Are People Still Flying As Much Around You?

Jay Honeck wrote:
Mary and I have noticed a substantial (and depressing) drop off in personal
flying of late. Often we are the only plane in the pattern, nowadays.

...

Anyone else noticing this?

Not in the flying club I'm in... our 180hp 172 was booked solid this
week. When I checked on Tuesday morning, the first available time was
Sunday at 18:00. I've booked the plane to fly down to Atlanta during
Thanksgiving week, so the club will be getting a 15+ hour "gift" from
me for turkey day.

Maybe y'all should move to the Northeast?

--
Guy

Jay Honeck wrote:
Mary and I have noticed a substantial (and depressing) drop off in personal
flying of late. Often we are the only plane in the pattern, nowadays.

Worse, we've notice far fewer people talking to ATC -- which indicates that
this may not be a local phenomenon. On Sunday, for example, we flew 90
minutes over to Rantoul, IL, and back, and heard maybe three other planes,
the whole way, outside of "working" aircraft. (And one of them was Jim
Burns, who was with us!)

We *do* tend to fly at "off" times (Sunday afternoons; Wednesdays and
Thursdays, mostly) -- but the change we're noticing has been pretty dramatic
since gas prices spiked. There just doesn't seem to be nearly as many
people flying.

Anyone else noticing this?
In the western part of Virginia we have enjoyed an unusually high number
of VFR days, but people are not flying. The last weekend in October I
flew to Hummel Field W75 on the other end of the state and it seemed
fairly busy, but potomac approach was quiet. It was 2 of the best flying
days I've had this year.

Robet Coffey wrote:

it seemed fairly busy, but potomac approach was quiet.

I know PCT frequencies are usually jumping on a good flying day, but it can
be hard to gauge traffic levels by frequency congestion. I remember not
long ago talking to PCT when all the voice traffic simply died rather
suddenly. It was a nice day and I was surprised at the sudden silence.
After several minutes of thinking it was surely just a temporary condition,
I queried the controller about it (almost thinking there was a problem with
my equipment), but he responded that there was a line of storms to the West
(that I couldn't see through the haze) that was probably holding everybody
back. Sure enough, a couple miles later he switched me to a different
sector where I heard "normal" traffic levels again.

As for Jay's question, my flying schedule hasn't changed and the traffic
levels over my house seem to be about "normal". Maybe it's just a seasonal
flux or even a temporary lull in Iowa...

--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/TknoFlyer
http://www.pocketgear.com/products_s...veloperid=4415
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____________________

Yes. We're noticed it particularly in our flying club. Five years ago,
the club had 20 members (about 10 were active, I believe) and two
airplanes. We now have one airplane, 10 members, but only four of us who
currently fly the airplane. And the four of us have flown the airplane
only 54 hours total.

Why so little, Matt? I would think the club format would do well to keep
costs low...?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

As for Jay's question, my flying schedule hasn't changed and the traffic
levels over my house seem to be about "normal". Maybe it's just a
seasonal flux or even a temporary lull in Iowa...

I hope so. We continue to fly as often as always -- but I just had dinner
night before last with three other pilots.

NONE of them are current. All are my age or younger.

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

Jay Honeck wrote:

I hope so. We continue to fly as often as always -- but I just had
dinner night before last with three other pilots.

NONE of them are current. All are my age or younger.

How far out of currency are they? The point I'm driving at is there are
many reasons for letting currency lapse (and not just related to fuel price
increases).

For example, I have a friend who got his private and barely maintained
currency due to life/family schedules. Then he got laid off and quit flying
altogether - even after finding another job. Basically, his priorities
changed.

I have another friend of the family who was an instrument rated private, but
ended up letting it all lapse in lieu of ultralights. Again, realignment of
priorities.

Maybe your local pilot population suffered a "reduction in force" due to
airline hiring (hey, it could happen) or maybe they're spending their money
on school (you are in a college town after all).

Hopefully, it's a temporary condition in any case.

--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/TknoFlyer
http://www.pocketgear.com/products_s...veloperid=4415
Reduce spam. Use Sender Policy Framework: http://spf.pobox.com
____________________

Fuel costs have, I think, been a big factor. I made a recent trip from
Chicago to Orlando. On SWA it was $135 round trip. In the Arrow, I
figured the fuel cost alone would have been around $600.

Good point! I'm certain that has been a factor in the "do I feel like
flying today?" decision making process, for me...

Paul kgyy wrote:
Fuel costs have, I think, been a big factor. I made a recent trip from
Chicago to Orlando. On SWA it was $135 round trip. In the Arrow, I
figured the fuel cost alone would have been around $600.


I personally am not flying as much. If I have a trip i can take the
plane I do, but I did not make any dinner runs to Knoxville DKX this
past summer. 14 GPH in the six for 1.3 round trip = 18.2 @$4.20- 75.00
for a short rib run to Calhouns...I'm loosing my appetite, and I'm a big
feller.

W P Dixon wrote:
Even with the gas increase the rate is $47.00 for the Champ and Cub
where I fly. Really is a hard to beat price.

Maybe they're using car gas? Prices are down around here to $2.13/gallon. That's
about .15 above pre-Katrina prices.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.