Impact of fuel costs on Flight training
 

I am a long time member of a flying club in Canada. Fuel costs ($ 1.30 Can/ltr)
are starting to bite. The managment feels that passing all the increases along in higher rental rates will eventually price aviation out the reach of most folks. What has been the experience in UK/EU ?

It is certainly biting here big time. With fuel at around £1.50/lt the cost are going up and up.

I reckon that the cost is why we have such a tiny industry in the UK. It certainly doesn't help!!

BPF said... "Fuel costs ($ 1.30 Can/ltr) are starting to bite".

I wish our fuel was that cheap... indeed many of us are feeling the pinch. There again nothing unusual in the UK, where aviation is treated as a nuisance, an "inconvenience", that must be thoroughly eradicated. :sad:

A new generation of students just accept the cost and learn to fly.
We old duffers think that its costly based on our own expenditure over the years. I wouldn't dream of paying £150/hour upwards "just to go flying".

Nothing ever changes: When I learned to fly in 1970 a C150 cost me £5.50 per hour. A considerably older PPL holder told me then that it was far, far too expensive to learn to fly today. When he learned it was only 30 bob an hour! (£1.50)

P.P.

Unleaded?
 

Why can't aero engines (which are hardly hi-tech in 150s and the like) be converted to unleaded?

CG

My personal opinion is that professional flight training will be harder to achieve in a few years, several reasons for this

1. The rising fuel costs
2. The advent of the MPL
3. Ever increasing pressure on the environment
4. Already small margins being seen at flight schools
5. A lack of experienced instructors due to airline demand.

I certainly think the modular outfits will be affected the most mainly due to the first 3, also self fly hire will become expensive for Mr Layman to go flying to help pay the bills hence a fall in the number of people going through the system.

Thoughts?

Cheaper fuel makes no difference. Look at the clubs that operate diesels.
All they see is a short term profit because they don't pass on the savings to the student or increase instructor pay. Airfields see a reduction on fuel sales and put up prices elswhere.