Mary and I just returned from a wonderful weekend at the Cherokee Pilots Association national fly-in, held annually in Osage Beach, Missouri, at the Tan-Tar-A resort. We had a wonderful time, catching up with old friends, and making new ones. We bought some cool stuff from the vendors, gave away some hotel certificates to CPA members, and I enjoyed a marvelous Father's Day flight home.
So why the gloom?
After four straight years of strong growth, attendance at this fabulous fly-in took a sudden, breath-taking tumble. Some organizers were saying it was down 35%, some were privately saying 40% -- but there was no denying the fact that the airport was ready for FAR more aircraft than showed up. There were many, many ready-but-empty tie downs, and the dinner crowd was a shadow of prior years.
More alarmingly, there were NO Cherokee 140s to be judged for "Best Cherokee 140" at the show. That is NOT a mis-print -- I really said there were NONE. In prior years, Cherokee 140s have naturally made up the vast majority of fly-in attendees (since they were built in the greatest numbers), but this year not a single one (other than Art Matson's highly modified AMR&D experimental 140) showed up.
Not a single one! It was absolutely scary.
Over dinner and drinks, those of us who did show up (and there were over 75 Arrows, Archers, Pathfinders, Dakotas, Lances and Saratogas) debated what had happened to the "entry level" Cherokees?
The general consensus, after too many gin & tonics, was that the entry- level Cherokee owners were the owners who were barely able to afford ownership in the first place, and have been most devastated by the recent 25% increase in fuel costs. In other words, they were the "canaries in the bird cage", and have died first and quickest, to serve as a warning to us all...
Then, just as we had recovered from the shock of this stark realization, we were "treated" to the keynote speaker at the fly-in, the new CEO of Piper, James Bass. (Read more about him here: http://www.cherokeeflyin.com/html/keynote.html)
In his speech, Mr. Bass touted the fact that Piper had gone back to its original name (no more "New Piper" nonsense), had returned to profitability, and recovered from the three hurricanes that had devastated their Vero Beach facilities. All good things, indeed, and each announcement was met with enthusiastic applause.
Then things went downhill.
He went on to state that Piper would no longer be able to provide parts support for "ancient" aircraft, and tossed out a "maximum" age of 25 years. Of course, the room was packed with people flying planes that were, on average, 30 years old -- so the room became silent at this quasi-announcement. (No one is quite sure if he was really "announcing" this change, or if he was just floating the idea...)
He also stated that Piper was not interested in licensing the rights to build parts for older planes, because they would still be liable for them -- and everything in their business was now dictated by product liability.
Then Bass went on to spend half an hour trumpeting the new PiperJet, which has supposedly already racked up 180 firm orders. With a whiz- bang PowerPoint presentation, he went on to outline the features of this $2+ million jet to a room full of Cherokee pilots -- all of whom only wanted to hear about piston singles.
He then drove the stake in further by stating unequivocably that Piper would NOT be entering the Light Sport market, thus confirming (to most attendees) that Piper was on the verge of completely abandoning their piston single line.
To say that this guy made no friends in Osage Beach would be an understatement. Although no one was impolite, the post-speech questions were quite pointed and blunt, and it was quite obvious that no one was hearing what they had wanted to hear.
One guy in particular asked about building and supported piston singles over wasting $100 million in company funds building a vaporware jet, and Bass replied "So are you saying that we should continue building piston singles at a loss, and go out of business?" -- to which the questioner testily responded "No, you should build piston singles that people want, at a PROFIT."
God almighty, folks, as if the writing wasn't on the wall enough, this fly-in has proved to me that our beloved GA is teetering at the abyss. I looked around the ballroom, at all these gray-haired old guys wearing brightly-colored, aviation themed Hawaiian shirts, and realized that I was possibly witnessing the end of an era. Between "User Fees" on one side, fuel costs on the other, and an aging pilot community, I don't know anymore what to think or do.
I sincerely hope the fly-in rebounds strongly next year, and that this downturn is merely a momentary pause, before we see some explosive growth in GA. I hope Oshkosh this year is bigger and better than ever, and that everyone who isn't flying now will muster the will (and the funds) to attend AirVenture. I pray that OSH doesn't suffer the same kind of decline that we've seen at Sun N Fun and now the Cherokee Pilots Association fly-in.
Mary and I will keep on keeping on, flying as often and as far as we can, spreading the good word of aviation, and we will continue to strive to create the ultimate fly-in destination at our aviation- themed hotel -- but after this weekend I surely can't help but feel like we're seeing the last days of "common-man" pilot/owners in America...
