Jay Honeck wrote:

Perhaps this is another reason why the pilot population is shrinking?

At least here in the US, I always thought the effort required had more
to do with it. It isn't easy, and you can't learn it in one evening.

Shopping and spectator sports seem to be growing, while many activities
that require practice, participation, research, and/or study are in
decline. How often do you see questions on Usenet or web forums that
are easily answered in the owner's manual of the device the poster is
trying to use? You know, "How do I program the radio presets in my new
car?" type stuff.

Two of my other interests are radio control aircraft and fine
woodworking. In r/c, more and more people simply buy a Chinese made
airplane, crash it within 5 flights, throw it away, and give up, rather
than building something themselves, learning to fly it, repairing it if
it's damaged, and trying until some success is achieved. The
woodworking hobby is filled with expensive devices meant to replace
basic skills that "take too much time to learn." The devices rarely
work, so eBay and many home workshops are filled with nearly new
devices, and the buyer loses interest in the activity.

What I find really odd is that the Internet brings so much information
_TO_ us, it's easier than ever to learn new skills and find answers
fast. Not that long ago, we had to travel to a library, dig out a card
or microfiche, and search through some sort of publication to get
information. G

Sorry for the rant...