Paul A. Franz, P.E.
Joined: 02 Dec 2008
Posts: 280
Location: Bellevue WA
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 Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 1:42 am Post subject: General Aviation declining. |
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We'll all be better off if we can interest someone new in flying. Here's a news
article I found looking into Textron who is likely to dump Cessna.
Recreational flying grounded as pilot numbers dwindle
3:01 pm ET 04/03/2009 - MarketWatch Databased News
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Flying small planes isn't as hard as it looks, but it's
getting harder to convince people it's worth the time and money to learn how, raising
questions about whether there will be enough pilots to support the businesses that
have grown up around America's small airports.
Since their peak in the early 1980s, the number of active private and recreational
pilots in the U.S. has been dwindling, falling more than 15% over the past decade to
213,366, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. And since 2000, registered
piston-engine planes, usually the first a new pilot trains in, have fallen 4% to
163,135.
Last year, General Electric Co. said it was getting out of the recreational-aircraft
business, selling off what's left of its related businesses to TransDigm. And this
week, Cessna owner Textron Inc. said it may sell its small-aircraft business in
response to the recession's heavy toll on demand. Read the full story on WSJ.com.
More worrying for remote communities is that the number of public airports in the
country has also slipped, down 2% since 2000 to 5,221, according to the Aircraft
Owners and Pilots Association.
"Many communities find the airport to be a source of economic activity," according to
Craig Fuller, head of AOPA. Like proximity to a highway, airports are good for local
businesses and encourage personal travel.
According to a report from the FAA, general aviation -- which includes recreational
flying -- makes a "sizable impact" to the U.S. economy, contributing $81 billion a
year.
Ray Haley, a pharmacist and recreational pilot in Tyler, Texas, about two hours east
of Dallas, said he's noticed fewer people interested in the sport at his local air
field.
"Cost is a big thing, or the perception of cost, since people assume it will cost a
fortune," said Haley. "But it's not so bad; some people blow just as much on fast
boats and golf clubs."
Earning a pilot license it typically takes 60 to 70 hours of flight training at a cost
of $6,000 to $9,000, according to AOPA. To encourage more flying, the FAA introduced a
sport-pilot certification in 2005 that takes half the time and money to complete, but
limits what and where the holder can fly.
Haley said he started flying six years ago and now makes regular trips with his family
to Florida, avoiding the hassle of commercial flying. He also volunteers for Angel
Flight Inc., a not-for-profit organization that provides free emergency flights to
people who can't afford air travel or who are in a time-critical medical situation.
"I love the people," Haley said, referring to pilots he's met over the years.
"Everyone is nice and it takes a particularly motivated person to do this kind of
thing."
Worries about safety and the economy
Safety concerns have also hampered some of the growth, said Eric Byer of the National
Air Transport Association.
"Each time you have [an] incident, people will bring that up in conversation on
flying," Byer said.
For New Yorkers, the accident that killed New York Yankees pitcher Corey Lidle in 2006
often comes to mind. Lidle was learning how to fly a Cirrus SR20 when it crashed into
a building on the city's Upper East Side. His flight instructor also died.
Despite such headline-grabbers, flying remains much safer than driving, though there
is a significant safety gap between commercial flying and general aviation, according
to National Safety Council data provided by the World Almanac. Breaking it down, fatal
accidents for large airlines is 0.011 for every 100,000 flight hours, but that jumps
to 1.27 for general aviation.
It's likely no coincidence that recreational flying hit its peak just as those who saw
the earliest days of flying began retiring. In their lifetimes, pioneer aviators
Orville Wright, Charles Lindberg and Howard Hughes were prominent public figures,
embodying the adventure and glamour young boys often seek. Many of those same boys
went on to serve in the Second World War, which trained thousands of pilots for the
fast-growing air force.
Today, men still make up 94% of the nation's pilots, most of them between 35 and 55
years of age. But a dwindling interest in aviation, as well as women having a greater
say in how the money is spent in two-income families, has pressured overall numbers,
said Chris Dancy, a spokesman at AOPA.
The economic downturn has accelerated the decline, he added.
"It began last summer when fuel prices sky rocketed, but one situation replaced the
other," Dancy said. Ultimately the decline will impact more rural airports and flight
schools. It could also hamper companies that draw on a pool of civilian pilots to fly
their aircraft and grow their businesses when the economy eventually rebounds.
To combat the falling numbers, AOPA launched its Let's Go Flying! advertising campaign
to entice young people into the cockpit.
"It's an area of significant concern for us," Dancy said. "In general, pilots are
still in demand, but right now, like everybody else, the industry is hurting."
--
Paul A. Franz
Registration/Aircraft - N14UW/Merlin GT
Engine/Prop - Rotax 914/NSI CAP
Bellevue WA
425.241.1618 Cell
In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from
one party of the citizens to give to the other.
-- Voltaire (1764)
No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is
in session.
-- Mark Twain (1866)
"President Barack Obama has gotten a lot of mileage out of his appeals
to people of faith. He portrays himself as one of them, a convert who
found Jesus and a new purpose for living through community organizing
in Chicago. His attempts to portray the audacity of hope, however, have
been stymied by the manner in which he has responded to the nation's
economic crisis. He may call it 'investment,' but his stimulus package
represents old-fashioned government spending. Our children will be left
with the legacy of his spendthrift ways. However, to hear Obama tell
it, you would think that he was saving our nation's poor by running up
deficits. Don't worry about the final bill, he's telling us -- let's
live for today. He may even try to wrap his spending package in the
guise of Christian charity."
-- columnist Nathan Tabor
Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have.
-- Harry Emerson Fosdick
In America, any boy may become president and I suppose that's just one
of the risks he takes.
-- Adlai Stevenson
When you go into court you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve
people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.
-- Norm Crosby
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_________________
Paul A. Franz, P.E.
Registration/Aircraft - N14UW/Merlin GT
Engine/Prop - Rotax 914/NSI CAP
Bellevue WA
425.241.1618 Cell
425.440.9505 Office |
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