On Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:03:18 +0000, Judah wrote:

[...]


I believe the FBOs want students more then renters.

You raise some excellent points about which I'd forgotten. Every FBO from
which I rented had some type of "daily minimum" for this reason.

On the other hand, at least once I'd a plane rented out from under me by
someone planning a long trip. It was the one 172SP at that FBO at the
time, and it was for my IR checkride. So rather than having a plane with
GPS and without ADF, I'd a plane without GPS and with ADF. Unpleasant!

[Fortunately, I'd a thorough CFII that had made me learn real NDP
approaches anyway. I did pass.]

The big difference, I'd guess, is that the long trip included a lot of
weekdays during which there's less student activity.

The key incentive for
them to "create new private pilots to trickle up to Commercial, IFR,
Multi, etc." is to hire them or train them or both. If they go fly for
American or United it doesn't really do the FBO any good...

Do most graduating student pilots go on to fly professionally like that?
In my "aviation social circle", we're all GA-ers. But that's the result
of the selection process; I've no idea what people pass through training
and then "move on".

I can take the plane for
multi-day trips even if I only fly an hour away, and if I want to go
somewhere, even at the last minute, there's almost always a plane
available (although not always a Bo). Summer weekends are a little bit
busy, but the club has instituted rules to prevent abuse and help ensure
availability.

I'm curious: what rules?

But you're right about multi-day trips. I'd forgotten about FBOs' daily
minimums because clubs (certainly mine, and I presume most if not all)
don't have that.

[Although: I once rented from an FBO and deliberately planned the trip for
"inside" the daily minimum (so I'd not have to pay one). Weather delayed
my return such that I should have paid it, but the FBO said "no". That
was decent of them.]


For renters, I think it's the perfect scenario. We've had some members
buy their own planes or partner on a plane and leave the club,

That's the way most people "graduate" here too.

but to be
honest, I think they're crazy. If their plane goes in for service,
they're SOL. If one of the club planes goes in for service, there are
several others to choose from...

That's my reasoning!

On the other hand, though, there are 45 (or whatever size club you have)
to satisfy when making decisions in a club. If most are VFRers, for
example, will they all want to spend money for backup vacuum and WAAS?
Most of the people that graduate to their own planes do so for "more
plane" (in one way or another) than the club has (ie. one fellow left for
a twin, another left for a brand new SR-22, etc.).

On the other other hand, we get to share the work too in the club which
helps keep the "costs" down in a complete different way.


Anyway, I think to answer Jeff's original question - clubs are the way
to go to keep this industry alive.

That's a very interesting point (and one which naturally appeals to me {8^).

[...]

The only other way to save this industry (and maybe this country) is to
kill all the lawyers and insurance companies.

Don't forget the FAA mouthpieces for the airline industry trying to push
for a tax break for them funded by GA fees.

I read in some magazine a funny aside: from where are all those VLJs going
to come given the shrinking pilot population?

- Andrew