Get out there and FLY, people! -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination"
> He also stated that Piper was not interested in licensing the rights > to build parts for older planes, because they would still be liable > for them -- and everything in their business was now dictated by > product liability.
That, and recent rumblings about shops' declining to service >18-yr. old aircraft convinced me to buy a nearly new 182 rather than a 15-yr. old Bonanza.
Are we the last generation of light GA private flyers? It's starting to look like it.
> The general consensus, after too many gin & tonics, was that the entry- > level Cherokee owners were the owners who were barely able to afford > ownership in the first place, and have been most devastated by the > recent 25% increase in fuel costs. In other words, they were the > "canaries in the bird cage", and have died first and quickest, to > serve as a warning to us all...
> God almighty, folks, as if the writing wasn't on the wall enough, this > fly-in has proved to me that our beloved GA is teetering at the abyss. > I looked around the ballroom, at all these gray-haired old guys > wearing brightly-colored, aviation themed Hawaiian shirts, and > realized that I was possibly witnessing the end of an era. Between > "User Fees" on one side, fuel costs on the other, and an aging pilot > community, I don't know anymore what to think or do.
> Get out there and FLY, people! > -- > Jay Honeck > Iowa City, IA > Pathfinder N56993 > www.AlexisParkInn.com > "Your Aviation Destination"
Jay, I'm one of those "gray-haired old guys" albeit, I don't wear the "brightly-colored, aviation themed Hawaiian shirts." HAHA
Seriously, I am retired and I now live on what is affectionally called the "fixed income". When I first started flying several years ago, I could afford it without any problems. However, with the increase in fuel costs raising the rental price on the C-172, I rent, I just can't fly as much now as I want to. You may be right. We may becoming to the end of an era. Oh, BTW, buying a C-172 for me is absolutely out of the financial equation.
I won't be flying in but, I'll be looking for you and the others at Oshkosh!
> That, and recent rumblings about shops' declining to service >18-yr. old > aircraft convinced me to buy a nearly new 182 rather than a 15-yr. old > Bonanza.
Oh, I don't think we'll have to worry too much about spare parts for planes like Cherokees and Bonanzas for a good, long time, even if Piper and Beech bailed out. All you have to do is look at the plethora of interior plastic suppliers to see what happens when the OEMs price themselves too high in an area that everyone needs/ wants.
Still, it's truly disturbing to see that the CEO of Piper has done the cold, hard math, and concluded that General Aviation is no longer worth pursuing. If Bass is really as smart as everyone says he is (and his reputation at Sony and General Electric is pristine), we're in for a long, hard road. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination"
This plane is what Piper would have come up with if they had entered the light sport market. It is seriously roomy, fast, quiet, and burns just 3gph with Piper handing and custom panel. We're renting it at $85/h factory new.
IMHO, Piper is foolish for not going into this market. We've had our school open for just under two months and are picking up students from 4 states at a rate of a half dozen a week. We are struggling to add planes and instructors fast enough to keep up with the demand. We've had the SportCruiser for a matter of weeks and already it is booking up solid.
Piper's future in piston GA may be doomed, but certainly GA itself. The LSA market will see to that.
Jay Honeck wrote: > Mary and I just returned from a wonderful weekend at the Cherokee > Pilots Association national fly-in, held annually in Osage Beach, > Missouri, at the Tan-Tar-A resort. We had a wonderful time, catching > up with old friends, and making new ones. We bought some cool stuff > from the vendors, gave away some hotel certificates to CPA members, > and I enjoyed a marvelous Father's Day flight home.
> So why the gloom?
> After four straight years of strong growth, attendance at this > fabulous fly-in took a sudden, breath-taking tumble. Some organizers > were saying it was down 35%, some were privately saying 40% -- but > there was no denying the fact that the airport was ready for FAR more > aircraft than showed up. There were many, many ready-but-empty tie > downs, and the dinner crowd was a shadow of prior years.
> More alarmingly, there were NO Cherokee 140s to be judged for "Best > Cherokee 140" at the show. That is NOT a mis-print -- I really said > there were NONE. In prior years, Cherokee 140s have naturally made up > the vast majority of fly-in attendees (since they were built in the > greatest numbers), but this year not a single one (other than Art > Matson's highly modified AMR&D experimental 140) showed up.
> Not a single one! It was absolutely scary.
