Worst state of affairs for Microlighting!

[Air Hog]

If we look at the aircraft that is for sale, the low prices requested and the amount of tyre kickers around, I am worried about our future of Microlight flying. There are droolers, dreaming of buying an aircraft but there is no money to buy.
There are some excellent buys that are bumped on a frequent basis, and these are planes that would have been sold within a day or two a couple of years ago.

We can also see it at Microlight schools. There is some activity but no fireworks.

Also, activities at our Flying Clubs. Four years ago, weekends we were anything from 10 - 20 Trikes flying out on a Saturday morning, these days we are lucky to find 3.

The question is: Is this ever going to return to normal again?

Is there something that we can do?

[wiskeyfoxtrot]

Yep, we have had the same story our side of the world, plenty of trikes in the hangers but nobody flying them.... I think it has got a lot to do with costs. ie fuel, oil, hangerage, fees etc etc. It used to be the cheapest way to fly but that has since fallen by the wayside ! I also think that the boys used to fly every weekend but now will only fly once a month and only if mommy says " yes " Last weekend at Ingwe we saw about 8 trikes in the air... fantastic to see... new blood at the field... hope it stays like that.. Time will tell

It does seem like a dying sport............ sad

Just my 2c

Later

[Dish]

Hey chap, hows the T bird coming along?

Much the same as the topic I started last year which led to the zebula trip, these are my concerns mirrored. I continually notice a drop in flying activity, driving to aeroden on saturday morning I excitedly looked up the runway expecting to see some trike wings. Not ONE. Not a single person flying microlights on the first saturday morning after the holidays ??/ Was 8.00 in the morning ?/ -

As i posted last year, is it financial, is it regulatory, ??? what is causing this decline? - Guess the only thing that we can do is keep trying to have/promote events. Plan flyaways together and keep the spirit of friendship and the interest in flying alive. I remember days we would drive to the airfield on a saturday morning just because.... it didnt even matter if the weather was C**C because we all sat and talked crap anyway. we talked flying, listened to chatter on the handheld, chugged 10 cups of coffee and shared a passion, whether in the air or not... those days seem to have gone. Club Braai's ?? what happened to those??? club lectures on whatever topic relevant followed by a few beers ?? what happened to those....

MIcrolighters dinners ?? - Lets have one of those soon ??

Dark helmet - can you break down the membership stats and tell us how many members the forum has, how many are active and how many regularly contribute???

[Grumpy]

Same story at my airfield/hangars I'm afraid.
Used to be 10+ trikes, now 3/4 and you lucky if you go flying and there's a buddy........

It's financial. (Point) in whatever aspect you wish to see it. Times are tough for toys.

[John Boucher]

Same guys flying over and over.....

Just a question here.... what about DEMOGRAPHICS - AIRSPACE LIMITATIONS?

I also have learnt of schools loading their renewal charges and feeding students dis-information regarding renewals - where's the INTEGRITY?

[Dish]

I agree with Grumps, times are tight BUT surely then one would sell the plane? Whats the point in leaving it gathering dust in a hanger for which you pay, and never flying? I dunno chaps, even if you dont have the bucks to fly, what happened to just gathering at the field and having coffee, talking your passion, watching or photographing planes coming and going?? - may not be able to fly but can certainly can still be involved in the sport?? take the tedderfield fly inn for example, perhaps a guy not able to afford the flying can still be involved managing the flight line or as a marshall ??

John, perhaps set up a vote on the subject at the top of the topic. Bucks?? , family commitments?? , work commitments??, distance to airfield?? A SCARE of some sort??? Wife against the idea due to hearing about accidents ?? WIFE doesnt enjoy it so husband not able to fly easily?? MEDICAL ????- whatever - lets see

I remember many years ago I was a scuba instructor and people would come for an open water 1 and 2 course. Once completed we tried our level best to have socials and dive weekends etc to keep the interest but eventually people just left the sport. Opinion was then that they just wanted to SAY that had been divers or been diving, when in actual fact the interest was fairly low.
I made sure that flying was something I really enjoyed doing and went for a few flips with Trevor and the late Gareth Davies BEFORE investing a lot of money into doing a license, surely most of our wise colleagues did the same, or have they done the NPL only to find that flying isnt reaaally for them.Just interested ?

