"Martin Hotze" wrote in message
...
"Gig 601XL Builder" wr.giacona@coxDOTnet wrote:

Your putting the effect before the cause. Could it be that "it simply
doesn't appear on the radar of too many people" because it costs to damn
much to do it thier?

no.

and nobody I talked to had the slightest idea about the costs. for sure
they
meant that it isn't the cheapest hobby, but compared to skiing (with all
the
associated costs) or golfing or other things it is still within reach (I
made my
private pilot license here when I was an office clerk for the social
security
administration with an average paycheck).

#m
--
http://www.hotze.priv.at/album/aviation/caution.jpg

Well France has a long tradition of aviation even rivaling the US. What
happened that knocked it of the radar if it wasn't cost. I know cost has
hammered it pretty good here in the US.

El Dorado AR a town of 25,000 in a county with about 50,000 has two airports
ELD and F43. When I was growing up there were three FBOs that rented,
chartered and all that fun stuff. When I got my PPL in 79-80 there were two
and the one I used had three aircraft that stayed rented on the weekend and
were pretty well used during the week. I think the other FBO had two.

Then I went off to school for 4 years. When I returned they were all gone
there have been a couple try to start up since then and they have all failed
miserably. We had no real economic down turn here and we still have more
than our fair share of Doctors, Lawyers and Oil Men.

THe two things that killed it were the cost of AVGAS and Insurance.