I guess there was an era or maybe a generation that just flying for the fun of it was the end goal. Piets, Baby Aces, Fly Babies etc were the path to that goal. And it’s true that most of these types and other EABs can be had for around $8-15k. So the argument that cost of ownership to fly is a bit of a myth. Aah, but the cost of maintaining your flying machine varies wildly by region. I’ve seen hangar rates from $50-450+ a month. If you live in metro Atlanta you’re in the top end of that scale with a multi-year waiting list. If you live in say rural Wisconsin you can be on the lower end of that scale. Insurance cost is just that, not much one can due to effect that except by flight time. Parts and materials are no doubt expensive. Once heard the adage: if it costs a buck for car, it costs ten bucks for a boat and a hundred for an airplane. Yes, you can do you’re own maintenance but if you’re not the builder you’re still stuck with the cost of the conditional. So it’s not necessarily the cost of joining it’s the cost of participating.

Unfortunately the older designs have no appeal to the aviation newcomers. They are the generation that has grown up with PCs, video games and smart phones. Aviation to many is boarding a jet and getting from A to B as quickly as possible. Why would you want to fly at 80 mph with no glass cockpit or autopilot??? It’s not about flying; it’s about transportation. QB kits today are a matter of assembly not fabrication. It’s a means to an end. Fly with basic VFR instruments, really?? Pilotage, dead reckoning....what? We don’t fly unless there is a glass cockpit, a tablet and/or a GPS in hand and app loaded on the smart phone for back up.

I think Paul understood and enjoyed the romance of aviation. Flying to Oshkosh should be an adventure not just transportation at ten thousand feet on autopilot. Maybe the romance of a flying has been lost and that’s what many miss the most.