> Over dinner and drinks, those of us who did show up (and there were > over 75 Arrows, Archers, Pathfinders, Dakotas, Lances and Saratogas) > debated what had happened to the "entry level" Cherokees?
> The general consensus, after too many gin & tonics, was that the entry- > level Cherokee owners were the owners who were barely able to afford > ownership in the first place, and have been most devastated by the > recent 25% increase in fuel costs. In other words, they were the > "canaries in the bird cage", and have died first and quickest, to > serve as a warning to us all...
> Then, just as we had recovered from the shock of this stark > realization, we were "treated" to the keynote speaker at the fly-in, > the new CEO of Piper, James Bass. (Read more about him here: > http://www.cherokeeflyin.com/html/keynote.html)
> In his speech, Mr. Bass touted the fact that Piper had gone back to > its original name (no more "New Piper" nonsense), had returned to > profitability, and recovered from the three hurricanes that had > devastated their Vero Beach facilities. All good things, indeed, and > each announcement was met with enthusiastic applause.
> Then things went downhill.
> He went on to state that Piper would no longer be able to provide > parts support for "ancient" aircraft, and tossed out a "maximum" age > of 25 years. Of course, the room was packed with people flying planes > that were, on average, 30 years old -- so the room became silent at > this quasi-announcement. (No one is quite sure if he was really > "announcing" this change, or if he was just floating the idea...)
> He also stated that Piper was not interested in licensing the rights > to build parts for older planes, because they would still be liable > for them -- and everything in their business was now dictated by > product liability.
> Then Bass went on to spend half an hour trumpeting the new PiperJet, > which has supposedly already racked up 180 firm orders. With a whiz- > bang PowerPoint presentation, he went on to outline the features of > this $2+ million jet to a room full of Cherokee pilots -- all of whom > only wanted to hear about piston singles.
> He then drove the stake in further by stating unequivocably that Piper > would NOT be entering the Light Sport market, thus confirming (to most > attendees) that Piper was on the verge of completely abandoning their > piston single line.
> To say that this guy made no friends in Osage Beach would be an > understatement. Although no one was impolite, the post-speech > questions were quite pointed and blunt, and it was quite obvious that > no one was hearing what they had wanted to hear.
> One guy in particular asked about building and supported piston > singles over wasting $100 million in company funds building a > vaporware jet, and Bass replied "So are you saying that we should > continue building piston singles at a loss, and go out of business?" > -- to which the questioner testily responded "No, you should build > piston singles that people want, at a PROFIT."
> God almighty, folks, as if the writing wasn't on the wall enough, this > fly-in has proved to me that our beloved GA is teetering at the abyss. > I looked around the ballroom, at all these gray-haired old guys > wearing brightly-colored, aviation themed Hawaiian shirts, and > realized that I was possibly witnessing the end of an era. Between > "User Fees" on one side, fuel costs on the other, and an aging pilot > community, I don't know anymore what to think or do.
> I sincerely hope the fly-in rebounds strongly next year, and that this > downturn is merely a momentary pause, before we see some explosive > growth in GA. I hope Oshkosh this year is bigger and better than > ever, and that everyone who isn't flying now will muster the will (and > the funds) to attend AirVenture. I pray that OSH doesn't suffer the > same kind of decline that we've seen at Sun N Fun and now the Cherokee > Pilots Association fly-in.
> Mary and I will keep on keeping on, flying as often and as far as we > can, spreading the good word of aviation, and we will continue to > strive to create the ultimate fly-in destination at our aviation- > themed hotel -- but after this weekend I surely can't help but feel > like we're seeing the last days of "common-man" pilot/owners in > America...
> Get out there and FLY, people! > -- > Jay Honeck > Iowa City, IA > Pathfinder N56993 > www.AlexisParkInn.com > "Your Aviation Destination"
"Jay Honeck" wrote: > Still, it's truly disturbing to see that the CEO of Piper has done the > cold, hard math, and concluded that General Aviation is no longer > worth pursuing. If Bass is really as smart as everyone says he is > (and his reputation at Sony and General Electric is pristine), we're > in for a long, hard road.
F*** him.
I'm going to keep flying until they pry my cold, dead etc...
> [...] > In his speech, Mr. Bass touted the fact that Piper had gone back to > its original name (no more "New Piper" nonsense), had returned to > profitability, and recovered from the three hurricanes that had > devastated their Vero Beach facilities. All good things, indeed, and > each announcement was met with enthusiastic applause.
What are they selling that has returned them to profitability?
[...]
