"Gig 601XL Builder" wr.giacona@coxDOTnet wrote in message
news:ycT9e.2919$Xg.1811@okepread02...

"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.

I can understand the insurance bit because you have a crap legal system and
until the limit of 18 years was set on product liability the major aircraft
makers had all but given up production. The only significant light aircraft
manufacturers were in Europe, where liability laws are limited.

Aviation in Europe is doing well and it is proved by the fact the first 2 LS
aircraft certified in the US are of European origin where that area has been
vibrant. In some respects the US is catching up with Europe in that respect.

The other development is that of the diesel engine. The lower running costs
promised are driving the developments.

To complete the rebuttal of Jay's asinine remarks, the aviation scene in
Europe is doing rather well. Why? Because there is a lot of innovation going
on to suitable aircraft to operate in our environment and which the US is
taking advantage of.

IFR is not a big issue in Europe for the private pilot. So expensive IFR
systems like WAAS and GPS enabled approaches are irrelevant. Its interesting
that the much hailed Cirrus cannot fly IFR in much of European airspace and
in the UK its just a VFR machine. By Cirrus's own admission its was not
designed they say for Class A airspace. With Class A starting at 1500 ft its
pretty useless. Excellent value for $450,000.