Where is everyone?

"Dan Luke" wrote in message
...

"Matt Whiting" wrote:


For me, time and convenience trump the cost, but cost certainly matters.

Being able to walk out in your backyard and flying wherever you want
would be priceless. And building it would be as much fun as flying it!

Exec's are waaayyyy cool. Every year at OSH, I make it a point to stop by
the tent and drool over the display.

One of these days....

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

4 different Exec's have been housed in the hangar next to mine over the
years. Two were converted to the Jet Exec configuration. The conventional
Exec's seemed to have a very bad ratio of flying time to maintenance time,
and the Jet Exec's were at least as bad, and both had serious powertrain
failures in the few hours they flew.

I never saw any of them leave the traffic pattern other than on a trailer.

If you want a helicopter, I suggest the Robinsons. I honestly don't believe
you'll get any utility whatsoever out of an Exec of any flavor...

KB

Kyle Boatright wrote:
"Dan Luke" wrote in message
...
"Matt Whiting" wrote:

For me, time and convenience trump the cost, but cost certainly matters.

Being able to walk out in your backyard and flying wherever you want
would be priceless. And building it would be as much fun as flying it!
Exec's are waaayyyy cool. Every year at OSH, I make it a point to stop by
the tent and drool over the display.

One of these days....

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

4 different Exec's have been housed in the hangar next to mine over the
years. Two were converted to the Jet Exec configuration. The conventional
Exec's seemed to have a very bad ratio of flying time to maintenance time,
and the Jet Exec's were at least as bad, and both had serious powertrain
failures in the few hours they flew.

I never saw any of them leave the traffic pattern other than on a trailer.

If you want a helicopter, I suggest the Robinsons. I honestly don't believe
you'll get any utility whatsoever out of an Exec of any flavor...

That is interesting as your assessment is quite different than what I've
heard and read elsewhere. If they are really this bad, then their
current effort to certify the design should be a real problem.

Matt

Matt Whiting wrote:
I'd like an airplane, but I like my house and it is just too far from
the nearest airport and my land isn't really airport suitable.
However, a helicopter would be easy to accommodate.

Here's another possibility:

http://www.personalblimp.com/

Unfortunately, yes. I raised it again last week and the membership has
agreed to discuss this at our next meeting, but I found out from the
treasurer that rather than raise hourly rates the club has been burning
its capital fund which is now down to an amount that won't even replace
the run-out engine let alone the entire airplane. So, I'm going to this
meeting, but I fully expect to leave the club after the meeting.

Matt

Sounds like fiscal irresponsibility to spend set aside engine rebuild funds
on something other than the engine.
Are there by-laws in this club? Does not sound like a club at all.

BT

I flew 5 hours last Saturday.. 25 landings, matched by the same number of
take offs, granted it was paid for by someone else.
Yes, I was in the tow plane, and for a mere $25 tow fee to 2K AGL many
gliders flew for over an hour, some private owners going on 4-5 hour trips
covering many miles and reaching altitudes requiring supplemental oxygen and
returning.

BT


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
A friend of mine flew his Cherokee Six from PA to MI last week, in
perfect weather, and told me that he was one of three GA planes on any
center or approach frequency for the entire flight...

Mary, the kids, and I flew (in absolute perfect VFR conditions) to
Springfield, IL this past Sunday. Cedar Rapids approach was dead (it
was us and a commuter), Quad Cities approach was dead (it was us and
one guy practicing approaches), Chicago Center was nearly dead (it was
us and a few airliners), Peoria Approach was utterly dead (it was just
us, for the entire time it took to cross his airspace), and
Springfield had only us in the pattern.

This on a picture-perfect, springtime weekend. In years past, those
frequencies would have been JAMMED with pilots looking for flight
following, picking up IFR approaches, etc.

