Jason, (no compliment intended, no offense, either) how many pictures of BT'rs do you see of Guys who look younger than you?
Not many.

That's because the average age of us, as a group, is old/er. Very few 30 or 40 something year old Guys own Bonanzas.

Chris there is more of us than you think.

Matt 30 something baron owner!

I would argue that many blue collar / average white collar workers owned Bonanzas, Cherokee 6's, Saratogas, etc back in the 1970s,80s,90s. In fact, I know many of them that have quit due to the cost.

It is the cost that is mainly keeping people from GA. And, as Stan pointed out, having 10 ft fences around airports instead of a guy in the lawn with a BBQ going is not helping anything.

Matt, I wish I thought you were right....at Oshkosh, the vast majority of planes I watched pull up to camp around me had guys in them with no hair or gray hair...just sayin'.

I wouldn't camp if you paid me. This is a bad sample.

Come meet Alejandro and I at NBAA next week in Orlando. We'll be hitting all the parties and touring the latest and greatest. Of course, you'll have to stay with us in a hotel. I don't think they have camping at NBAA.

Yeah, you're probably right, 10,000 private planes at the biggest airshow in the US, probably not representative of the average pilot.

Some of us like camping, and can EVEN afford to pay for a hotel, too.

Great point. Let's talk about "average pilots".

How much money does the "average pilot" spend on airplanes and running airplanes?

Just because you have a PPL does NOT mean you are contributing anything to the future of General Aviation. That stat from the FAA about how many pilots there are today compared to yesteryear means nothing.

Finding a guy who has $20K to spend on an old Cessna that drinks 5gph is not helping the situation you so badly want helped. Don't you see this?

The future of GA is people who are sick of flying commercial. They do NOT have to be pilots.

Amen!

A lot.


Sorry, I believe the Pilots ARE the future of General Aviation. What is "general aviation" without pilots? It doesn't exist.


It tells you how much participation there is IN GA, as the population of America rises exponentially, the aviation community is shrinking.


I think anybody who gets into flying any airplane helps GA.


People who fly commercial by & large can't afford to fly their own plane, and many will always be afraid of flying themselves.

Apparently you didn't read the BT rules. Non flying spouses are NOT allowed to participate in BT

besides cost, which is huge, maybe one of the problems today is the fact that society has this OCD with safety, safety has to be considered above all. maybe if all planes had parachutes flying wouldn't be so unsafe, so many may think.
gary

Just as an observation I think today's youth are more interested in entertainment than developing skill. Life is driven around sporting events leaving little time for much else. My dad served in the Air Force and I can remember him shoving me inside various aircraft at a real young age. I suppose I got bit by the flying bug back then. I cannot justify owning airplanes but neither can one justify owning a bass boat and stuffing it full of tackle... Then there's the tow vehicle. Life is all about the choices we make. I hope to have enough life to recover from the bad ones I make.

Chris. You just said nothing.

For a guy who hates political correctness, that's all you just wrote.

I don't know if its the future or not but.

The majority of people I talk to about my flying are way more interested in how I can outrun the airlines from my house to the east coast and at not much difference in cost (if I just figure the cost of fuel). Than about flying for the fun of it going nowhere.

I think there are several good points brought up in this thread and I can see both sides, but frankly I think we're missing a couple of things. First, I am 41, so while I may not be the youngest pilot here, I'm probably at the lower end of the age scale. I have three points (and solutions) that are all related, but approach the problem from different points of view.

Point 1. I think we're failing as a community to demonstrate how GA / recreational aviation can be used. I have no trouble getting people to go flying with me, and have even got many of them to take lessons.

When they drop out of flight training it's usually not because they don't like flying, it's because they can't see how flying will fit into their lives. I would like to see flight instructors (and mentor pilots) spending some time with primary students early in the training process demonstrating how GA can be used for fun, family, and business.

Frankly, this is something we should all be doing with student pilots. Taking it a step further, it would make a good weekend open house activity for flight schools too.

Problem 2. The perception of cost and priorities. Flying is an expensive hobby if it means you have to take precious time away from family to keep current flying touch and goes at the airport on Saturday.

Flying is quality time spent with family if you are able to take trips together and use aviation to visit friends, family, museums, vacations, etc. I certainly wouldn't pay $150/hr to fly the pattern at my local airport (and my wife wouldn't be thrilled either), but I've also been able to show my wife what a plane can do. Flying clubs can help reduce the cost of flying, but the purpose has to be there first.

Problem 3. Finally, we need to get GA back into the mainstream. I'm not against the 'Be A Pilot', or 'GA Serves America' style marketing programs, but we need to cast a broader net. I think the best way to do this is through product placement on television. When I researched this for a project I was working on some time ago, it was not as expensive as I had anticipated, so I think there are opportunities here.

Examples could be a character learning to fly on comedy such as 'Modern Family', or a business owner using a plane for work or to visit a sick relative on a drama such as 'Parenthood'. This would help inoculate the anti-ga/airport crowd, and could encourage new and rusty pilots to come to the airport.

Before anyone scoffs, I still hear 'Sky King' being talked about fondly by pilots. I'm sure the show did GA no harm. And for my generation, Top Gun is still a high point, even among those who don't fly. The last aviation movies I saw were Disney's "Planes" series, and while it might not reach the right age group, we need some more of that positive attitude among the general population.

Okay, give me five minutes to put my flame suit on, then have at it!