57% of private pilots are instrument rated

E.W. said:
This chart is pretty sad. It chronicles the rate at which the government is eliminating general aviation.
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What's sad is that is the conclusion you draw.

Most kids aren't interested in DOING anything, or can't afford it. All sorts of hobbies are dying off. Softball fields and tournaments 20-30 years ago there were a ton of 20 somethings with a few older guys. The young kids are not playing anymore, now it's all older guys with a few young ones. Is the government legislating softball players away too?

Think McFly, think.
 
EdFred said:
What's sad is that is the conclusion you draw.

Most kids aren't interested in DOING anything, or can't afford it. All sorts of hobbies are dying off. Softball fields and tournaments 20-30 years ago there were a ton of 20 somethings with a few older guys. The young kids are not playing anymore, now it's all older guys with a few young ones. Is the government legislating softball players away too?

Think McFly, think.
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Probably a combination of a few things. When aircraft production (Skyhawks, etc.) stopped in 86, the ability for a middle class joe to buy a new airplane disappeared. It chilled the industry and it never really came back. The restart Cessna's, etc. are priced out of reach.

A safe plane could be made today for much less but for the regulations.

And of course.... popularity of things come and go. Motorcycle ownership has declined quite a bit for example.
 
I think the change in the tax laws a few years earlier killed the market for small aircraft.

The lack of sales caused the production to cease.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Real pilots have real medicals.
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*snork* I'm far better taken care of by my personal physician I see once or more times a year than by an AME I would see once every few years and who has a much larger chance of grounding me. 20 years of military flight physicals (essentially Class I) didn't impress me on how they keep me healthy.
 
The FAA still tracks compliance with basic med.
 
Here here on the “Snork” about 3rd class vs Basic Med.
 
Within inflation driving basic living costs up, that might level off or even drop.

Although, all the instructors at my local field have full schedules, and not just weekends.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Spike in student pilots over last 10 years is hopeful.
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The last 3-5 years is staggering around here @ FDK. Both FBO's have expanded and opened locations at other airports and one of them won't even let you rent a plane unless you're a student.
 
I don't know WHAT you guys are talking about.......

..........I'm an ATP, but I don't have an "instrument rating." As far as I know.....ALL ATPs don't have instrument ratings.
 
You fly an airliner which must be IFR and you’re not instrument rated? What nuance am I missing here?
 
ATP includes the IR.

But I don't recall if that IR covers other categories/classes.
 
Don’t have one to look at BTW.

As it is a requirement to be instrument rated to be an ATP, safe to assume that IFR rating is part of the ATP and doesn’t have to be written out. I’m guessing ATP licenses don’t say “multi” rating either.

But getting an ATP doesn’t revoke your IFR or ability to fly a multi.
 
An ATP certificate includes instrument privileges for the category(ies) for which the ATP was issued, so ATPs are considered “instrument rated”.
§ 61.167 Airline transport pilot privileges and limitations.
(a) Privileges.

(1) A person who holds an airline transport pilot certificate is entitled to the same privileges as a person who holds a commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating.
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WDD said:
I’m guessing ATP licenses don’t say “multi” rating either.
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You guessed wrong. ;)
The ATP certificate lists all categories/classes to which it applies, as well as listing Commercial or lower privileges for category/class ratings held at those levels.
 
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Why would an ATP rating have to call out multi rating? There are no single engine airliners. An ATP rated pilot must have a multi rating. I would think ATP covers that as well as it covers IR.
 
WDD said:
Why would an ATP rating have to call out multi rating? There are no single engine airliners. An ATP rated pilot must have a multi rating. I would think ATP covers that as well as it covers IR.
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Not really.. although not overly common, you can get your ATP in a single engine airplane.
I do agree there’s not much point in having a SE ATP, but it does exist.
 
WDD said:
Why would an ATP rating have to call out multi rating? There are no single engine airliners. An ATP rated pilot must have a multi rating. I would think ATP covers that as well as it covers IR.
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No, you can get a single-engine ATP or a multi engine ATP (for airplanes…obviously rotorcraft have similar requirements.) AFAIK, there are no current operations that require it, but back in the day, you had to have an ATP for scheduled Part135 operations, and I knew a few regional guys who flew Bonanzas.

I got my single-engine ATP so I could act as a captain in King Airs. :rolleyes:
 
Kritchlow said:
Not really.. although not overly common, you can get your ATP in a single engine airplane.
I do agree there’s not much point in having a SE ATP, but it does exist.
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I had no idea that was possible!
 
There is also the Single and Multi Engine SEAPLANE ATP ratings. There used to be a place in FL where you could do all 4 Airplane ATP ratings with one checkride. You did land and sea TO/landing a Twin Bee amphib, and a C-172 on amphib floats.

Also the RH ATP.

BTW, you can get your ATP ASE without the hoops before even taking the test required for the ATP AME.

And has been pointed out, you can have different Category/Class ratings at different Pilot Certificate levels. My ASES is at Private Privileges, all my other ratings are at the Commercial level.
 
I just assumed ATP meant “elite stud pilot status that is allowed to fly anything he/she wants”
 
An ATP has instrument privileges, rather than an instrument rating.
An ATP checkride is really a higher level instrument checkride. The passing tolerances are about cut in half of a regular IR.

Interestingly enough, I don’t believe you need an instrument rating for the RW ATP.
 
WDD said:
What is RW ATP?
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Rotary Wing

I probably should have specified helicopter, as I don’t think gyroplane has the option for ATP. Not sure though.
 
"60% of the population don't understand fractions and the other 3/4 don't understand percentages."
 
WDD said:
Why would an ATP rating have to call out multi rating? There are no single engine airliners. An ATP rated pilot must have a multi rating. I would think ATP covers that as well as it covers IR.
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“Airline” is a broad definition. I think most look at it as it applies to part 121 ops but I work with several pilots in 135 that are helicopter ATPs. No multi rating for helicopters either. Type rating if required but no multi.
 
I’m going to change my earlier answer…a single-engine jet, like the Cirrus Vision jet, would require an ATP under Part 135.
 
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