[Loco]

hi guys

i just started my training and i must admit it's not a cheap hobby, but cheap is relative to each person's back pocket

does anybody know how much the price of training went up over the years? for instance how much was it per hour since 2004?

currently (as far as i know) it's anything from R520 (excl fuel & oil - about R160-R200 / hour) to R850 (incl fuel & oil)

i'm currently paying about R1500 per weekend for 2 hours lessons - eating dry saltycracks and borrowing the neighbors hosepipe for drinking water

if the cost of training were cheaper wouldn't much more new people start flying!?

but i'm sure it's not cheap to run a flight school, the costs of salaries and maintaining the aircraft and licensing must be scary!?

my 2c

cheers
ant

[Dish]

I dont remember exactly what my per hour rate was but it was lower (R400.00 I THINK) per hour as I did it on my own plane. Granted those are costs incurred in another way but al least the asset is mine, and I was learning to fly on what I was going to be flying... not sure what current rates are on won plane or not.

And your right, affordability is relative based on fuel prices / hangarage etc. So if times are so tight why doesnt a guy who flew every weekend now just fly once a month?? why doesnt the same oke liaise with his mates to fly on the same weekend so that theyre at least flying in a gaggle and with mates, (which for me anyway) is the point?

[John Boucher]

I don't remember exactly what my per hour rate was but it was lower (R400.00 I THINK) per hour as I did it on my own plane.

Aaaah, there are those schools who insist on using their own aircraft (now I can accept that when doing abnitio) but persisting that you cannot do a renewal on your own aircraft is not entirely acceptable now is it?

[Dish]

Wow - wasnt aware that thats what some schools are/were doing... no, thats defnitely offsides...

[Big-D]

does anybody know how much the price of training went up over the years? for instance how much was it per hour since 2004?

I did trike training in 2005 - Was R450 per hour dry. I just enquired about training for a friend and going rate was R650 per hour dry

That is 44% increase, but if average yearly inflation from 2005 - 2012 inflation is taken at 7% or even 6% (A guess) then it is in line and R650 per hour is fair , and training has not become more expensive than it was in 2005, taking inflation into account

D

[Dish]

LOL

Spot the Chartered Accountant

[Big-D]

Spot the Chartered Accountant

I am flying airplanes, so life is not over yet

D

[CVStrong]

I think it is definitely mostly a financial factor, although, one has to avoid the factor of cliques within the clubs, which is all to normal from a human nature point of view...

I am very positive about my future in the sport, because of the welcome from Both Flo and the other guys at the Field when I was there last Sat...
Remembering my background is the most stuck up side of the flying arena (Doesn't fit my persona, but Choppers were my dream from about age 4)
The reason I didn't spend any time at the helicopter flight school when I could not afford to fly, is cause you are "looked down on" if you are not flying, and have money... I found a completely different mindset at Flo's field last week... I felt welcome, like people want you to be there...

Generally, any given group needs a leader, even if it is just someone who communicates with the group what is going on... so at any given club, get a social co-ordinator of some description, and the group dynamics will grow... Also, find a way for the wives and kids to feel welcome... If a guy can bring his wife and kids to the field, and they don't "feel out of it"... then there is a way to grow too...

Just some thoughts...

[pietmeyer]

If you look at cost of flying. I fly almost every Saturday and once in a while during the week. I buy about 100 liters of fuel per month. With the fuel price that is in excess of R1000 per month just on fuel. Now take into account service fees, oil, hangarage as well as fuel cost to get to the airfield. Flying is not cheap anymore but cost i guess is relative when it is your hobby.
Look at the cost of playing golf these days. Your weekend cost for a round of golf can be more than flying cost.
I love flying and do it as much as possible but dread the day that something big breaks on my trike as aircraft parts are just too expensive.
It seems like at our club, the older pilots started losing interrest as their buddies stopped flying and newbies do no come in to fillthose spots as not everybody has 80k lying around for a toy. So many guys do a license but struggle to get their own plane and with not many hire and fly options eventually give up on the sport.
It is sad to always see the same planes in the air and so many gathering dust in the hangars. As whiskey foxtrot mentioned, we did get a few new guys in the club and hopefully we will see increased actiity at our club.