To be totally blunt, for the long term health of the industry, the sooner the clubs that are hanging by a thread but surviving due to the FI's working for free go bust, the better for all.
Fixed wing flying is an uneconomic business due mainly to the fact that there have historically been people willing to do things for free. This has meant that the investment needed for continued growth hasn't happened as there is no real possibility for a decent return on investment.
This isn't a popular view point, but it is a realistic one. Too many amateurs and total incompetents have been involved with light a/c for too long. It has lead us to a position where now we have to fight to even survive. Let alone look to the future and fight the encroachment of issues such as Mode S and other such nasties.
Homeguard, to keep this industry strong we need people to see light a/c as a career rather than a stepping stone. How in the hell are we supposed to do this if people can't earn a wage from it? We weren't all born with trust funds. If this means GA has to get more expensive, then so be it. Will this stop some people? Yes, but what we really need is more people with more money, rather than the current large numbers of folk who can only just afford to do the minimum amount of flying to keep their ratings/licences valid.
This is purely a business observation, rather than saying that people with less money aren't welcome, but the reality is that we should be trying to attract people with money, rather than those without, but who are passionate about flight. We need all types of people, but you can't run a business around skint people!
So in essence. Don't work for free, you'll actually be contributing to the decline of GA, rather than helping it get stronger.
Last edited by Say again s l o w l y; 11th Oct 2006 at 21:48.