That's why I said "in it's most literal sense".Jim Bloggs taking someone to hospital because otherwise they can't get there, that's one thing. Joe taking taking his quick flit around the bay, doing the bare minimum to maintain currency, is just indulging his hobby. I would hazard there's a lot more of the latter in private flying than the former.
Two weeks ago I decided to return to my old haunts and headed for the Dig Tree.
Preparation involved the purchase of 150L of unleaded from the local servo ($270), sundry bits and pieces like a new phone charger, emergency water and food, spare oil, fuel and oil filters just in case a tool roll and tie down kit. Travel via waypoints YSHT, YECH, YKER, YSWH, YWTO to YBHI. Two stops for comfort breaks and a sandwich.
Three nights in Broken Hill and two days car hire plus meals. ($1000).
Three very very wonderful days and nights at YARK - Arkaroola.( Accomodation food and fuel about $900). if you haven't been there put it on you bucket list! Doug Sprigg, as always, is the perfect host. Arkaroola is a very special place....and then two inches of overnight rain and Three around Innamincka put paid to going further North. The trip back took two days and cost about $600.
Total spend at least $2770, it would have been more if the airstrip wasn't flooded at the tree because I was planning YINN and YTIB on the way home. = Now this is just one old fart going away for a week. I dont have time to do the trip in a landcruiser these days (i'd still be stuck because the roads are closed, but that is another matter).
Now consider some of my friends and acquaintances - Mum Dad and two kids in a C182 who want to see a lot of Australia but are time poor or the retired couple in their Bonanza who like a luxury getaway every now and then - they were going IFR back to YMMB from YARK in an afternoon! There are plenty of people who have money to spend, are time poor and want to go special places where Qantas doesn't fly. Both of those acquaintances will spend three or four times what I spend.
GA travellers hemorrhage money into local communities everywhere they go - and those places aren't necessarily frequented by grey nomads with caravans and the majority of the aviators spending doesnt show up directly in Council accounts.
However to do any of this travel, you need the GA infrastructure to support it. Engineers, spare parts, fuel, airports. I am relatively self sufficient. In a certified VH registered aircraft you are less so, You need the infrastructure and every time an aviation business closes, anywhere, perhaps because of a bloody minded council raising rents, our options and freedom of action just got reduced because we have one less supplier.
Now when you consider the above and the barriers that the Government through CASA and local government put in the way of private pilots, you just might get a sense of the economic potential of even this small part of GA if we could only unlock it..