Where are all the young pilots?

[martymayes]

Fact is most young people (25ish) are just too busy trying to get their heads above water financially to be able to even think about flying as a hobby. 50 year olds (kids out of school) have much more disposable income on average.

I did it different. I owned 3 airplanes between the age of 25-40. I didn't become a dad until age 42. My kids will be teenagers when I hit 60 so owning a plane is tough for now. I think when they leave the nest I'll get an ultralight and fly that until I'm done with flying.

I'm just wondering, is it really more expensive for young people to fly than it used to be? I started flying in 1976. The price for a Citabria or C-150 was $24.00/ hour solo and $34.00/hr. dual. I was making between $3.00 and $4.00 an hour working at the airport and restaurant jobs.

Wow! Is that AK prices? In '76 I was paying $19/hr for dual in a C-150, $17 solo. After I got my private, I found an old C-150 for rent for $12/hr, so I flew it as much as possible. One of my side jobs to get extra $$ for flying was moping floors in a church.