> Then Bass went on to spend half an hour trumpeting the new PiperJet, > which has supposedly already racked up 180 firm orders. With a whiz- > bang PowerPoint presentation, he went on to outline the features of > this $2+ million jet to a room full of Cherokee pilots -- all of whom > only wanted to hear about piston singles.
I hope the infusion of cash from Honda to build the PiperJet isn't being called "profit". That would spell the end of the company in a very short time.
[...]
> God almighty, folks, as if the writing wasn't on the wall enough, this > fly-in has proved to me that our beloved GA is teetering at the abyss. > I looked around the ballroom, at all these gray-haired old guys > wearing brightly-colored, aviation themed Hawaiian shirts, and > realized that I was possibly witnessing the end of an era. Between > "User Fees" on one side, fuel costs on the other, and an aging pilot > community, I don't know anymore what to think or do.
Sure, you do. But, denial is a powerful thing. If someone can't spring for a new $.5M piston single they'll be forced to either buy into a plane with a very short operative lifetime due to a lack of replacement parts or fold their tent. I hate to add to the gloom, but the picture has looked bleak for a couple of years, now. The only hope is that LSA can fill in the gap between reasonably priced used singles and new planes that are out of reach for most GA pilots.
As I mentioned to my A&P this afternoon, GA has one foot in the grave and the other on ice. Remember the fuel chart showing 100LL deliveries with a steady decline over the last decade or so? We supposedly have over 400 aircraft at my field and there were about 150 ops today, with 84 of those from 42 T&Gs.
If the FAA gets their way with user fees and higher fuel taxes, the other foot is gone.
> IMHO, Piper is foolish for not going into this market.
Agree 100%. They claim there is "no margin" in LSA aircraft, but I don't believe it.
> We've had our > school open for just under two months and are picking up students from 4 > states at a rate of a half dozen a week.
Contrast this with our local FBO's attitude toward Light Sport:
We recently had a guest who was interested in pursuing his dream of flying, and wanted to go Light Sport. I told him that I'd see if I could find an LSA instructor and aircraft in which he could train.
My first call was naturally to our local FBO, whose response was blunt and telling: "We don't mess with that shit."
Our FBO, like so many others, only provides flight training because it's a requirement of their contract with the city. In the absence of that contract, they would close their flight school in a heartbeat, preferring to cater to the King Air and Citation crowd...
Our guest found an instructor and aircraft at a smaller, nearby airport, so the story doesn't end entirely sadly. But it's just SO frustrating to see the skies over Iowa City slowly becoming empty thanks to people in the industry who simply don't understand that without an active, proactive interest in flight training EVERYTHING stops in about ten years. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination"
> He went on to state that Piper would no longer be able to provide > parts support for "ancient" aircraft, and tossed out a "maximum" age > of 25 years.
That's a familiar number. Isn't that the age at which liability ends, or somesuch?
> everything in their business was now dictated by > product liability.
There you go.
> Mary and I will keep on keeping on, flying as often and as far as we > can, spreading the good word of aviation
How much flying would you be doing if you could not write off any of it?
Jose -- You can choose whom to befriend, but you cannot choose whom to love. for Email, make the obvious change in the address.
> What are they selling that has returned them to profitability?
Apparently the Malibu, Meridian, and Cherokee Six.
> I hope the infusion of cash from Honda to build the PiperJet isn't being > called "profit". That would spell the end of the company in a very short > time.
I don't think so. Bass is estimating that the PiperJet will require a $100 million dollar investment over the next ten years. He also claims that they can make money selling them from the very first one -- which, of course, doesn't factor in a return on his investment.
> >I don't know anymore what to think or do.
> Sure, you do. But, denial is a powerful thing. If someone can't spring for > a new $.5M piston single they'll be forced to either buy into a plane with > a very short operative lifetime due to a lack of replacement parts or fold > their tent. I hate to add to the gloom, but the picture has looked bleak > for a couple of years, now. The only hope is that LSA can fill in the gap > between reasonably priced used singles and new planes that are out of > reach for most GA pilots.
I agree, although the cost of LSAs is certainly no bargan. You can buy a VERY nice Cherokee 140 for half of what the cheapest LSA is going for nowadays. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination"
> But it's just SO > frustrating to see the skies over Iowa City slowly becoming empty > thanks to people in the industry who simply don't understand that > without an active, proactive interest in flight training EVERYTHING > stops in about ten years.
Ever think of starting an FBO? You've got your motel going, why not attach an FBO to it and devote more of your time to aviation?
