Originally Posted by
rwanttaja
Well...I really don't think modern folks are that different.
Fifty years ago, our parents complained bitterly on how many hours we spent in front of that damn television. There were huge studies on the effect of TV viewing on our intellectual growth, and predictions that the next generation were just going to be a bunch of couch potatoes. And note this was a family activity to a great extent; a lot of families built their evenings around what was on the TV.
The smart phone and tablet is no different as a distraction.
So, why has GA tapered off?
1. Lack of utility for most people. With modern automobiles and highways, the private light aircraft is not that good of an alternative. It took me about 140 minutes from my front door (Auburn, WA) to my In-Law's house in Vancouver, WA. My Stinson would make the flight in about 90 minutes. But...it took another 15 minutes to drive to the airport, another fifteen to preflight and load the airplane. Then fifteen minutes to unload the plane in Vancouver and drive to the in-law's house.
As I mentioned in a previous posting, light aircraft became popular in the '30s because even Cubs were a good alternative to driving on two-lane gravel roads for any distance. Today, though, unless one really starts spending the money, the average lightplane can't match the comfort, quiet, baggage capacity, and convenience of even a basic car.
2. High ownership costs. I own a cheap airplane, I do almost all my own maintenance, I carry just liability insurance, and my plane uses just five gallons of autogas an hour.
Yet my yearly ownership costs are about HALF THE VALUE OF THE AIRPLANE.
Sure, folks can manage it cheaper. They can rent tiedowns instead of hangars, or go to a remote airport to run the costs down quite a bit (though the utility goes further out the wazoo due to the long drive to the airport).
But even so, the other factors will rise and bite. The majority of owners can't maintain their own airplanes, so while they might find cheaper hangars/tiedowns, their mechanical expenses rise quite a bit.
And yes, folks, I know that there are some of you out there who live in the country and get by really cheaply. The point is, MOST of the potential new aircraft owners are urbanites who have the sort of salaries needed to allow them to buy $50,000 airplanes. They aren't going to be living anywhere with cheap hangarage.
3. Risks. Yes, the media distorts GA accidents. But the fatality rate for driving is less than a tenth of that of GA. The fact is, the smallest mechanical problem can cause an accident. Think about how much you trained for engine failures during your pilot training. How much does attention does this get in driver's ed? None, because it's almost literally a non-event.
4. Difficulty to Operate. We all know the physical flying itself is pretty easy. But the rules are complex, the airspace is complex, and the physics involved scare people off. Just the radio work alone scares off some folks.
The fact is, most of us in EAA own airplanes because we like flying airplanes. An ultralight will satisfy many of us, but if you want something to carry the family you have to dig a bit deeper. Some of us do use them for transportation, but as was mentioned by an earlier poster, if you want to rely on them for travel, you need to buy more expensive airplanes and get more complex ratings.
Ron Wanttaja