What is happening to us?

[whifferdill]

What was Zooms girlfriend crash caused by?

I surmised from another poster that you were referring to Vicki Cruse, former IAC president. Yes, she died during a competition flight due to a mechanical problem with rudder pedal extensions in her Edge 540. This happened at the '09 World Areobatic Contest in the UK. I didn't intentionally leave her accident off my claim of one fatality in the history of competition acro. I was really referring to IAC contests in the US. There are international contests that I'm unsure of the the accident history of.

 

[Dav8or]

I've been organizing and running aerobatic contests for about 4 years now and...

Thanks for the insight and sharing your experience. I have no idea what goes on at these competitions. I was just throwing out an idea as a response to Henning's idea that kids need competition to get involved. Your experience with trying to get people involved doesn't surprise me at all.

Many of us keep saying it, it's about cost, cost, cost and also the huge commitment in time and testing by the government. Others seem to think it's just bad PR.

 

[Jay Honeck]

I was also more "current" than the average pilot since I was instructing quite a bit at that time, but what slowed down my enthusiasm was one particular trip with my family. It was a hot, humid and bumpy day, 35 knot headwind in a 120 knot airplane. The cabin felt extremely uncomfortable and loud, and the 3.5 hour flight was looking like a 5 hour trip. After a miserable one hour, we stopped, rented a car and drove home in another five hours. It was a brand new Toyota Prius, extremely comfy, quiet, AC, etc.. The airplane seemed like a gas guzzling loud monstrosity compared to the Toyota. The five hour drive felt shorter than the first hour we spent in the airplane, and it costs a mere $50 car rental and some insignificant amount in gas. My flying enthusiasm was significantly dampened after that experience.

You landed, transfered your family to a Prius, and drove them five hours back home, rather than continue the vacation? Ouch.

If I had ever done that, I probably would never have got the family to fly with me again. In fact, I'd likely still be hearing about it. lol

 

[narchee]

I think everyone has in their mind the dream that general aviation promises. It is pretty much that rosy vision that Jay painted of the happy SR22 pilot and his adoring family going on these wonderful vacations. The reality can be quite different as a few posters have pointed out. I've had a few less than ideal trips myself with the family where the family was not happy. Not everyone shares our desire to participate in this hobby. Those of you who are married to spouses who are either pilots or who enjoy this, good for you. For the others the sad fact is that the majority of the fleet out there simply does not deliver on that dream because it is not cheaper, it is not more comfortable, it is not more reliable and in some cases it is not quicker (because of weather or mechanical issues, and so on). To achieve all of those you need to step up to a class of plane that is way above what most hobbyists can afford. To me I treat it more like a hobby and less of a means of transportation because otherwise that can lead to disappointment. I fly every year to Oshkosh by myself and I don't care how delayed I get or how uncomfortable I am or how much it costs. I enjoy it and that is all that matters. I'm not going to force others who don't enjoy it to suffer along with me.

 

[SoonerAviator]

I think everyone has in their mind the dream that general aviation promises. It is pretty much that rosy vision that Jay painted of the happy SR22 pilot and his adoring family going on these wonderful vacations. The reality can be quite different as a few posters have pointed out. I've had a few less than ideal trips myself with the family where the family was not happy. Not everyone shares our desire to participate in this hobby. Those of you who are married to spouses who are either pilots or who enjoy this, good for you. For the others the sad fact is that the majority of the fleet out there simply does not deliver on that dream because it is not cheaper, it is not more comfortable, it is not more reliable and in some cases it is not quicker (because of weather or mechanical issues, and so on). To achieve all of those you need to step up to a class of plane that is way above what most hobbyists can afford. To me I treat it more like a hobby and less of a means of transportation because otherwise that can lead to disappointment. I fly every year to Oshkosh by myself and I don't care how delayed I get or how uncomfortable I am or how much it costs. I enjoy it and that is all that matters. I'm not going to force others who don't enjoy it to suffer along with me.

Agreed. Marketing small GA to "others" would probably be most successful as a recreation/hobby. Sure it has travel benefits, but I don't know a whole lot of people who routinely travel from one state to another for personal reasons on a frequent basis. With GA being more susceptible to weather and equipment limitations, selling people the dream of travel by aircraft instead of car doesn't offer a whole lot of bang for the buck.

Selling the recreation of flight might get more people interested. I will say that the big push for flying clubs by AOPA is at least a step in the right direction. The hardest part for most people is A)finding an existing flying club, or B) starting one from scratch. I'd have to do "B" in my particular region, and getting other interested pilots involved can be a difficult proposal.

