On Jun 19, 1:19 pm, Le Chaud Lapin wrote:
On the one hand, some complain that rate of increase in pilot
population is too low. On the other, things that would lead to more
pilots getting into the air are frowned upon (ultra-commoditized
components).

We see new designs every year. More fancy electronic autopilots
and nav stuff, more engine FADEC stuff, more safety stuff like
parachutes. But fewer people still fly, because all of that fancy
stuff is so expensive. Most end up flying 35 or 50 year old airplanes
because that's what they can afford.
Airliners have had fly-by-wire for some time now but they're no
cheaper than they were to fly when they were mechanical. In fact, it
takes an army of highly-paid avionics techs to keep them safe and
flyable. It's deregulation of the industry in the 1970s that brought
air travel within the reach of the common man, not electronics, and
the resulting tiny margin of profit for airlines in a highly
competitive environment has resulted in many bankruptcies since then.

Dan