Did I miss the Era of GA?

Twenty years ago I almost got into flying, I'd even taken my Discovery
Flight and was all set to dive in. Then my wife-to-be put the kabosh on it
saying it was too much money.
Now money isn't so much an issue anymore and I'm all set once again to
follow my dream of having my PPL.
But, I've heard so many depressing things about the state of ( and future
of ) GA I'm wondering if the era of GA has passed me by.

Here's one article, like many others that I've read, that expresses many of
the issues that sounds so dismal for GA. I'm now seriously considering
scrapping the idea of a PPL once again but I'd like to hear from some people
out there if the situation is not really as bad as this sounds.

http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso...eral-aviation/

Thanks

On Mar 15, 9:47 am, "Google Madness" wrote:
But, I've heard so many depressing things about the state of ( and future
of ) GA I'm wondering if the era of GA has passed me by.

The concerns are real; GA is under a lot of pressure. I could
certainly be depressed about it if I let myself be.

But instead, I dove in and got my PP-ASEL a few months ago. I'm
having a blast.

I've dabbled in fishing, diving, skiing, and a host of other
activities long enough to know that the single phrase you're likely to
hear most often is: "You should have been here yesterday!" (or last
week, or last year, or a decade ago). Well, maybe so. But I'm
here today, and it's not half bad.

Gary

"Google Madness" wrote in message
news7cKh.3341$I56.128@trnddc06...
Twenty years ago I almost got into flying, I'd even taken my Discovery
Flight and was all set to dive in. Then my wife-to-be put the kabosh on it
saying it was too much money.
Now money isn't so much an issue anymore and I'm all set once again to
follow my dream of having my PPL.
But, I've heard so many depressing things about the state of ( and future
of ) GA I'm wondering if the era of GA has passed me by.

Here's one article, like many others that I've read, that expresses many
of the issues that sounds so dismal for GA. I'm now seriously considering
scrapping the idea of a PPL once again but I'd like to hear from some
people out there if the situation is not really as bad as this sounds.

If you're concerned, don't buy a plane.

There's no good reason not to start training. Flight training is still
flying. It's all good stuff.

How would you feel if GA actually does go away in ten years and you have to
say to yourself, I could have........

Other than cost SEL IFR and VFR flying is not that different than when I
started in 1976. Better avionics degrades map/compass/vor navigational
skills but I don't see many other differences.

As for cost when I started in 1976 my rental was a 3 year old IFR equipped
C177RG which was $25/hr wet and C150s were $15/hr wet. Instructor $12/hr (at
least that hasn't changed).

Today I spend about $15/hr for insurance. $50/hr fuel. Other costs
hanger/annual/reserve and occassional maint make up the rest.

So if cost (within reason) is not a problem then I would suggest starting
your training.

Howard
"Google Madness" wrote in message
news7cKh.3341$I56.128@trnddc06...
Twenty years ago I almost got into flying, I'd even taken my Discovery
Flight and was all set to dive in. Then my wife-to-be put the kabosh on it
saying it was too much money.
Now money isn't so much an issue anymore and I'm all set once again to
follow my dream of having my PPL.
But, I've heard so many depressing things about the state of ( and future
of ) GA I'm wondering if the era of GA has passed me by.

Here's one article, like many others that I've read, that expresses many
of
the issues that sounds so dismal for GA. I'm now seriously considering
scrapping the idea of a PPL once again but I'd like to hear from some
people
out there if the situation is not really as bad as this sounds.


http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso...eral-aviation/

Thanks

Google Madness wrote:
Twenty years ago I almost got into flying, I'd even taken my Discovery
Flight and was all set to dive in. Then my wife-to-be put the kabosh
on it saying it was too much money.
Now money isn't so much an issue anymore and I'm all set once again to
follow my dream of having my PPL.
But, I've heard so many depressing things about the state of ( and
future of ) GA I'm wondering if the era of GA has passed me by.

Here's one article, like many others that I've read, that expresses
many of the issues that sounds so dismal for GA. I'm now seriously
considering scrapping the idea of a PPL once again but I'd like to
hear from some people out there if the situation is not really as bad
as this sounds.
http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso...ts-to-general-
aviation/
Thanks

There have been doomsday predictors for GA predictors since the early 80's.
In some ways they have all been right in other ways they have all been
wrong.