Jose -- You can choose whom to befriend, but you cannot choose whom to love. for Email, make the obvious change in the address.
Jay Honeck <jjhon...@mchsi.com> wrote: > Then things went downhill.
Not to start a Cessna vs. Piper debate(!), but I have to contrast your report on Piper's strategy with the reports from the Cessna Pilots Association fly-in held in Wichita a few weeks ago. I wasn't there personally, so this is just second-hand, but the reports have been very positive, with Cessna hosting factory tours, demonstrations, and seminars, both at Wichita and at their single engine manufacturing facility in Independence. There was also lots of positive buzz about their LSA and NGP prototypes and business plans. So, is Piper's strategy really indicative of the industry as a whole, or just one company's direction?
> > But it's just SO > > frustrating to see the skies over Iowa City slowly becoming empty > > thanks to people in the industry who simply don't understand that > > without an active, proactive interest in flight training EVERYTHING > > stops in about ten years.
> Ever think of starting an FBO? You've got your motel going, why not > attach an FBO to it and devote more of your time to aviation?
> Jose > --
You could even ask about a "through the fence agreement."
> This plane is what Piper would have come up with if they had entered > the light sport market. It is seriously roomy, fast, quiet, and burns > just 3gph with Piper handing and custom panel. We're renting it at > $85/h factory new.
> IMHO, Piper is foolish for not going into this market. We've had our > school open for just under two months and are picking up students from > 4 states at a rate of a half dozen a week. We are struggling to add > planes and instructors fast enough to keep up with the demand. We've > had the SportCruiser for a matter of weeks and already it is booking up > solid.
> Piper's future in piston GA may be doomed, but certainly GA itself. > The LSA market will see to that.
> Helen
You are absolutely correct in my opinion. It's aircraft like this that will save General Aviation if indeed, after the lawyers, and the government have finished with it, there is anything left of General Aviation to be saved. These airplanes are marvels of design and engineering. They have entered the market at exactly the right time. Now, if the lawyers can only keep their greedy hands out of the pockets of the manufacturers causing that 85 an hour to go to 185 an hour to cover fear of litigation costs, GA just might have a chance. Dudley Henriques
> Not to start a Cessna vs. Piper debate(!), but I have to contrast your report on Piper's strategy with the > reports from the Cessna Pilots Association fly-in held in Wichita a few weeks ago. I wasn't there > personally, so this is just second-hand, but the reports have been very positive, with Cessna hosting > factory tours, demonstrations, and seminars, both at Wichita and at their single engine manufacturing > facility in Independence. There was also lots of positive buzz about their LSA and NGP prototypes and > business plans. So, is Piper's strategy really indicative of the industry as a whole, or just one company's > direction?
Oh, there's no doubt that Cessna is in GA for the long haul -- but they *already have* their jet(s). They probably make more profit on a single Citation than on ten (or more?) Skyhawks, and that's what Piper is aiming at.
Difference is (as has been the case since the 1940s), Piper is way behind the marketing curve. They needed to have a light jet 25 years ago. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination"
On Jun 18, 1:06 pm, Jay Honeck <jjhon...@mchsi.com> wrote:
> He then drove the stake in further by stating unequivocably that Piper > would NOT be entering the Light Sport market, thus confirming (to most > attendees) that Piper was on the verge of completely abandoning their > piston single line.
Seems to me that Piper is Piper in name only, it's a brand with recognition and that's what the company is going to trade on. By showing distinct disinterest in the LSA market they have, whether they wanted to or not, basically written themselves out of piston single GA.
LSA (and the equivalents in other countries) is, without any shadow of a doubt, the way that GA for recreational flyers (and flying school fleets) is going, any company that doesn't see that is going to be left behind.
10 years from now, I expect that the large majority of recreational and student pilots will behind the stick of an LSA, traditional GA isn't going to be cost effective for too much longer.
Its really striking to read this after I just got back from watching the sun set 2000 feet over Point Reyes (the Western-Most point in California).
I Bought my bird/passed my check ride at 24, I'm now 25. Being a pilot in my generation (The "boomerang generation"... how's that for a distinction) has been a weird experience. Let me put it this way - when I told my highschool friends that I had just purchased an aircraft, the reaction I received was... well, frankly, about akin to that I would I have expected if I had told them I had just been selected as an astronaut. Its not that they didn't respect it. It was just that, for this generation, so sheltered by parents who never wished for them to feel rough ground on their feet, the concept of any one of their peers taking on a roll with so much risk and responsibility attached was _literally_ beyond their capacity to comprehend. "You WHAT?!" "Isn't that dangerous?" "Don't you get scared?" "That's so cool... I wish I could do that..." The response ranges from horror to disbelief to jealousy... the only attitude sadly missing is "cool, how can I get into that?" The idea that flying an aircraft is an option available to them simply does not exist.
