Real Pilots

In article ,
Jay Honeck wrote:

That's sad. I see so many multi-million dollar boats down here in
Texas, I know it's not a shortage of rich people. It's...something
else. I wish I could identify it, and fix it.

Any yahoo that can open a beer can drive a boat, and can take all
their friends on their boat. Entry level boats can be purchased
for around the price of a new car. Planes priced in the same range
are 40 years old and not nearly as pretty as a boat and can only
take 1-2 friends. LSA was supposed to save GA, but the planes are
all over $100k. To really sell in volume, they need to be in the
$40k range.

I think it is a combination of the level of training required to
fly, and the value for the money. What looks better, a 40yo burnt
orange and lime green plane, or a brand new ski boat? Even new
planes look pretty shabby after the first few annual inspections
with loose screws and loose side panels/etc.

To stick with aviation, you really need to have the flying bug.

John
--
John Clear - http://www.clear-prop.org/

In article
,
says...


You make several good points. I agree 100%, although the whole pie --
not just some parts of it -- is shrinking.

That's sad. I see so many multi-million dollar boats down here in
Texas, I know it's not a shortage of rich people. It's...something
else. I wish I could identify it, and fix it.
--


To be sure, flying one’s own airplane to get somewhere does not appear to
be a very up-to-date passion. Though not a wholly sufficient answer, the
morass of the commercial flying experience today has certainly done its
share in taking the shine off of air travel. When I was 15, my first flight
was in a DC-8, and my second, later the same year, was in a Grumman Tiger.
I was one of the only ones in my high school class to have done either.
Though aviation was of course far from new, the experience of flight was
new and exciting to almost any individual. Today most people in developed
countries have flown by the time they are 15 - months! And they cried and
yelled the whole way. The way we are treated today adults too are crying
and yelling the whole way! Have we managed to regulate out of existence
man’s age-old dream of flying?

But wait a minute! If we are treated so badly on airline flights, shouldn’t
that spark an even greater desire for people to fly their own planes? To
some degree it has, and the bizjet market, while hardly booming, is opening
up to a broader demographic. You no longer need to be a billionaire to get
an occasional ride in a Falcon or Challenger. But the passion is no longer
there. Not for most anyway. And even in this context you are still just a
passenger.

A few contemporary social concerns come into play. Flying an airplane is
not a very "green" activity. This may mean little to many contributors
here, but we should not underestimate the effect the "green revolution" is
having on every aspect of our lives, and ultimately on our thinking.
Secondly, I cannot prove it, but I believe the post-911 security craze has
heightened the general public’s feeling that airplanes and flying are
dangerous. We take safety concerns more seriously every day, and the
intense scrutiny on safety of air travel has probably played its part.
Another issue is the cost. Flying has always been expensive, but many
people have less spare cash today for a passion like aviation, particularly
in light of the two preceding considerations. And those who do have the
cash are wary of spending it on anything that could be construed as an
ostentatious display of wealth. There’s a lot of "rich-bashing" going
around these days, and flying your own plane is a great way to feel
yourself in the crosshairs.

Then there’s a self-sufficiency issue, which may be the most important.
People of my generation take pride in doing something for themselves. If
you are not satisfied by the services you are being offered, do it
yourself. I laugh to myself flying over congested roads, thinking of people
sleeping for days on their suitcases in airport waiting areas while their
airline tries to come to grips with the bureaucratic mess of resuming
service after it snowed four inches - somewhere in another state! My
15-year-old nephew by contrast, far from flying in a Grumman Tiger, spends
his days and nights on X-Box, on line with his friends, playing tough war
games, shooting each others’ helicopters down. In real life, however, he
would not have a clue where to look if the car didn’t start, would not be
able to find a circuit breaker in his own house (and doesn’t know what this
item is) and refuses to fly even commercial flights because he feels it is
dangerous.

I’m sure I’ve only touched on the issue, and I may be mistaken on parts of
it, but I believe our society today is not at all conducive to the
interest, passion and overall satisfaction in an activity like flying. Do
children today still have dreams they are flying? Can society really wear
us down to where this age-old yearning no longer has meaning, and ceases to
exist?

In article
,
says...


You make several good points. I agree 100%, although the whole pie --
not just some parts of it -- is shrinking.

That's sad. I see so many multi-million dollar boats down here in
Texas, I know it's not a shortage of rich people. It's...something
else. I wish I could identify it, and fix it.
--
Jay Honeck
Port Aransas, TX
Pathfinder N56993
www.HarborInnPortA.com



In international news I notice that the French Foreign Affairs Minister is
on the brink of forced resignation after the press revealed she has not
once, but twice committed the crime of being a passenger on a private jet.
Look at the scandal surrounding the big 3 auto execs who descended on
Washington in their Gulfstreams. That may indeed have been a poor judgment
call, but 20 years ago it would not have had the scandalous aura. It would
even have enhanced the image of the CEO’s and the companies they represent.
In our ever more socialist society, the airplane is rapidly becoming a
symbol of shame.
For a young person coming up today, aviation has a reputation about on a
level with dioxin and PCB’s.

"george" wrote in message
...

They'll come back when the spammers move on

I wish that were true. Spam aside, rec.aviation.piloting is part of the Usenet.
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet) The Usenet actually predates the web
browser by several years and can be thought of as the "original" Internet.
For many reasons, the Usenet has been in decline for several years now. I can
see this decline in almost every group I follow. Unfortunately, the Usenet is
on its way out. Spammers and trolls are undeniably a problem, but they are not
the main reason for the decline of this forum.

Vaughn.

On Jan 17, 12:43*pm, "vaughn" wrote:
"george" wrote in message

...

They'll come back when the spammers move on

I wish that were true. *Spam aside, rec.aviation.piloting is part of the Usenet.
(seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet) The Usenet actually predates the web
browser *by several years and can be thought of as the "original" Internet.
For many reasons, the Usenet has been in decline for several years now. *I can
see this decline in almost every group I follow. *Unfortunately, the Usenet is
on its way out. *Spammers and trolls are undeniably a problem, but they are not
the main reason for the decline of this forum.

They weren't problems back in the FidoNet days.
Back then the SYSOPs vetted their subscribers messaging..
However I feel that Usernet is still going to be around if only to
give voice to those who are somewhat lacking in social skills.
And to those who try to correct their view of the world... /wry smile

george writes:

They weren't problems back in the FidoNet days.
Back then the SYSOPs vetted their subscribers messaging..

Back then there was hardly anyone in cyberspace to begin with, and the average
IQ of those who were here was considerably higher.

However I feel that Usernet is still going to be around if only to
give voice to those who are somewhat lacking in social skills.

The binary groups are supposedly alive and well and make up most of the
traffic.