Let's look at the blog you posted.

1. The end to Avgas: I've been hearing this for years. But every week the
truck still shows up at the airport and dumps a load of 100ll. If he stops
I'll start bringing my own Mogas. If I get to the point that I can't find it
without Ethanol in it I'm OK because the plane I'm building will run ion it
if I have to.

2. (In)Security: We are currently in a war. This war is probably going to go
on a while but there has never been an attack with GA aircraft. Yes there
are more security procedures but they really aren't effecting that many of
us. Part of me thinks the best thing that could happen is some terrorist
slams a 150 into the side of a nuke plant. The outcome would show that there
isn't a threat from light aircraft.

3. Airport closures:Yes airports have closed. More will but there are still
lots of them out there.

4. Maintenance: Airplanes have never been cheap to buy or operate. Yet I'm
building a plane that is capable of carrying me and a passenger with full
fuel and a little over 100 Lbs. of baggage for 4 hours at 135 mph while
burning 5 gph. The nice part of building is I'll be able to work on it
myself.

5.User fees: The numbers he quoted are significantly higher than any plan
I've seen legitimately put forward. The plan being debated now is to raise
the tax on Avgas 50 cents a gallon which will increase my cost by around
$2.50/hour. So, if I fly 100 hours/year the cost will average out to around
$0.68 per day. I can live with that and should I decide I can't I'll switch
to Mogas. There are some user fees being promoted that would charge you at
the largest airports but as I said there are plenty of airports out there.

Now some positive things happening in GA.

1.We have access to technology that you couldn't have seen in F-15 years 20
years ago.

2.The FAA with a lot of pushing from EAA and AOPA have created the LSA
license and aircraft certification standard that will allow you to buy a
brand new 2 place aircraft comparable to the one I'm building for less than
$100K. Take a 16 hour course and you will even be able to work on you own
LSA aircraft.

3. The homebuilt industry is at an all time high. There are 1000's of people
building planes that out perform in one way or another anything that has
been built by Cessna or Piper.

You didn't mention why you wanted to fly but if it is for business, travel,
or just punching holes in the sky there are lots of options and they aren't
going away anytime soon.

On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:47:01 GMT, "Google Madness" wrote in p7cKh.3341$I56.128@trnddc06:

... Now money isn't so much an issue anymore and I'm all set once again to
follow my dream of having my PPL. ...

Speaking as an outsider (I fly RC aircraft, not manned),
I'd say start working on the PPL now and keep at it until
you personally decide that it's not worth the time and
effort. "Who knows what tomorrow will bring?"

Live in the now. If you've got the time, money, and
inclination now, go for it!

And keep us posted on your progress ...

Marty

--
Big-8 newsgroups: humanities.*, misc.*, news.*, rec.*, sci.*, soc.*, talk.*
See http://www.big-8.org for info on how to add or remove newsgroups.

I remember feeling more than a bit anxious about whether GA and private
aircraft ownership would ever be something I could pursue when I grew
up. Seemed like the golden age of flight was behind me.

That was back in the late 60s and I was an early teen flying models.

Then came the gas crisis and things looked even bleaker.

Since then, all I've done is fly. With GPS, composites, kit-builts,
personal jets, LSA, globalization, responsible regulation, and
increasing national wealth, it seems the golden age is now. And
probably will be tomorrow.

If you want to fly, you may have to make some adjustments. Living in
the southeast lowers the cost - living in NYC makes flying a challenge.
You have to train more, there are more aircraft, and more regs but
there are LSAs too. You can still fly across the country with or
without engaging our outstanding ATC system - but you can't show
passengers the White House, soar over Camp David or gawk at one of
Cheney's bunkers. Airports are closing everyday and new homes are being
built, especially in NJ. But airports are being built, expanded, and
replaced here in NC. The FBOs may all be turning into jetports for
kero crowd, but the coffee is better, the rental cars more available,
and security sure beats the other side of the airport. New aircraft are
more expensive than ever but there are more homebuilt kits than ever
before and they can perform as well or better than the factory jobs.

Options abound. It's not getting cheaper but it is getting better.

