What will recreational flying be like in a few decades?

[Pace]

One of the biggest problems facing GA and its future direction is the steady closing down of smaller airports earmarked for development.

With the pressure to build ever more housing I can see that getting worse. Since I started flying access to airports is getting more and more restricted

I can even remember flying with friends into Manchester in a PA28 parking on the main apron alongside a big jet and going up into the terminal for a coffee

I can also remember flying a 150 into Luton you used to follow the perimeter track around to the flying club pay a small landing fee and you were welcome now its all huge fees and handling agents now its confined to very wealthy owners or companies operating business jets and a few high level singles

Smaller airports are closing to be turned into housing or industrial estates and the larger ones do not want us meaning the approach aids available to us are going too

So maybe the future will be directed more to sport VFR flying with aircraft that can operate out of short strips and off grass rather than the all singing and dancing high tech computerised machines we are talking about where are they going to operate to make use of all this high tech sophistication?

Pace