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Small-town airports close as higher plane costs, falling interest lead to pilot decline
Like many small cities across the country, Onawa is closing its airfield largely because of the steady decline in the number of pilots, especially in rural areas. The number of pilots with private certificates peaked at 357,000 in 1980. Since then, though, that number has nose-dived to 188,000, and hundreds of local airfields have been closing. Interest has waned as planes became much more costly. (www.startribune.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Well, flying GA aircraft is a lot more costly and a much bigger hassle than it used to be, due to fuel costs, FAA, more equipment mandates, FAA, liability insurance for new aircraft, FAA, aging airplanes in the legacy fleet (not that they are unsafe, but require more $$ at annual time to keep them airworthy), FAA, restricted use of current airports due to noise abatement, FAA. I was one of those "airport kids" 35-40 years ago and was spending nearly every weekend at the airport. Now kids can't get anywhere near airports with all of the fences and security so why would they bother. I sold my 182 5 years ago to a good home, but do not really miss all of the ongoing headaches and surprise maintenance bills one always must stay on top of as an aircraft owner. The GA pilot reduction and interest in personal flying is really too bad, and is the beginning of the end of an era IMO.
Very well said Mike.
I to agree Mike.. licensed at 19 in 1978, I did the same thing you did without ownership, I was a renter, the customer that paid a lot of a FBO's bills.. Everything you said drove me away from the passion of my life.. Sadly I've given up on flying due to the excessive GA costs.. I can see why there is only 188K licensed flying pilots..
AOPA needs to continue the good work to bring it back.. the airlines need to be directly involved as they are the end result of many hard hours and aspirations of young eagle's..
AOPA needs to continue the good work to bring it back.. the airlines need to be directly involved as they are the end result of many hard hours and aspirations of young eagle's..
ADXbear...I too recieved my pvt ticket in 1978 at 27. All total I spent prox 1,000 - 1,200 dollars tops. Serious bucks back then ( at least for me it was) but still doable for the working guy. That's a insurance payment these days. Mike is spot-on.
In the early '60s, it was easy. I got a job at the airport earning the equivalent of $1.00/hr in flying time and got my private license that way. Back then, it was FUN. Now, it's a lot of hard work, regulatory overreach, and expense, due to everything Mike has addressed in his response. As I am now retired from a life-long career in aviation, I will volunteer for the EAA Young Eagle program and try to pass on a little of that enthusiasm I once had, while testing the limits of my wallet in a 55 year-old Debonair.
Once again we see something the government touches tarnish and fade....The FAA doesn't want to have to condescend to private pilots, they are only noble enough to deal with airlines with their bureaucratic egos on full display.
We can whine all we want about the FAA and mandates, but they are small factors compared to the cost of gasoline. Even at the current reduced prices, my cost of 100LL is equal to the total cost of everything else. Loan payment, tiedown, oil, maintenance, insurance, recurrent training. Even the cost of ADS-B out amortized over 3 years. So if you want to complain, complain to Phillips and Shell.
And, by the way, in my town the reason why there are no youngsters using their paper-route money for flight training is that the paper routes have been taken over by adults trying to scrape by after their jobs were outsourced overseas (at least that is what mine tells me). Has nothing to do with airport security.
And, by the way, in my town the reason why there are no youngsters using their paper-route money for flight training is that the paper routes have been taken over by adults trying to scrape by after their jobs were outsourced overseas (at least that is what mine tells me). Has nothing to do with airport security.
Newspaper routes are also dying because their content is now online!
Oil companies do not "set" fuel prices.
Price are determined by commodities exchanges
Price are determined by commodities exchanges