I don't know whether the issue is bad publicity on the part of GA, or whether it's just a testament to the pathetic nature of my generation. I'm betting on the latter.
But either way... I mourn it.
The Piper CEO's words bother, but do not surprise me. It's right along the same lines as my generation's sentiments- that the future of aviation (and hence the money) lies with the privilidged few. That the concept that the every day man who possesses the passion and desire can fly and should be supported in doing so is being lost. Every day the dream of flight moves further towards that available only towards the privileged upper echelon.
The young blood is out there... I know many of them... but not nearly enough. I just wish I knew what I could do about it.
I wish I knew that there was something I could do about it.
But in the end all I can say is screw it. Screw my generation, screw the affluence-chasing new CEO piper... In the end all that matters is that I can go watch the sun set from 2000 feet over the Pacific Ocean on a whim...
Jay Honeck writes: > He went on to state that Piper would no longer be able to provide > parts support for "ancient" aircraft, and tossed out a "maximum" age > of 25 years. Of course, the room was packed with people flying planes > that were, on average, 30 years old -- so the room became silent at > this quasi-announcement. (No one is quite sure if he was really > "announcing" this change, or if he was just floating the idea...)
Quite surprising, given that the average age of small GA aircraft is above 30 these days (around 35, I think).
Jay Honeck writes: > Our guest found an instructor and aircraft at a smaller, nearby > airport, so the story doesn't end entirely sadly. But it's just SO > frustrating to see the skies over Iowa City slowly becoming empty > thanks to people in the industry who simply don't understand that > without an active, proactive interest in flight training EVERYTHING > stops in about ten years.
For GA pilots flying for pleasure, maybe. But a lot of people care only about aviation as transportation, and that will still be alive and well in ten years, I suspect.
>> Our guest found an instructor and aircraft at a smaller, nearby >> airport, so the story doesn't end entirely sadly. But it's just SO >> frustrating to see the skies over Iowa City slowly becoming empty >> thanks to people in the industry who simply don't understand that >> without an active, proactive interest in flight training EVERYTHING >> stops in about ten years.
> For GA pilots flying for pleasure, maybe. But a lot of people care > only about aviation as transportation, and that will still be alive > and well in ten years, I suspect.
>> He went on to state that Piper would no longer be able to provide >> parts support for "ancient" aircraft, and tossed out a "maximum" age >> of 25 years. Of course, the room was packed with people flying >> planes that were, on average, 30 years old -- so the room became >> silent at this quasi-announcement. (No one is quite sure if he was >> really "announcing" this change, or if he was just floating the >> idea...)
> Quite surprising, given that the average age of small GA aircraft is > above 30 these days (around 35, I think).
Neil Gould writes: > I hope the infusion of cash from Honda to build the PiperJet isn't being > called "profit". That would spell the end of the company in a very short > time.
In today's world of anonymous and institutional shareholders, a very short time is the only kind of time--nobody plans for the long term. The objective is to make maximum profits in minimum time. If a company ceases to do that, it is carved into pieces and sold. Nobody cares about what the company produces or how long it lives; it's just an interchangeable profit machine that is dismantled and discarded once it ceases to produce profits quickly enough.
That's the way all large public corporations are being managed these days, and the results for society are always the same.
EridanMan writes: > But in the end all I can say is screw it. Screw my generation, screw > the affluence-chasing new CEO piper... In the end all that matters is > that I can go watch the sun set from 2000 feet over the Pacific Ocean > on a whim...
In part, you illustrate the problem: Aviation is attainable for you because you are so passionate about it that you are willing to sacrifice many other things to have it. But most people aren't that way, and aviation is so cripplingly expensive that anyone who doesn't have a very single-minded interest in it--or a fat bank account--cannot see it as a practical option. That's the real problem for GA, not any fear of flying.
However, I do agree that the fearfulness of society as a whole today is remarkable and worrisome, the result of decades of high-tech media propaganda cashing in on paranoia and FUD. Unfortunately, fearful people are very easily manipulated and controlled, and tend to make only irrational decisions when allowed to act on their own.
