I was considering posting about this- all those adverts for hire purchase Aston Martins and arthritis remedies weren't helping to quell my growing suspicions that I'm not old or rich enough to enjoy GA as a long-term hobby post PPL. Not to mention a comment in one of this month's articles about a sandwich and coffee for "just over six quid" at the featured airfield. That's an hour at work after college for some of us 17 year old wannabe-types.
This summer I've got some savings set aside, and I'm now faced with the choice between my original plan- a handful of hours in a tatty 152/PA28- or the increasingly tempting idea of buying a tired classic Mini and a decent spares budget, and having dozens if not hundreds of hours of fun restoring it with my Dad. Dad being somebody whose involvement in my hobbies were previously confined to waiting patiently for countless hours in the airfield car park to pick me up as I faffed around with tech logs and payments having spent a month's wages on myself in two hours.
Car insurance is needlessly expensive for a sensible person of my age, but it'd still be less of a dent in my finances each month then 90 minutes of flying In fact I'd still have money left over for tax, MOTs and plenty of fuel.
Sorry for the cynicism, But I can't help think that 'Pilot' is actually quite a fair representation of GA as I see it. I think GA does have a difficult task in attracting younger people though- I've yet to come across a young wannabe pilot who isn't set on anything other than commercial training and shiny automated jets, so those who could afford a flying hobby (or perhaps more accurately, those whose parents can), I suspect are often taken straight in by the integrated schools. Outside of the wannabe pilot circles, I suspect the average young person that could be a potential GA hobbyist just simply isn't aware of its existence- most airfield with a flying club are in the middle of nowhere after all, and GA rarely makes an appearance in the mainstream media unless there's a fatal accident of course.
I think there's a reason for young people not taking up hobby flying- the costs are simply extraordinary to most ordinary families, and the value for money just isn't there. I've had friends my age who have expressed an interest in learning to fly having listened to my exploits, and do you know what? For all the thrill of the first solo, the satisfaction of a neat landing or a successful PFL, I'd never reccomend it to any of them. £170 for an hour. Sixty minutes in a musty, slab sided, common or garden trainer. When the weather's right of course.
As much as I never thought I'd say this, I can really empathise with all those who learn to fly and then never set foot in a cockpit again.
My £0.02
ADC