Originally Posted by
gchriste
I think you have grossly over simplified things. In the 80s a large portion of the aircraft fleet would have been new or near new, just based on the statistics of the age of the current Australian fleet. New shiny toys that people were owning/renting/sharing, being flown and enjoyed. Fuel was possibly relatively cheaper etc. What has changed? The fleet is now old and largely unused, with the exception of the RAAus fleet which is newer and expanding as it is cheaper to get into.
Is it regulation or airport privatisation that has driven that? Partly yes, but who can afford to go and but a new plane these days to enjoy our hobby/profession, not me. Cirrus $500k-900k, Cessna C172 ~$450-500k. So we are left with an old aging fleet that possibly people just are not flying. Go to an aero club and you will see Jabiru, Tecnams etc around the circuit, some cessnas and not much more. The cost of the new aircraft is directly related to what Cessna or Cirrus are charging. Yes Australian regulations make it all the more costly, but is it really the $200+ ASIC and $300+ medical keeping you out of the sky, or just not wanting to rent/fly a 30 year old aging plane.
So is the reality that to continue flying the 20-30 year old Cessna 152 parked up on the grass, you need to get maintenance up to date, fix a few things, update the insurance etc etc, which people just can't be arsed doing, and no can afford to renew the fleet.
I think you will find that while the rental cost for a 172 is not great, the rental market, at least in our aero club, is doing ok. Its the wider cost that is the issue.
How many planes parked up under the covers on the grass, that have been there for ten years, will ever fly again. Not because of the regulation costs, ASIC, Medical, just because the owner doesnt have the will or means to do so.
Just my 2c
I think you’ve mixed up cause and effect.
If you think it’s easier and cheaper to get a medical certificate now than it was in 1980s, you obviously weren’t there. The ‘safety’ benefit of the complexity created by scaremongering amateurs? Nil. Outcome? Exodus out of activities requiring a medical certificate.
If you think it’s easier and cheaper to park an aircraft at a privatised airport now than it was at an airport in the 1980s, you obviously weren’t there. Outcome? Exodus of aircraft away from locations convenient for the owner.
The “cost” of ASIC requirements is not just the fee.
Look at a map of Avgas-available aerodromes from the 1980s compared with today.
There’s a reason people are not investing in new GA aircraft. The concept of light aircraft being a convenient means of transport - both private and commercial - to defeat the ‘tyranny of distance’ in Australia has been crushed by
unnecessary complexity, cost and inconvenience.