Originally Posted by
Clare Prop
[...] competition from RA-Aus [...]
Wouldn't RA also be an opportunity for GA?
Disclaimer: I'm not running any kind of GA operation but my school runs GA and RAAus tracks in parallel and while I'm in GA, I often sneak a peek at the trip sheets of RA aircraft. Their fleet is quite uniform with identical aircraft registered in both GA and RA. My observation is: many (most likely a majority) of new students start their training in RA and transition to GA. The flight time on some of their aircraft over the last 12 months is simply through the roof. Obviously they're doing very, very well.
I believe that the key to their successful operation indeed lies in their dual GA/RA tracks and their fleet of cheaper [to operate and hire] two-seaters for early training.
I don't know what your specifics are but you seem to be doing well too. With electric training aircraft just on the horizon I'd say that the future isn't that bleak actually.