 

[denverpilot]

I think everyone has in their mind the dream that general aviation promises. It is pretty much that rosy vision that Jay painted of the happy SR22 pilot and his adoring family going on these wonderful vacations. The reality can be quite different as a few posters have pointed out. I've had a few less than ideal trips myself with the family where the family was not happy. Not everyone shares our desire to participate in this hobby. Those of you who are married to spouses who are either pilots or who enjoy this, good for you. For the others the sad fact is that the majority of the fleet out there simply does not deliver on that dream because it is not cheaper, it is not more comfortable, it is not more reliable and in some cases it is not quicker (because of weather or mechanical issues, and so on). To achieve all of those you need to step up to a class of plane that is way above what most hobbyists can afford. To me I treat it more like a hobby and less of a means of transportation because otherwise that can lead to disappointment. I fly every year to Oshkosh by myself and I don't care how delayed I get or how uncomfortable I am or how much it costs. I enjoy it and that is all that matters. I'm not going to force others who don't enjoy it to suffer along with me.

And buying chewing gum and beer will mean you're attractive enough to hang with the cute girls. LOL.

Marketing is fun.

 

[hindsight2020]

I was also more "current" than the average pilot since I was instructing quite a bit at that time, but what slowed down my enthusiasm was one particular trip with my family. It was a hot, humid and bumpy day, 35 knot headwind in a 120 knot airplane. The cabin felt extremely uncomfortable and loud, and the 3.5 hour flight was looking like a 5 hour trip. After a miserable one hour, we stopped, rented a car and drove home in another five hours. It was a brand new Toyota Prius, extremely comfy, quiet, AC, etc.. The airplane seemed like a gas guzzling loud monstrosity compared to the Toyota. The five hour drive felt shorter than the first hour we spent in the airplane, and it costs a mere $50 car rental and some insignificant amount in gas. My flying enthusiasm was significantly dampened after that experience.

This is pedestrian speak for you want 4000# automotive level of comfort in a lightweight unpressurized piston trainer. That's not attainable, but don't misrepresent the entire spectrum of this conveyance just because you weren't willing to depart later in the evening. I've never had such a miserable experience as you describe.

In the arrow a 4 hour trip (400NM with your winds, 520NM without) actually represents a 10-13 hour drive, not a mere 5 hours. I'd have to use a spatula to wedge myself out of a prius humming along between narcoleptic dashed lines for 12 hours, if i'm not dead from falling asleep at the wheel.

as to $50 car rentals, unscheduled? LOL Ok....

 

[FlyingIsGood]

I think everyone has in their mind the dream that general aviation promises.

Yeah, but it's the same with anything else... boats, motorcycles, sports cars, lake homes, etc. Everyone buys the dream, and most live the reality.

For all the crap we may blow money on, flying has something more, something personal. A sort of purity that is hard to find elsewhere. Maybe it's bunk given our instant gratification society but, for some, being amused by any of the nearly infinite cheap thrills available in the virtual world just doesn't cut it.

Selling a dream is inspirational. Selling reality is depressing. Finding/experiencing a brief reminder of the dream while coping with the reality is what keeps most of us going in whatever our hobbies are.

 

[jesse]

as to $50 car rentals, unscheduled? LOL Ok....

Meh..it's possible. Last time the airlines stranded me a GA friend flew me home.

The time before that I told the airline to get me as close to Nebraska they could that day which was Kansas City. The one way rental car that was purchased same day from KC to Lincoln was $27.

EDIT: Just quoted the same thing today and it's like $120. Not sure how the hell I managed to get it for basically free. Maybe they needed to get a car from KC to LNK.

 

[FastEddieB]

I could tell the story of the time it took us 10 days to get our Sky Arrow back to our N GA home from Sebring, FL after an annual. That's a trip that can be driven in about 10 hours!

But the whole sordid tale would take far too long.

Just imagine the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles with everything but the trains!

 

[Henning]

I think everyone has in their mind the dream that general aviation promises. It is pretty much that rosy vision that Jay painted of the happy SR22 pilot and his adoring family going on these wonderful vacations. The reality can be quite different as a few posters have pointed out. I've had a few less than ideal trips myself with the family where the family was not happy. Almost no one shares our desire to participate in this hobby. Those of you who are married to spouses who are either pilots or who enjoy this, good for you. For the others the sad fact is that the majority of the fleet out there simply does not deliver on that dream because it is not cheaper, it is not more comfortable, it is not more reliable and in some cases it is not quicker (because of weather or mechanical issues, and so on). To achieve all of those you need to step up to a class of plane that is way above what most hobbyists can afford. To me I treat it more like a hobby and less of a means of transportation because otherwise that can lead to disappointment. I fly every year to Oshkosh by myself and I don't care how delayed I get or how uncomfortable I am or how much it costs. I enjoy it and that is all that matters. I'm not going to force others who don't enjoy it to suffer along with me.

