GA Flying Down 20%

This from the April '07 edition of "NTSB Reporter":

"The good news: the number of GA accidents in 2006 declined to 1,515
from the 1,669 accidente in 2005. The bad news: The NTSB reports that
part of the decline was due to the steady decrease in the amount of GA
activity. Since 1990, says the Safety Board, GA hours flown each year
have declined, totalling a 20% drop".

If my casual observations of this past winter/spring are accurate, I'd
say the drop has continued, and probably accelerated due to higher gas
prices. I'm still hoping, however, that everyone has just been
saving their nickels for the summer flying season, and that we'll once
again hear the radios jammed everywhere we fly...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Since 1990, says the Safety Board, GA hours flown each year
have declined, totalling a 20% drop".

Scared me. I thought you'd found out it was down 20% since *last year.*

It does seem that there's an awful lot of used airplanes on the market now.
Anybody know how to find out statistics on this?


--
Dan
? at BFM

"Dan Luke" wrote:
It does seem that there's an awful lot of used airplanes on the market
now. Anybody know how to find out statistics on this?

I have no answer for size of used market, but this web site has links to
trends in the size of new aircraft market:

http://www.gama.aero/home.php

"Jim Logajan" wrote:

It does seem that there's an awful lot of used airplanes on the market
now. Anybody know how to find out statistics on this?

I have no answer for size of used market, but this web site has links to
trends in the size of new aircraft market:

http://www.gama.aero/home.php

It says shipments of new piston aircraft are down nearly 8%. Somewat ominous
in light of the fact that the last time the stock markets were this hot,
airplanes were selling like hotcakes.

--
Dan
? at BFM

Dan Luke wrote:
"Jim Logajan" wrote:

It does seem that there's an awful lot of used airplanes on the
market now. Anybody know how to find out statistics on this?

I have no answer for size of used market, but this web site has
links to trends in the size of new aircraft market:

http://www.gama.aero/home.php

It says shipments of new piston aircraft are down nearly 8%. Somewat
ominous in light of the fact that the last time the stock markets
were this hot, airplanes were selling like hotcakes.

Well that's just the first quarter and who the hell buys an airplane in
winter. But more to point I know a lot of folks that bot fly and could plop
down half a million for a new plane. The funny thing is they never do. They
buy 5 or 6 year old Barons or Bonanzas. My small home airport is the home of
7 jets ranging from Citation 3s to a big ass Falcon. Every other hanger has
a Beechcraft in it. But there is not a single piston aircraft on the field
that was built in this century. Maybe this is because folks around here are
just smarter. The only time a piston plane really looses value is when it
goes from 0 time to 100 hours. After that they hold their value pretty well.

On May 31, 2:14 pm, "Dan Luke" wrote:
"Jay Honeck" wrote:
Since 1990, says the Safety Board, GA hours flown each year
have declined, totalling a 20% drop".

Scared me. I thought you'd found out it was down 20% since *last year.*

It does seem that there's an awful lot of used airplanes on the market now.
Anybody know how to find out statistics on this?

--
Dan
? at BFM

Scared me. I thought you'd found out it was down 20% since *last year.*

I think it IS down 20% this year from last year.

Another example: Mary and I just returned from an afternoon flight
(today is our "Sunday" -- we take Wed/Thu off each week, and work on
"real" weekends) to a nearby airport restaurant.

We were the ONLY airplane flying, at either airport. I heard a couple
of planes at distant airports on 122.8 -- but that's it.

Now the weather wasn't predicted to be ideal today (although it turned
out to be beautiful), so that might have kept a few on the ground --
but this "Lone Ranger of the Sky" thing has become an all-to-familar
experience for us lately.

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

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATsuddenlink.net wrote in message
...
Dan Luke wrote:
"Jim Logajan" wrote:

It does seem that there's an awful lot of used airplanes on the
market now. Anybody know how to find out statistics on this?

I have no answer for size of used market, but this web site has
links to trends in the size of new aircraft market:

http://www.gama.aero/home.php

It says shipments of new piston aircraft are down nearly 8%. Somewat
ominous in light of the fact that the last time the stock markets
were this hot, airplanes were selling like hotcakes.

Well that's just the first quarter and who the hell buys an airplane in
winter. But more to point I know a lot of folks that bot fly and could
plop down half a million for a new plane. The funny thing is they never
do. They buy 5 or 6 year old Barons or Bonanzas. My small home airport is
the home of 7 jets ranging from Citation 3s to a big ass Falcon. Every
other hanger has a Beechcraft in it. But there is not a single piston
aircraft on the field that was built in this century. Maybe this is
because folks around here are just smarter. The only time a piston plane
really looses value is when it goes from 0 time to 100 hours. After that
they hold their value pretty well.


There is a reason millionaires are millionaires. The ones I know recycle
their aluminum cans for the money and will always stop to pick up a penny.

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrote:

It says shipments of new piston aircraft are down nearly 8%. Somewat
ominous in light of the fact that the last time the stock markets
were this hot, airplanes were selling like hotcakes.

Well that's just the first quarter and who the hell buys an airplane in
winter.

8% more people last year than this year.

"Ken Finney" wrote:
There is a reason millionaires are millionaires. The ones I know
recycle their aluminum cans for the money and will always stop to pick
up a penny.

That's pretty much what authors Stanley and Danko found to be rule 1 of 7
rules for accumulating wealth, according to their book "The Millionaire
Next Door":

http://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Ne.../dp/0671015206