs over the last two years, with bladders, an
intermittent avionics problem, and a new Garmin " just because it would get
you interested again".

It is very hard to get these guys to give up on the Hard IMC paradigm and
get back into less complex airplanes. Their main excuse is always Speed.
Sometimes I'm successful and get them into a club; sometimes they just walk
away with their memories.

My experience of the typical flying club member: 10 to 20 hours per year,
about $100 per hour with no sales tax, and a general low whine about
availability without any actual example of when he couldn't get a plane.
That really is flying heaven for most.

Everyone's situation is a bit different. I sold a 1967 Mooney S-21. I
delivered it to the buyer and had someone pick me up in a car to get
home. The next time I would fly was when my wife bought me an hour in
a Cessna 172 with an instructor of course. We flew from Centennial to
Colorado Springs for a brunch and then home. He had me do the flying
and it had been 20 years. The only thing he had to tell me was that
it might be a good idea to slow down, I was still at cruise when I
turned final. The mechanics were still there, it is like riding a
bike. Both landings were perfect.

When I was active, we used the airplane for cross country flights.
We've been across the US a dozen or more times. Relatives are in
Sandpoint, Idaho, Great Falls, Montana and near Teterboro, N.J. A
flight club probably wouldn't work because of the down time away from
base. I used to fly 3 - 5 times a week. I was as proficient as
possible. Everytime the weather went IFR, I was up there doing
practice approaches, no auto-pilot except the Mooney
wing-leveler. I could safely go 3 hours on the panel then I needed
to get on the ground. So, you're right it isn't just about flying,
it's about proficiency as well. If I couldn't afford to get up there
like I did, I wouldn't feel or be safe. I could afford a club, maybe
a fixed gear single and fly a few hours a month, but when I was
flying, gasoline was $5.00 an hour, (10gph @.50¢ a gallon) in the
Mooney). I was up there a lot.

The Cherokee we had was a 140. We moved from Pennsylvania to Colorado
and I had the nerve to fly it into Leadville Airport. 9963 msl. The
flight was planned so we landed about 8 am and took off at 8:30 am.
With two of us, the take-off was successful; good thing the ground
sloped downward and was mostly flat. Another time I tried to take a
friend from Denver to Kremling. We tried to get through Loveland Pass
twice. A downdraft had other ideas. After 3 tries, we gave up.
Shortly after that, I did a checkout in a V-Tail Bonanza (H-model)
then the Mooney. I bought the Mooney. And to be sure, I miss it. To
fly safely and live here, I'd need some degree of performance.

I trip around Landings.Com now and then. If I have nothing to do on a
Saturday I might get out my logbook and see where my old birds are.
The Cherokee we had crashed in Wisconsin a little over a year after I
traded it in. NTSB report said the air filter was clogged. What a
shame. Two on board, both survived. The aircraft was not salvaged. My
Mooney was ditched in lake Michigan. He ran out of gas but was able
to reach shore and keep it from going under water. The plane was
salvaged, fixed up and the last I saw of it, N3247F was for sale.
Maybe mentally, I'm still up there..somewhere.

I have an old FS program. I used to enjoy chosing the Lear25 and
flying off into the blue. I'd eat dinner and get back to the computer
and see where I was. That's my flying today.

Zaroc