Originally Posted by
Acrosport II
That's incredible if correct.
That would make the price of a new C172 in the USA of 180,000AUD.(Not sure what the listed price is in Aus, its so high they don't publish it on the dealers website).
All because of greedy unethical lawyers. (eg: suing Cessna, Piper for a pilot error CFIT and blaming it on the aircraft or systems).
Unfortunately Australia wants to follow USA warts and all. This liability thing is out of control here now too.
Real shame, and even bigger shame the USA and AUS govts don't have the b***s to stop it with sensible legislation.
I'm no expert but perhaps the price of doing business in USA is limited regulation mitigated by the risk of litigation. The end result being the eventual doubling of the price due litigation.
Australia, in contrast, over-regulates, equally doubling the price of aviation, but due regulation. Of course, the litigation aspect still prevails due to our commercial and legal relationships with the country of origin of the aircraft.
But because we don't have the population or aviation density to design and manufacture our own light aircraft, we pay the existing double US price, and then double it again to operate it in Australia, then add shipping and GST and whatever else and no wonder no-one can afford to purchase and operate a new C172 in Australia.
Maybe someone with internet skills can compare the 1970 price of a C172 to a similarly priced BMW or Mercedes or John Deere tractor, and recompare the difference to equivalent plant today.
I suspect you would find that a BMW purchaser in 1970 could easily have been in the money for a Cessna, but today would be out by a factor of 5 or more. Meanwhile, the BMW's have evolved and sport the latest and greatest gear, while the Cessna has hardly changed since 1970.
BMW can afford to constantly improve the engine reliability and crash safety of it's vehicles because the regulation and litigation costs allow them too. The same doesn't apply to Cessna or Lycoming.
People still crash and die in BMW's, but if it happens in a Cessna, the cost continues to rise, because it's somehow "not acceptable".
Why is this?
Prior to the 1970's, Mankind's biggest contribution to aviation was to innovate, build and fly great aircraft.
At some point after that, Mankind's biggest contribution to aviation became to ensure that no-one could afford it.