At the time I write this post, the thread ahead is about the FAA realizing that pilot's manual flying skills are eroding. A reality I observe in some pilot with whom I have flown. That will be the challenge for new pilots, the standard has been set high, by pilots of past generations, whose manual flying skills were excellent, as aircraft of those past eras had either no autopilots, or poor autopilots, so they hand flew a lot, and hand flew instrument approaches, looking at an approach plate on paper, and steam gauge instruments. Most were very skilled flying tailwheel, and if not aerobatics, at least maneuvering, including spins.
Those skills are being shadowed by technology, and the notion that hand flying skills, and instinct won't be as needed - wrong! So the next generation of pilots will have a greater challenge. I built my piloting skills renting a Cessna 150 for $18 per hour - wet. At that cost, I could afford to fly a lot. Then came the 152, at $21 per hour, I still flew lots. Then the 177 Cardinal RG, $55 per hour, 'flew it lots. The Cardinal is no longer available, but that very same (yes, same registration - and paint job
) 152 is still for rent 41 years later - for $165 per hour! How can a young person afford to pile on the hours of experience building to meet the new pilot expectations? Simulators can help a little, when properly trained, but the basics of solo decision making, and reacting properly to unexpected events in flight are poorly replicated by simulators. Instructors can downplay the importance of these very basic skills, but they're vitally important - and the FAA is noticing! Too many accidents associated with the pilot either being lured by automation, or simply not thinking past it.
So yes, young people should fly, but our aviation community has to realize that skill building to the level we oldtimers think is appropriate won't be anywhere near as easy for the new pilot as is may have been for us. New pilot will have to realize that they face challenges in accumulating experience at the rate many of us did, and they'll have to make the very most of hours in the air, where most of us went up and often aimlessly burned holes in the ski decades ago.
The world will need pilots for decades to come, there is no way that automation can replace human pilot skills to the level knowledgeable society will demand in the foreseeable future. A fully glass cockpit Cessna, with up to date database, and everything working properly tried to lure me to fly it across a windmill farm at 700 feet on the Finnish coast. My piloting skills said no, fly around the windmills, not through them! A self driving car, with a safety "driver" aboard
still managed to kill a pedestrian! Another self driving car drove over and killed it's owner while it was parking itself! An automated plane is going to handle multiple emergencies, and then make a good forced landing in an open field? I remain to be convinced!
Have kids learn to be pilots! Good hands and feet pilots! Go and fly circuits in the blue Cub in the mist!