FTFY. Yep, if you want to use GA as reliable family transportation, you really need to step up the game. Unless you are in a 6 figure income bracket, GA as family transport isn't really a reality.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Meh..it's possible. Last time the airlines stranded me a GA friend flew me home.

Me, too. The flight out of Chicago was delayed, causing us to miss our connecting flight out of Houston. A friend flew us home in his Saratoga.

Here's another thing that GA gets us -- the freedom from the tyranny of owning a small business. We rarely get more than 12 hours off in a row, so if we were limited to driving we would be stuck on the island.

While that doesn't sound terrible, islanders regularly talk about having "island fever", where they have been here so long they are about to go nuts. Sometimes even paradise gets old.

With GA, we routinely zip to Galveston, Austin, Houston, South Padre and McAllen for a late lunch, see the sights, and are back to work by dinnertime. It really saves our sanity, and gives us the illusion of bring free.

This is a familiar theme with just about every business owner, and represents yet another marketing opportunity for GA.

 

[RotorAndWing]

While that doesn't sound terrible, islanders regularly talk about having "island fever", where they have been here so long they are about to go nuts. Sometimes even paradise gets old.

I'm sorry, but that's laughable in the context of Port Aransas and people there having "Island Fever". Port Aransas is what? 10 miles from Corpus Cristi?

I've lived on islands in the Pacific that were hundreds if not thousands of miles from anything..........that's "Island Fever".

 

[FlyingIsGood]

I'm sorry, but that's laughable in the context of Port Aransas and people there having "Island Fever". Port Aransas is what? 10 miles from Corpus Cristi?

I've lived on islands in the Pacific that were hundreds if not thousands of miles from anything..........that's "Island Fever".

It's like Galveston is to Houston. The nearby stuff doesn't quench the desire to 'get away.'

Plus, have you been to Corpus?

 

[Jay Honeck]

It's like Galveston is to Houston. The nearby stuff doesn't quench the desire to 'get away.'

Plus, have you been to Corpus?

Corpus is one giant strip mall, surrounded by a lot of substandard housing. Not quite a barrio, but not exactly the place to visit. It's about 20 miles away, and that's what we would be restricted to doing, were it not for GA.

Which means, in practice, that we would stay on the island.

Island fever is very real here -- people start to go stir crazy here, in the off-season -- but it's probably caused just as much by the fact that Port Aransas is a very small town as it is by being an island.

Small town life can be wonderful and horrible, at the same time. GA lets us escape, regularly.

 

[FormerHangie]

FTFY. Yep, if you want to use GA as reliable family transportation, you really need to step up the game. Unless you are in a 6 figure income bracket, GA as family transport isn't really a reality.

I can tell you from personal experience, it isn't for those of us in the low six figures.

 

[txflyer]

I think everyone has in their mind the dream that general aviation promises. It is pretty much that rosy vision that Jay painted of the happy SR22 pilot and his adoring family going on these wonderful vacations. The reality can be quite different as a few posters have pointed out. I've had a few less than ideal trips myself with the family where the family was not happy. Not everyone shares our desire to participate in this hobby. Those of you who are married to spouses who are either pilots or who enjoy this, good for you. For the others the sad fact is that the majority of the fleet out there simply does not deliver on that dream because it is not cheaper, it is not more comfortable, it is not more reliable and in some cases it is not quicker (because of weather or mechanical issues, and so on). To achieve all of those you need to step up to a class of plane that is way above what most hobbyists can afford. To me I treat it more like a hobby and less of a means of transportation because otherwise that can lead to disappointment. I fly every year to Oshkosh by myself and I don't care how delayed I get or how uncomfortable I am or how much it costs. I enjoy it and that is all that matters. I'm not going to force others who don't enjoy it to suffer along with me.

You hit the nail on the head.

And if you're not IFR, it certainly is a hobby waiting for clear weather half the time. There's no way you can make a solid date to go anywhere.

The true IFR all weather travel anytime airplanes for GA are way beyond the price range for a Chevy guy.

 

[RalphInCA]

I flew pipeline all over TX all seasons, yeah, it's bumpy.

How does that compare to when you flew spies into Germany for the alies in a european winter, Henning.

Just kidding. I does seem you have done everything.

(I'm jealous)

 

[N801BH]

No. That was Brian Williams covering WWII.


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You mean he didn't invent fire too????......