Simviation Forums

Does Flying Cost Too Much?

http://www.flyingmag.com/blogs/going-di ... ODU3Mjc3S0

Don't forget the little Microlight/Ultralight/Flexwing!... ...!

Paul.... ...!

(Motorcycling takes up my time and expense)... 8-)...!

Does Flying Cost Too Much?

http://www.flyingmag.com/blogs/going-di ... ODU3Mjc3S0

Don't forget the little Microlight/Ultralight/Flexwing!... ...!

Paul.... ...!

(Motorcycling takes up my time and expense)... 8-)...!

A real controversial topic in aviation today.
If all you are looking for is getting off the ground, LSA's and ultra lights are very affordable.

HOWEVER, I want to fly aircraft that I can take others in and go places. For that, you need a private pilot license and standard category aircraft like a Cessna 172. This is NOT cheap. In my area getting your private is $8,000+. Most rentals I have seen are for well over $100 dry for an old beater Cessna. 100LL is $6/gal +.

So yes, cost IS an issue....not that it will stop me forever, for now it does.

Sooner or later though I will join the ranks of plane owners and that is not debatable (yes I am that stubborn).

In closing,
costs are a major problem but they are not insurmountable.

The problem is the cost continues to grow, and most people don't have enough expendable income to spend on a "hobby".  I learned to fly 12 years ago, and the estimated cost then was $2000 for a private, now you say $8000.  That is four times as much in nearly a decade, and that way outpaces inflation.  I used to rent for $40/wet, now its $130/wet.  Even cost to buy an aircraft, my college in 2000 bought several new 172s for about $200k a piece, now you are looking at $307 base price.  Granted there are older GA aircraft available at a better price, but that fleet is shrinking. 

In short, it is only getting harder to attract people in to aviation, fewer people can afford the cost. Even the LSA market was a joke, almost all are over $100k.  I don't have a spare $100k, do you?

Safety and aircraft design probably have a good deal to play in the game of reducing costs. Now I don't work on aircraft, but there are technicians, engineers and firemen online here who will knows the ins and outs - But on the one hand, added safety is always a bonus, and on the other hand, it's stopping a large portion of development because they trust the old technology.


An instructor at my university (PPL theory is a minor portion of my course) said that aviation was about 30 years behind cars. I can believe that.

While cars are capable of achieving 80+ MPG (and Audi have plans for a 280+ MPG car), light aeroplanes have a rough equivalent of more like 15-20 on a good day. Even sports cars have better efficiency!


The use of composites will certainly make the aircraft lighter (and thus cheaper to fuel), but they're costly. I think that the rules and regulations need to make aviation slightly more competitive without reducing safety. I believe a few aircraft run on alternative fuels, but they're still largely built like a block of concrete so as not to fail.