I think many pilots do not expand their flying skills to touring because the club setup makes it too expensive. Geneva has a minimum of 1.5 h per day for rentals beyond 24 hours. Wangen (next to Zurich) for instance requires a minimum of 3 hours per day for weekend bookings. At 400 CHF per flight hour for a Mooney, or 300 CHF for an Archer III… I don’t see how anyone could be encouraged to go touring!
I toured the whole Caribbean from Tampa in 2012 in an Archer II for about 6’000 USD. While by no means a negligible sum, 6’000 USD doesn’t get me anywhere in Europe in flying terms.
To STOP them giving up, there are several things.
First and foremost: The love of flying, aviation and a real passion.
People who take up flying because of this, are much less likely to give it up again. People on the other hand who take up flying out of a whim, to impress their friends or spouses (only to find that they achieve the opposite) or do so with unrealistic expectations are typical 2 year examples.
After that, there are several other factors.
- Higher education (primarily IR).
In Europe, flying without an IR basically limits one to 100$ burger runs and similar things. Despatch rate is absymal VFR with about 20% and therefore frustration sets in quickly, if not with the pilot then with his significant others who will plan ahead for trips which hardly ever happen. With an IR the despatch rate will be much higher at around 60-70% and with it also confidence in decisionmaking is totally different.
Whoever goes as far as getting an IR will have invested considerable time and money, which again is a motive to keep going.
- Own your airplane.
Whoever has the use of his own airplane has much more flexibility and availability. Also, selling and buying is not a everyday thing to do, so people will continue flying rather than going through the trouble too lightheartedly.
- Have a supportive spouse or partner who likes flying as well.
Many people who give up flying do so because their spouses refuse to fly with them. For me, it was a paramount decision factor that my wife said plain out that she will fly and enjoy it (which she does). I have seen lots of colleagues who started flying and then scared the beyazis out of their partners in the first post ppl trips or who did so despite their spouse’s clear statement that they are scared and will not fly with them. If you can’t share your passion with the person you love and your flying takes off time you can spend together, then the decision to start is rather doubtful.
- Share the passion.
People who share what they do and who develop a sort of ambassadorship for GA in this way will much less be likely to give up. I have my website and a group of fellow airplane owners and renters from the Swiss Flight Forum with whom I often meet at different airports and find places to fly to. This was my primary reason to take it up again after my hitatus.
Not least, forums like this. When you can see what people are doing, where they are flying to, what great time they have, this will animate you to continue flying and have ambitions to have a great time yourself. People like Peter with his site and some others were my inspiration. Keep goals, however unlikely, and work towards them.
Best regards
Urs
I stopped flying for 20 years and the started again when I could afford my own plane. So I agree 100% that for some, the ability to own their own and the enjoyment of doing so are very important. For me personally it was biggest attraction to flying, that and the view out the window.
Otherwise I’m not so sure people stopping is important as people starting. More people being exposed to aviation is a good thing regardless, and then it’s up to them to take it in their own direction. I think available time is probably the biggest issue for most people, and there’s not much to be done about that.
At 400 CHF per flight hour for a Mooney, or 300 CHF for an Archer III…
Yes but that is in a country where they are talking about introducing a minimum wage of 4.000 CHF…
In Europe, flying without an IR basically limits one to 100$ burger runs and similar things. Despatch rate is absymal VFR with about 20% and therefore frustration sets in quickly
That was definitely a demotivating factor for me. That and the complex airspace around Paris. After I moved to Europe I almost stopped flying for a number of years, just barely maintaining my (FAA) IR currency from lack of availability of N-tail a/c.
Now that I do have access to an N-tail, I back in the flying business! Now the limitations are 0-isotherm, TCU and CB. So now I am looking for turbo, FIKI and RADAR!
Precisely – they talk about the minimum wage because it’s rather difficult to make ends meet for less than that (other than a student lifestyle admittedly) in some parts of Switzerland. So that oughta tell you exactly how far you can get on 4k a month, and I can tell you that definitely will NOT include private flying… 4k gross is about 3.5 net, so seen as how even a one room appartment will set you back at least 1k CHF, and mandatory health insurance another 300, mandatory retirement about 600… there’s really not much left at the end of the month.
In actual fact VFR is not necessarily that limiting. Look at my early VFR trips here. They go as far as I have been IFR since then.
One key factor is the ability to fit the trip into one’s free time. I would say that if I had to plan a long trip on some random date in the far future, the GO rate would be about 20% i.e. pretty crap. But in reality we (Justine and I) allow 3 consecutive days to get out of the UK, and that would improve it to maybe 70%. With IFR capability, the corresponding figures would be say 50% and 90%. In 10 years we have scrapped only two trips and took an airline instead. People who can fly only on weekends will find VFR, and flying generally, rather frustrating. Particularly if they need to book the plane in advance.
Another factor is aircraft performance and long range. One thing I did right back in 2002, partly through luck, was to buy a high performance plane – 20000ft ceiling. In the UK you can’t do much with this (Class A everywhere high up) and same in much of Italy, but a lot of European VFR touring becomes a lot easier than it would be in say a PA28-161 whose ceiling is about 12000ft. A TB20 goes like a rocket to 12000ft and stuff like the Alps becomes easy (subject to good wx of course). I used to overfly some military areas in Spain at 14000ft, rather than hope for a CAS transit. Also the long range (1300nm) means stops for fuel are not usually needed and that removes a huge chunk of the weather risk. You can just sit at home, nice and comfortable, until you see a hole in the wx and then you do the 700nm flight and that’s it.
Obviously it pays to pick any fuel stops as places you want to spend a night or two (or more) in anyway – never use some complete sh1thole as a fuel stop.
The first stop out of the UK has to be a Customs airport (yeah, see the other thread for the immigration/customs debate) and we pick nice places for that.
The airspace around Paris is horrid but that is VFR. You spread the charts out, work it out, and go for it. An IR takes care of that 
And most of the above comments are same for IFR too.
So now I am looking for turbo, FIKI and RADAR!
Your options are limited. In piston singles, that has to be a PA46. In twins, there is the DA42. After that, you are looking at a lot of “old” twins and many appear to have been neglected. OTOH I think they still make the Baron?
Your options are limited. In piston singles, that has to be a PA46.
P210?
Actually reading about your TB20 experience gave me a whole new perspective…
Actually reading about your TB20 experience gave me a whole new perspective…
Me too. I never considered that you could operate a normally aspirated single the way Peter does. I did fly a TB20 on a couple of trips some 20 years ago and it was love at first sight. (That one did have full TKS deicing and a Stormscope.) Unfortunately the TB20 is not a club airplane and I don’t fly enough to motivate ownership.
Hmm. Maybe I should start looking for people who would want to share a TB20 with me.
P210?
Maybe a Silver Eagle, but a plain P210 is not an option. Pressurization takes a lot of your turbo performance and the leaks will do the rest.
The piston engine if prone to overheat.
