Sexual chocolate (what a wonderful name)
I agree with much of what you say. GA is undervalued, by too many and only considered as a training ground for airline pilots.
There was a time when it was possible to make a reasonable living in GA (but very few did in the cities). My first logbook had about 5000 hours, most of which was single time. But I earned a reasonable wage. Jobs were few, but you could make a living.
Then our clever government introduced an allowance which allowed any company that bought new equipment to get huge tax concessions which nearly paid for the aeroplane. So we had every tax dodger setting up a charter company, and buying an aeroplane. A charter licence went with most aircraft sales. They were easy to get. So there were accountants, bookies and used car dealers, beekeepers,and womens underwear salespeople running charter companies. The aeroplane sales people did well as they always used new aircraft for charter (their demonstrators) and did very little maintenance. They sold them before they got rattley. They could undercut other charter operators. They also ran flying schools and trained as many pilots as they could. The airlines only needed a few each year, but lots and lots were trained, looking for that lucrative jet job.
So we had lots of new aeroplanes, charter companies, lots of pilots, and the oil exploration started. Freebies for pilots. Free maps and charts, regs, renewals, flight tests. No landing fees. Boom times. False, short term boom times. Not much movement into airllines,so a stable, experienced group of career GA pilots, and new, better (big and small) aeroplanes coming regularly. Some airlines had a nice government subsidy.
Then it stopped. The ioil exploration stopped. The tax concessions stopped. And the landing fees came. And the tax dodgers sold their aeroplanes, which had not been maintained very well, when the engine overhaul became due. And the pilot's feeebies stopped.
But the flying schools still trained lots of pilots. And they rented aeroplanes to use for further ICUS sales, while doing charter in the outback.(and RPT it appears)
So, many pilots became desparate. They were unemployed and broke, but still believed that lucrative jet job was just around the corner. Some worked for little or nothing. One or two offered to buy jobs. The GA career pilots were quitting because they were being undercut by newbies from the coast.(most GA is in the outback)
So GA is left with a continual stream of new pilots, and the stable group of career GA pilots is almost gone. The experience level is not there any more. There is hardly anyone to lead the way. The airlines have recruited quite a few recently from GA, but seem to be relying on imports to get the experience they need. The age old system of relying on a huge pool of desparate GA pilots to meet their needs has failed them. GA pilots do not have Boeing endorsements.
A newly licenced CPL holder is usually a little bit out of his depth on his first job, even in a C206. The workload is often too high for them, and they need support. I'v seen aircraft taxying with baggage doors open, flipper doors open etc. It's not uncommon. It was generally accepted that the apprenticeship lasts 5000 hours.
They are nearly all apprentices now.
Last edited by bushy; 20th Jul 2008 at 07:43.