Instruction is a money loser flat out for anybody attempting to make a go of it and be properly “bonded and insured”. It’s been that way since before I started flying, so it’s not any surprise or anything. Just the way the business works. Can maybe make a medium living on it if you make it way more than a typical full-time professional job. Or do like the big clubs and schools and hire those who will be moving on after paying their dues into paying more dues but maybe with dental benefits. LOL
The recent Cessna AD for the old 182s ain’t pretty either. But I think most of us getting a $200K discount or more off of something new and modern knew we had inherent maintenance risks. Baked into the prices too if one doesn’t get in a hurry or “fall in love” with an old ass machine.
Recreational GA is a fly spec on the butt of commercial turbine ops in this regard. We may be seen as eccentric fools by history if anything even really happens from fuel burning on a global scale that humans can’t adapt to readily, but the history books IF that’s even an actual event, will wonder how humans sped a third of the way around the planet for $49.95 and be appalled at Jet-A numbers long before those future generations notice there was on e a country so rich that 80% of recreational aviation happened within it.
I’ve got a number of closed airports in my logbook also, but if I had to be brutally honest, most were built on grant money that was truly just makework federal debt like most roads today, budding out way higher than what was needed, and as the WWII flyers died off which were willing to spend anything and self sacrifice to stay in aviation, they were not truly being utilized as airports so much as airplane storage facilities and BBQ locations. The downside is it pushed neglected airframes outdoors at other local places and now they’re rotten to their core.
Maybe it’s because I was never in the wealthy crowd growing up, but the vast majority of renters and owners I’ve met over the years haven’t been super rich folk either. Most make an above average salary but give up various things to go flying.
Oh sure there’s a small subset who can write a check for a twin and feed it, or a new Cirrus, but they’re usually serious busy people who have exactly the right circumstances and usually deserve their spoils from a hell of a lot of hard work and late nights.
And a few who’ve hit upon a location, student load, pricing, and helpful ownership (whether that’s leasebacks or someone able to write full checks for aircraft) that they can make a reasonable business go of training and rentals, but most are always a couple of months from insolvency. If they can dip their fingers in the student loan 141 financing money, maybe six tops. Usually not.
It’s a bastard of a business. Margins hover around where restaurants live and 80% die. Every rental place in the area has changed hands three times since 1991 when I started flying and I don’t see that changing as a pattern each decade. But it does seem to be as stable as restaurants - always someone new who thinks they’ve cracked the profitability secrets. Those of us who get it, get to fly their fleets and try to take care of them as those who aren’t aware of the numbers beat the living crap out of the equipment. The cycle resets again and we get a new rental fleet, and/or give up and buy our own little slice of fiscal liability. LOL.
Will it continue to repeat? Dunno. But I’ll be dead before the merry go round stops. And the kids all starry eyed three months ago and headed for their first real job got the same slap in the face my generation did and the next. The virus thingy just delayed them by years probably.
The super dedicated or hopelessly addicted will find a way to scratch out hours and make it. Some will bail like me and come back years later for fun after building a career elsewhere. Or personal challenge. I had absolutely no reasonable reason to earn the CFI ratings whatsoever. Huge liability, zero business sense, and nothing but “always wanted to do it and give back”. Could have spent it on a nice kitchen remodel but thankfully the woman of the house knows I’m cranky if I can fly and am not. (I’m much more fine with medically can’t fly than can and not doing it.)
But it’s definitely nice to see PoA revive the ol’ is GA dying debate again. And again. Feels like old times.
Now we need some ketchup on hot dogs to make this revival complete!
And yeah. If my co-owner wasn’t able to fly our little slice of fiscal liability heaven, the airplane would be solidly pickled properly or gone. I refuse to be the guy who destroyed another one via pure neglect. But for now, it flies...
Someday someone else will get to enjoy it if I have any say in it. Only by other owners who kept stuff flying decades before me learning to, was I able to afford it.
Well that and giving up all hope of life insurance while partaking in my hobby if I didn’t buy it when I wasn’t flying at all. LOL. I snuck a little in that doesn’t have any exclusions when that was available long ago, so Karen could finally get that fancy kitchen if I seriously screw the pooch. Haha.
Fiscally, flying recreationally “ain’t never” been worth it. Emotionally, it’s worth every penny. Someone will always need an ole Skylane for their personal mental health program, at least as long as I’m alive, I figure. After that, whatever takes over after PoA shall have to vent their spleens about all the Cirruses cracking plastic and dying. LOL.
