The future of "General Aviation"
10 years ago I was looking for a light a/c (single or twin) to fly around Europe for business, year round.
Now we all know the saying "time to spare, go by air" bla bla, so I was realistic about mission profile, a/c type and equipment, weather limitations etc etc, and came to the conclusion that I either spend $1m minimum or I should go commercial airline.
Well, I went commercial, and it feels like I have spent far too much of the last 10 years in sh1tty airports and on sh1tty airlines due to the routes required.
So here I am again, older, grumpier and less constrained by work schedules, but still needing to travel around Europe.
I have looked around recently at a/c that fit my slightly looser requirement, but still come away feeling like there's nothing to do the job under $1m (Piper Jetprop). There seems to be no investment or incentive.
So, to my question (no, it's not advice on what a/c to get):
What is the future for general aviation in Europe, if it is not as a viable means of transport will it always be something we do just for the hell of it to get "kicks"?
Note: you will always have the diehards who cross oceans in micro lights etc. but I am talking about mortals here!