The numbers in the graph don't make sense.,
From the current BTRE site.
Total hours flown by Australian VH registered aircraft in the General Aviation and Regional Airline sectors were 2.0 million in 2009, a decrease of 2.9 per cent compared with the previous year. Activity in the General Aviation sector fell in 2009, with a decrease in flying hours of 2.7 per cent to 1.8 million hours. Regional Airlines recorded a decline of 4.9 per cent in flying hours, continuing a recent trend. Consolidation of aircraft operators, larger aircraft and effects of the global financial crises contributed to the decline in hours. Only two flying categories showed an increase in activity — Private (4.9 per cent) and Training (2.4 per cent).
Training and Charter flying continued to make up the two largest activity categories in the General Aviation sector, representing 27.5 per cent and 26.0 per cent respectively of all General Aviation flying hours during 2009. Private and Business flying together represented 21.5 per cent of total General Aviation activity.
Decreases in flying hours were recorded in Test and Ferry (-24.8 per cent), Charter ( 9.4 per cent), Agriculture (-6.3 per cent), Aerial Work (-2.8 per cent), and Business flying ( 2.1 per cent).
The number of aircraft covered by the survey grew 1.5 percent in 2009 to 12 229. The number of fixed wing, single engine aircraft increased by 1.0 per cent to 8 301, or 67.9 per cent of all registered aircraft in the General Aviation and Regional Airline sectors. Fixed wing, multi-engine aircraft increased by 0.7 per cent to 1 885 (15.4 per cent of the total). The number of helicopters increased by 5.2 per cent to 1 703 (13.9 per cent of the total), with the number of single engine helicopters increasing by 3.9 per cent to 1 530 and the number of multi-engine helicopters increased by 17.7 per cent to 173.
In 2009, 1 171 amateur built aircraft accounted for 9.6 per cent of all VH registered aircraft in this survey. This represents a 3.4 per cent increase over the number of VH registered, amateur built aircraft in 2008 (1 133 aircraft).
Not so bad as that dramatic and likely wrong graph would have you think.