My dream now is to fly my 200mph kitbuilt into Cuba, legally. I bet
I'll do it.


Google Madness wrote:
Twenty years ago I almost got into flying, I'd even taken my Discovery
Flight and was all set to dive in. Then my wife-to-be put the kabosh on it
saying it was too much money.
Now money isn't so much an issue anymore and I'm all set once again to
follow my dream of having my PPL.
But, I've heard so many depressing things about the state of ( and future
of ) GA I'm wondering if the era of GA has passed me by.

Here's one article, like many others that I've read, that expresses many of
the issues that sounds so dismal for GA. I'm now seriously considering
scrapping the idea of a PPL once again but I'd like to hear from some people
out there if the situation is not really as bad as this sounds.

http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso...eral-aviation/

Thanks

But, I've heard so many depressing things about the state of ( and future
of ) GA I'm wondering if the era of GA has passed me by.

But, I've heard so many depressing things about the state of ( and future
of ) GA I'm wondering if the era of GA has passed me by.

Read my posts about "Beale Street Rocks" and "Flying to Texas" to see
the vast and amazing possibilities that await every private pilot in
the year 2007.

My family (wife and two kids) has flown from coast-to-coast, all VFR,
for 12 years without ever having to ask permission or pay any fees.
We've had literally thousands of airports to choose from along the
way, most of them staffed by friendly, welcoming people.

A vast continent awaits discovery by air. Don't whine about it --
just go do it.

Make your own "Era of GA". I am, and it's absolutely fantastic!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
(Presently in Memphis, TN)
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I got my PP-ASEL last year in New Jersey. There are two reasons why
you should go ahead and do it:

1. You haven't missed the boat. There is still plenty of fun to be had
at reasonable costs. I have flown over New York City and Boston a
bunch of times, I have flown from Boston to Maine for the weekend, I
have flown to the Hamptons for lunch and returned by starlight. When I
went on vacation in Hawaii I rented a plane and flew all over the Big
Island. And that's just a few things I've done, in a few months,
without even flying that regularly. Even living up here in the
northeast winter, I haven't had to cancel for weather many times. And
if I take 3 passengers with me, which I normally do, the cost is under
$30 / hour per person, all in. I rent from clubs (one in Boston and
one in NYC) which is incredibly easy to organize - a 1 hour checkout
with a club instructor and you're cleared to rent their planes.

It is true that there are some worrying trends in GA, but look at the
ever-increasing hassles of scheduled commercial flights.

2. The training itself is fun. If you have a decent instructor, going
through the training is a fun and rewarding experience. And the
feeling you get when you pass the checkride is unbelievable.

One piece of advice - do the training quickly. Clear out some time so
you can get it all done, from start to finish, in a handful of months.
If you do it this way it is easier and cheaper, and you are less
likely to encounter frustrations along the way. I did it in 10 weeks
by taking a week off to get started (during which I did 15 hours), and
then flying about 15 more half days on weekends over the remaining 9
weeks. I would thoroghly recommend this method - I passed easily in
just over the 40 hour minimum.

Have fun, and let us know how you get on.

Tom

"Google Madness" wrote in message
news7cKh.3341$I56.128@trnddc06...
Twenty years ago I almost got into flying, I'd even taken my Discovery
Flight and was all set to dive in. Then my wife-to-be put the kabosh on it
saying it was too much money.
Now money isn't so much an issue anymore and I'm all set once again to
follow my dream of having my PPL.
But, I've heard so many depressing things about the state of ( and future
of ) GA I'm wondering if the era of GA has passed me by.

Here's one article, like many others that I've read, that expresses many
of the issues that sounds so dismal for GA. I'm now seriously considering
scrapping the idea of a PPL once again but I'd like to hear from some
people out there if the situation is not really as bad as this sounds.

http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso...eral-aviation/

Thanks


Yes, you did. But that doesn't mean we can't create another one. GA for
many years has been playing "rope-a-dope", now it's time to get off the
ropes and start fighting. The Sport Pilot/Light Sport Aircraft initiative
is great opportunity to do that. Rather than get a PPL, maybe you should
consider a SPL. Get involved, join an EAA chapter and/or AOPA. Go to
Oshkosh, and you'll never doubt the future of GA again!