On Nov 8, 8:15*pm, Frank Whiteley wrote:
On Nov 8, 2:24*pm, Andy wrote:

On Nov 8, 7:09*am, Frank Whiteley wrote:

Here are the FAA numbers of all glider ratings, abinitio and add-ons

http://www.soaringchapters.org/world_report/

Whatever we did in 1996, we should do it again. Can anyone explain the
spike upward in glider ratings?

9B

Also note the ratios of ab-initio to add-on ratings in that period and
now.

Perhaps the world wide web, increasing costs of flying power,
generation of WWII/post WWII pilots losing medicals, increase
disposable income, 125% loan to value home equity loans?

IIRC, It was also a time when AVGAS jumped from around $.50/gal to $2/
gal. It was a time when a sharp pencil analysis showed it no longer
made economic sense for me to own an airplane.

Fuel costs in a 2000 Hr TBO cycle went from $10,000 to $40,000 which
made fuel four times the cost of the engine overhaul. By 1996, any
trip by GA airplane could be done faster and cheaper by other means.
Burning 10 GPH at 125Kts didn't make sense. Many flying enthusiasts
who could no longer justify an airplane went to gliders.

Prior to the mid-90's, many people actually used GA airplanes as
business travel tools. Afterward, airplane ownership tended to
resemble yacht ownership. The purpose of owning an airplane became a
public display of how much money you had to spend. Money display
types are hard to convert to gliding - it isn't showy enough.

I recall an "airport day" display of a very pretty glass glider next
to a Gulfstream bizjet. The Gulfstream owner was really ****ed when
crowds gathered around the glider and not his flying yacht. He made a
scene with the airport management demanding they, "Get that glider the
hell out of here".