I find the idea of GA being a "hobby" slightly bizarre. Yes, there are recreational pilots, just as there are people who drive Lotuses and Ferraris on sunny Sundays. But GA as a whole is no more the province of "hobbyists" than driving a car....
Well said ! Unfortunately a lot of people in Belgium (or Europe) don't seem to grasp that. I remember being slightly irritated when one of the standard Belgian syllabi writes "A two-blade propellor is common for a
sports aircraft", completely ignoring private flying as a means of transport.
Indeed, it is like saying that all non-lorry or bus drivers are "hobbyists". I suddenly get this great EASA inspired road safety idea : as Europe wants to halve the number of road accidents by 2020, why don't we just introduce a ban on private car usage ? Actually, we don't ban it, we just require potential drivers to sit 7 ludicrous exams and charge £20K for the license issuing. Road safety guaranteed !