That’s very true but it isn’t just the UK. Much of Europe has largely packed up. Except for a few countries where movement was not limited, and a group of EuroGA regulars of course 
Graham wrote:
…a default approach to everything of ‘you need a professional to explain this to you’
And of course, many do need a professional to explain everything to them. The UK scene is full of 5hr per year pilots who probably ought to be accompanied by an instructor most of the time. :-)
In countries where movement has been limited by Law, as opposed to guidance, then there is no choice.
I flew 1.5 tach hour yesterday. Needed the firemen to move the hangar doors. They hadn’t been opened for days. When we got them open enough to get in, a mass of twigs on the ground was blocking one. When we cleared that and pushed, Nest MK2 fell on one of the firemen’s head. Fortunately eggs had not yet been layed.
Almost a year later… I see a lot of damage. Lots of people have packed up permanently. Perhaps not many on EuroGA but that’s a self-selecting community
Yet the high prices of (used) aircraft would indicate otherwise, no?
That could be due to a lot of demand, or little supply.
I see no evidence for the former, in terms of flying activity. Perhaps local burger runs are holding up well, but you can do that relatively cheaply; these are mostly done on the rental fleet.
Go back some years, my local hangar was full of hangar queens – and many (in cheap places) still are. People who dropped out due to loss of medical, lack of money, boredom, death… but for years they hoped to get back. This translates to few planes for sale.
I think the high demand is transient, exactly like it is transient in the other areas of commerce. Of course many people don’t agree, but I am old enough to have seen this before.
aart wrote:
Yet the high prices of (used) aircraft would indicate otherwise, no?
I am not sure how much is due to inflation? but surely toys are selling at mad prices these days (cars, boats, aeroplanes) and schools are busy with people wanting to fly
Now on aircraft supply & demand after CV19, this will get us more hangar queens and lack of hangar space:
- Lot of people indeed have stopped flying but they would ask for twice purchase price in 2010
- I was expecting the market to be inundated with N-reg but many still fly without dual papers
I think high aircraft pricing is mostly spillover from US, GA aircraft in Europe will never get valued at those levels? I heard in US, lot are expecting more supply on typical touring machine (60yo-70yo are not getting insurance and they bought every Cirrus 2000-2010 when they had 50yo, so many are coming back to the market)
The April issue of Info Pilote publishes the amount of pilots and hours flown in clubs each year. We will know then.
The number of ads on Planecheck seem to have decreased compared to 6 months ago.
The problem is that Info Pilote only really publishes club hours and number of aircraft.
It does not tend to include the ULM scene or the GA clubs outside the FFA, or owners or the other growth area alongside ULM, the Annexe 1 aircraft.
I walked into one of the hangars here the other day, not only was it full most of the aircraft were either Annexe 1 or 3 axis ULMs. One intrigued me it was a replica /copy of a Feisler Storch in composite with a Rotax engine and giant tundra tyres. I’m waiting to see it outside, it’s too difficult to take a meaningful photo in its position in the hangar. I can’t even think why anyone would build it.🙂
