OSH 23 - No complaints

[WLIU]

Yesterday my municipal airport had a Wheels & Wings event. I spent some quality hours showing off my airplane to a line of families, parents with children. I think that I lifted over 100 kids into my airplane's cockpit. I can report that the youngest was 18 months and the oldest was, I think 11. NO TEENAGERS in 3 hours stopped and asked to sit in the Sukhoi. A couple walked by without stopping and later I did have one family with a teenager stop to talk about opportunities in aviation. ONE!

I fear that we have lost a generation to video games and the internet. Why come to the airport with the tall fences and forbidding security signs when you can do MS Flight Sim at home with all of the airports of the world available with a couple of key strokes?

Not good,

Wes

[CHICAGORANDY]

Yesterday my municipal airport had a Wheels & Wings event. I spent some quality hours showing off my airplane to a line of families, parents with children. I think that I lifted over 100 kids into my airplane's cockpit. I can report that the youngest was 18 months and the oldest was, I think 11. NO TEENAGERS in 3 hours stopped and asked to sit in the Sukhoi. A couple walked by without stopping and later I did have one family with a teenager stop to talk about opportunities in aviation. ONE!

I fear that we have lost a generation to video games and the internet. Why come to the airport with the tall fences and forbidding security signs when you can do MS Flight Sim at home with all of the airports of the world available with a couple of key strokes?

Not good,

Wes

Judging by all the youngsters (I'm 74) that attended AirVenture I'd submit that things are anything but bleak. I'd also suggest that the many sim flight opportunites allow for a VERY affordable entry into the wonders of aviation. For a one-time outlay of perhaps 10-15% of the cost of a Private Pilot ticket a home PC can easily be fitted with a pretty comprehensive array of sim hardware. I'm a fan and happy user of the Microsoft product and for ME it fuels the aviation passion my meager resources will never be able to fund in 'real life'.

With rampant inflation realities for everyone and actual 'flight' now being a sobering initial investment and an onging substantial draw on limited discretionary monies, I am not shocked that the target audience IS somewhat selective and perhaps even declining. But I believe the desire is still out there.