PPRuNe Forums - Learning to fly in the US

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Congratulations on your first solo. Had a quick read of your blog, and it made me very jealous, it is very reminiscent of my own training in Florida last year. Your experiences sound very familiar, I also had the time of my life.

Best of luck with the rest of the course.

Quote:

I believe the following list is factual, but I'm sure I missed some items.

Airport landing fees, FBO 'handling' fees, ATC fees, avgas 250% higher (tax included), fees to create and issue initial pilot licenses, fees for renewal of limited period pilot licenses and ratings, mandatory "differences training" sign-off for any aircraft type (whether reasonable/not and with instructor), no learning to fly in your own privately-owned aircraft, no independent flight instructors, flight training companies licensed with fees paid, archaic and complex training for IFR rating, 20% sales tax applied to every item bought and every service purchased in relation to flying - including flight instruction and mechanic's labor, no independent mechanics, workshops licensed and fees paid by maintenance companies, complex maintenance paperwork processes involving multiple parties - 4 x price for annual inspections including annual taxation/fees once the work is done, no A&P mechanic inspections allowed for parts airworthiness - parts must come with paperwork (often precluding used parts), aircraft manufacturer advisory service bulletins made mandatory plus they must be performed by licensed mechanic.

It seems to vary a little country-to-country, but not a lot.

I think most of the additional expense results from government minimizing its aviation related costs and maximizing its revenue per operation, versus providing a service or enhancing safety. Reduced economies of scale compound the direct impact of the above.

Additionally, European governments just like to suck up far more money to waste. All taxes are much higher, not just aviation costs. It's a pretty sick place, frankly! If you thought US politicians and bureaucrats could screw things up, you should take a look at Europe!

Cost of UK flying

Hi soaringhigh650,

To all the items so far listed, I should like to add the following.

The UK has a population about 20% of that of the entire US, living on an island just slightly smaller in area than Wyoming State.

This population is heavily concentrated in the South-East of this island, which means there is considerable demand for land, which pushes up the cost of any form of land use, whether it is an aerodrome or anything else.

Hence the cost of operating something as land-intensive as an aerodrome is enormous. You can pay thousands of pounds a year merely to park or hangar your aeroplane and in the South-East at least hangarage is in desperately short supply. This is a persistent problem if you own a wood and fabric aeroplane.

We also have stringent laws governing land development, so it becomes extremely expensive, time-consuming and difficult to create new hangarage.

Any attempt to create a new aerodrome, or even reopen an old wartime USAAF airbase currenty under growing crops, would surely cause a storm of protest from the local noise nimbys.

The only reason we still have as many aerodromes as we do is because many have indeed survived after World War II. Over the years since then, however, we have gradually lost a long succession of aerodromes as building developers with pots of money have gradually got their grubby paws on one aerodrome after another, or previously recreational aerodromes have become 'regional airports' strictly for commercial air transport and from which general aviation has been systematically and deliberately 'priced out'.

BP.