I am astonished by the number of VFR cafes, ahem VFR strips, that have closed or were sold due to lack of interest from their owners?
I reckon the CAA no prisoners taken policy has killed off a lot of “all day breakfast bimbling” traffic. It is easy enough to get down from Blackbushe to Sandown (and the Sandown owner is all over social media 24/7) but longer flights around the south east are a lot more “dangerous” today. I rarely do them now, other than along the coast.
I’ve just been checking entries in my logbook against the dates of the three UK national lockdowns.
In each case it seems I flew almost right up to the date the lockdown started and then was back in the air as soon as it lifted or sometimes before (the end dates are not 100% clear to me without a more detailed search).
The longest I went without flying was slightly less than two months, during both the first and third lockdowns. The second lockdown either seems to have been a little shorter, or restrictions were less severe, or I didn’t respect them.
It certainly helped being based at a ‘no fuss’ field. Enstone has no staff and no concept of being open or closed, it is just there. I was able to take the aircraft and fly with no-one to control or restrict that thankfully.
I can imagine that if you had to deal with an airfield that didn’t want to re-open as soon as it could, mini-Hitlers imposing their rules, aircraft rentals with silly currency rules and nonsense about sharing cockpits, disinfecting everything etc then it could have been quite easy to not fly for most of that year on the basis of it being too much hassle.
If you take 9-12 months off flying, you have effectively stopped and have to restart. Most people who stop don’t restart….
I thought the local flying school was quite busy, from the activity when I’m flying, but yesterday an instructor said training activity was down.
If you take 9-12 months off flying, you have effectively stopped and have to restart. Most people who stop don’t restart….
In the UK, flying was never banned. Even the CAA “guidance” (which some dick requested, so the CAA had to come up with “something”) said one could fly IAW the engine manufacturer’s recommendation, and this was an authorisation to fly as often as you want. A few airfields closed, IMHO because they had to close the cafe (by law) and then far fewer people would fly there.
I never stopped; flying every week or two. On overcast days, and above the cloud, to stop people down below complaining that somebody is having fun.
I thought the local flying school was quite busy, from the activity when I’m flying, but yesterday an instructor said training activity was down.
I think was is true and was often reported thus, and people generally had the same money (often extra money due to not commuting to work) but a lot more free time (even when “working from home”), but in Europe training activity is pretty well totally divorced from post-PPL longer term flying activity.
A few airfields closed
During the big hype, the 20 airplane flight school on my field had to close for one month. And they closed the field along, in order to be supportive… no, I wasn’t mad at all, really not. See, I smile 
Now said flight school is going from political to financial struggle, and we all kinda wonder what will happen. Guess there will be some massive increase in fees, rental prices, etc.
But right now, movements seem to be similar to previous years, albeit going slightly down.
The trend is definitely downward, not a steep gradient, but slowly. The average age is getting older. It’s the same as it has been the last 20-30-40 years.
At least in Switzerland, I don’t think Covid has much influence anymore in 2022 or now. Actually, a lot of schools were busy has hell during the later stages of Covid as people had more time on their hands. Some people on the other hand whose lifelyhood was shut down clearly lost a lot of money so that may be a factor for them to pack up.
Yes, there are people who lost their medicals over Covid (Long covid or other health problems arising out of infections, but I think they are not that many. But some which might have become temporary unfit to fly may have taken the event to pack up.
Right now, the major factor is inflation and the general price hikes of fuel and cost. I think that is the main reason why people pack up these days. They simply can’t afford it anymore. Fuel prices are the main culprit here, however, it also has to be said that many hiked up rental prices when fuel was at the maximum last year and omitted to bring it back down now that it’s about half ways between the original and maximum.
Add to that the increase of red tape, handling, PPR and general hampering of private flying at a large number of previously popular destinations and homebases. That is a major concern.
I am loosing my homebase (LSZH) at the end of 23 to outpricing of GA. I am now evaluating where to be based and hopefully the years I paid waiting lists will now pay off and I will relocate to a local airfield. That will mean better access and less hassle in general but it will limit flying to VFR in and out, which will most probably mean I will loose some pilots who flew only IFR. But on the up side, I’ve regained my medical and hope to now finally get my SEP reactivated and enjoy my airplane for a few seasons more.
There may have been pilots packing it up, but there is a steady inflow of new pilots. The ULM-scene seems healthy, and that sector alone may cause a net positive. Here’s Germany:
https://www.aerokurier.de/ultraleicht/zulassungszahlen-2022-ul-markt-von-krise-keine-spur/
Another type of flying maybe, although look at the best-sellers. Capable travellers. VFR of course.
Sweden has not seen any demise in light GA flying due to Covid – at least not in the aeroclub sector, which accounts for the majority of light GA flying here. Rather the opposite.
Club activity would not be affected, due to the mission profile which is low barrier to entry, low barrier to exit, zero committment, so it remains at a recreational level.
The people who dropped out were (from what I’ve noticed) those who climbed up higher on the ladder. IR holders and such, and mostly aircraft owners.