We've got Unicom playing in the lobby here, and I haven't heard a
single plane all morning -- and it is again, perfect VFR today. Here
at the hotel, we had one fly-in guest last night (a very cool United
pilot who is re-tracing a Chicago-to-Los Angeles flight he made 30
years ago -- in the same Cessna 170 he flew in 1974!), and half a
dozen guys flew in over the weekend (thanks to a type-specific fly-in)
-- but those were the first fly-in guests we've had in several weeks.

I know gas prices are up, but fuel is still a (relatively) small part
of the cost of aircraft ownership. What else it going on here? Are
you guys flying less, too?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On 2007-05-22 08:31:38 -0700, Jay Honeck said:

I know gas prices are up, but fuel is still a (relatively) small part
of the cost of aircraft ownership. What else it going on here? Are
you guys flying less, too?

Our planes are booked all the time. I have a hard time even scheduling
my own currency flights. And I have a lot of them: part 135, part 141,
instrument, etc.

I need a plane, if I can get the ways and means committee to approve one.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

On 2007-05-23, BT wrote:
I flew 5 hours last Saturday.. 25 landings, matched by the same number of
take offs, granted it was paid for by someone else.

I only did ten, but we only have about a dozen members in our glider
club anyway. We had awesome conditions where you could stay up all day.

--
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.
Oolite-Linux: an Elite tribute: http://oolite-linux.berlios.de

BT wrote:
Unfortunately, yes. I raised it again last week and the membership has
agreed to discuss this at our next meeting, but I found out from the
treasurer that rather than raise hourly rates the club has been burning
its capital fund which is now down to an amount that won't even replace
the run-out engine let alone the entire airplane. So, I'm going to this
meeting, but I fully expect to leave the club after the meeting.
Matt

Sounds like fiscal irresponsibility to spend set aside engine rebuild funds
on something other than the engine.
Are there by-laws in this club? Does not sound like a club at all.

Sure, but they don't cover things like this. I've rarely seen bylaws
that have this level of detail. It is mostly club history and
convention going back many years I'm told (I joined just 3 years ago).
I never even thought about this before and thus hadn't asked the tough
questions or dug into the financials (most meetings don't even happen
due to lack of a quorum). I should have dug in sooner, but just never
envisioned this happening. I didn't join the club for a number of years
as it was glaringly mismanaged financially and was in debt. It was 8
months behind on its fuel bill to the FBO so something like that and I
was surprised they could still buy fuel. They had two airplanes and
sold one and got the bills paid up and had $30K in the bank. They also
got a new treasurer so I joined. I thought they had turned the corner,
but I guess old habits die hard...

Matt

However, on my recent trips light GA aircraft have seemed mighty scarce on the
frequencies from Florida to Texas.

Interesting -- thank for the input, everyone.

I met the future of aviation yesterday -- a young man who was at the
inn with his new bride. They were celebrating his graduation from
college by spending the night in the Red Baron Suite, and partaking in
Movie Night.

He's an A&P, a CFI, and now a college grad. He loves to teach and
fly, his wife loves to fly with him, and it was wonderful to meet them
both. We spent a few hours together flying the sim and watching the
movie, and if we could only put something in the water that made about
3 million more just like him (and her), we'd be all set.

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Could be a trend too. I think I heard on CNN a week or so ago, that WalMart
reported the largest single month sales decline in 20 years or so.

Our business is level which, considering the addition of three major,
government-funded hotels in our market, we consider a "victory".

Of course, this comes after four years of double-digit growth, so
suddenly going flat "feels" like losing...

I think gas prices are really, really hurting the "common man". I've
got housekeepers and desk staff who have seen a HUGE increase in their
driving expense, with no compensating increase in wages. This
shortfall has to be made up somewhere -- so I suspect we're seeing Wal-
Mart (and other stores) get hit by the back wash.

IMHO, the big-box restaurant chains ("Applebees" and such) will get
hit the worst in an economic downturn. That's where a lot of
discretionary American income gets ****ed away nowadays, and it'll be
the first thing eliminated.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"