Drop Out Rates post PPL
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: EuroGA.org
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Can you offer actual figures to support this, as a percentage of the cost of flying?
The prices of certified hardware are not much lower on the U.S. market than they are here. Not enough to account for the huge diff in the # of people flying.
The USA is also much richer, has a long history of personal freedom (flying is very much wrapped up in that), has much cheaper fuel, has a uniform airspace (imagine a place bigger than all of Europe, one airspace structure, one language), loads of hard runways so flying A-B is much more feasible and an IR is actually useful whereas here in the UK you are stuck with varyingly dodgy DIY approaches into most smaller places, VFR up to 17999ft (Class A starts at 18000ft), much better ground facilities for aircraft support, etc.
And some fantastic Experimental category planes; I know someone who has just screwed an ex target drone jet engine into his plane. Couldn't do that here.
There is a significant difference between UK and UK cost/regulatory burden
The prices of certified hardware are not much lower on the U.S. market than they are here. Not enough to account for the huge diff in the # of people flying.
The USA is also much richer, has a long history of personal freedom (flying is very much wrapped up in that), has much cheaper fuel, has a uniform airspace (imagine a place bigger than all of Europe, one airspace structure, one language), loads of hard runways so flying A-B is much more feasible and an IR is actually useful whereas here in the UK you are stuck with varyingly dodgy DIY approaches into most smaller places, VFR up to 17999ft (Class A starts at 18000ft), much better ground facilities for aircraft support, etc.
And some fantastic Experimental category planes; I know someone who has just screwed an ex target drone jet engine into his plane. Couldn't do that here.
I think that HWD has a good point. Confidence plays a huge part.
If you don't have much free time (for whatever reason) then when you do you um and ah about weather or whatever today's excuse is so you don't fly, so you're less current, so you're less confident, so you um and ah some more. Then, before you know it, you're in the 95%.
The solution?
Throw money at it? Probably not.
More training? Yes, but not necessarily.
The buddy system? Yes, probably.
If you've set a date to fly with someone else then you might be less likely to prevaricate, if they're aware of things (be it PFA types, touring, fly-ins, aerobatics, whatever) then you'll share knowledge and experience.
It can only be a good thing.
If you don't have much free time (for whatever reason) then when you do you um and ah about weather or whatever today's excuse is so you don't fly, so you're less current, so you're less confident, so you um and ah some more. Then, before you know it, you're in the 95%.
The solution?
Throw money at it? Probably not.
More training? Yes, but not necessarily.
The buddy system? Yes, probably.
If you've set a date to fly with someone else then you might be less likely to prevaricate, if they're aware of things (be it PFA types, touring, fly-ins, aerobatics, whatever) then you'll share knowledge and experience.
It can only be a good thing.
