Why General Aviation is Failing

Every-time I tell someone I'm a pilot, without fail they say "I always wanted to be a pilot, but then..." and the then is always different, but more often than not the excuse is the price. The 1,500 rule only exacerbated an already reprehensible system. I went to ERAU in '07. One of my dorm mates was a foreign national from Korea. She graduated, went home, and was flying 777's while I was still in Cessna's.

I have 100s of friends with an interest in aviation. From my personal experience , the interest has never declined. In fact, every few months, I find dozens of new people in their 20s wanting to learn how to fly. The price and barrier to entry increased. No one can afford to pursue their interest in it if costs don't come down. Wage growth has stagnated since the 80s, but the cost of ownership and operations continues to rise.

I had a 172 and sold it last year for much more money than I paid for it 15 years before. The yearly costs of flying it were $13,000 a year. Everything had gone uo. Gas, taxes,hangar,annual etc.Was just doing short cross country trips. Miss it but retirement and a lower income is creeping in. A new 172 is now $450,00 !.

Earning my private pilots license in the 1980s literally saved my life. I was a teenager lacking direction and somewhat of an outcast. My father made a deal with me that he would pay for half the cost of me getting my certificate. Ground school taught me to focus and learn concepts that I could directly apply in the cockpit. Passing my check ride boosted my confidence and self-worth, which paid dividends later in life.

Like so many have mentioned in the comments, the costs became untenable. I went from ownership,to renting, to just can't afford it. Love to fly,but eating is more important.

I used to work at a semi reasonably priced flight school and the amount of kids I had to turn down was heartbreaking. The cost has just gotten too high unless you come from super rich family, and then you’d probably fly as a hobby not as a career. There’s no way we’re gonna stop the pilot shortage with this environment.

I learned to fly years ago for free in the military. After I got out and transitioned to civilian flying. I retired off the Boeing 777 over 20 years ago. Over the years since I have stopped by many airports just to look around. Problem is I can't get in most small airports because of locked doors and barbed wire fences. A few months ago, I stopped by my local airport to rent an airplane with an instructor to fly for a hour or so. Was told I could not do it without clearance from Homeland Security. Just for a little history I flew the first originating passenger flight in the United States after 9-11. Newark to Telavi. If you want more people to fly do away with all the BS, teardown the barbes wire fences and unlock the doors.

I managed to get my pilot's license back in the 80s. Since then, I've barely accumulated 150 hours, largely because of the cost. I love flying; it's the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on :-) But it's heartbreaking that the costs have kept me from being the pilot I've always wanted to be.

Things are ridiculous. I just purchased a CHT probe. In 2014 it cost $72 (and was over priced). Today it cost $227. Inflation doesn’t account for it. Someone is gouging someone. This is a common scenario when trying to maintain aircraft.

Heartbreaking. All I’ve ever wanted to do is fly since I was young. Watching the goalposts move farther and farther away each time I approach them rips my heart out

I stopped flying because I simply couldn’t justify, much less afford, the cost. Kind of heartbreaking.

My grandfather had a Cub with floats in rural Northern Wisconsin in the 50's. I think he took about 2 lessons from a buddy of his, and then he was off and flying! I'm not sure if he ever actually got certified. I know he took 3 of his buddies up to Canada on a float-fishing trip. They just followed highways until they found a lake that looked good. It's probably a miracle that he never killed himself or anyone else, but man, the freedom...

I used to be a private pilot, it was great adventure. Stopped at around 200fh as I couldn’t afford it anymore.

In a nation where buying a house is so difficult. owning a plane is completely off the table. Most people go broke on three things: house, car, healthcare. There is a dwindling number of people who can afford anything beyond those 3 things.

I was a highly motivated private pilot by the time I graduated high school. Some of the best fun I've had. But I had to stop flying shortly thereafter because I never made enough money to keep going. I ended up with somewhere around 70 hrs. My passion to fly is just as strong as it was back then but I simply can't afford it.

It’s been my experience over the last 40 years that (along with everything else!) general aviation has become very expensive, and bogged down with regulation.

WHEN an airplane costs more than some houses and the rental costs per hour are more than a MONTHLY CAR payment- .......yeah there is a BIG PROBLEM!!!!

Yeah its definitely the cost of everything. My dad was a pilot and I grew up in a middle class family. He was able to buy his own Piper, and we would fly almost every weekend. Now I'm older with a family of my own, and consider myself middle class, but I can barely afford groceries let alone the costs associated with a private plane. I kick myself for not just getting my license when I was younger while my dad had the plane; I've been flying since I was 8 years old, and did everything except the checkride because of some stuff that happened in my life. I feel like I can never have that opportunity again. Oh well, I'll play flight simulators forever I guess...

Originally went to college to become a professional pilot but dropped out after a year. The cost of going to school and pilot training was astronomical. 7 years later I finally went back and got my PPL, but costs were still through the roof. I haven’t flown since and that was 3.5 years ago :/

I'm 51 and am finally able to afford lessons without taking a bank loan. Buying and maintaining an airplane is another story. Even "cheap" sport aircraft are more than my new car.