Abid, that is my point exactly. The cost. How many people are able to afford a new plane with full glass panels, moving map GPS, weather and all the bells and whistles. You personally not wanting to climb into an older aircraft is immaterial. The sport pilot and LSA's was suppose to be for average people to be able to afford to fly without having to obtian a medical or spend hours training to know everything a private pilot must know.
I have trained people who obtained their SP license in exactly 20 hours. They didn't have a BCD endorsement and wouldn't know a transponder if asked to pick one out of a lineup of avionics. They can fly well, go to a local pancake breakfast w/o pissing anyone off, and enjoy aviation in G and E airspace (in the daytime) and share it all with a passenger.
It was meant for the casual flyers yet it turns out that it was mainly to stop the casual flyers in ultralights.
The same ULs that were legal then still are. The UL trainers are still legal, but yes, they are N numbered now.
To train in a LSA is the same price as to train for a private pilots license if not a bit more. So where is the attraction for the common working Joe who always dreamed of flying?
I would disagree. "If not a bit more..."? Come on. Justify that comment. If it is, why not get a PP?
As an A&P i can say that yes, there is some junk on the ramp that I wont climb in either yet the age of an aircraft doesnt matter if the aircraft has been properly maintained. I have seen some of the new LSA's at the local airport and yes, I would love to climb in one and try it out. I would also love to own one but realistically a 100K aircraft will never be in the budget for myself or the majority of people wanting to fly.
The argument has been kicked around many times of why dont CFI's teach in LSA's and why most flight schools dont have LSA's to instruct in and for the most part I believe it is realism is the root cause of this. The average guy or gal who walks into a flight school and wants to fly is going to weigh their options. On one hand they can become a sport pilot and be restricted on what they can fly. If he or she cant afford to buy one then the only chance to fly is when is the LSA is free to rent and take up. Yet on the other hand they can fly the little cessna or piper, log time and once he or she obtains their certificate can go out and amd rent from about any airport or purchase a plane just like he or she trained in from 15K to 25K. Or he can go the sport pilot route and invest the price of their house in a new plane. Either way the majority will go the full private route or walk away entirely because of realism and that I believe is why most flight schools wont buy a LSA and instruct in them and most people who want to learn to fly wont go the sport pilot route.
I totally agree with what you say here. The market speaks, always. If there is a demand for Quicksilver training, then I'd be doing more QS checkrides. The reality is, people tend to go toward the higher end stuff. I recommend that people who can get a medical get a PP. They can always fly SP, or they can buy a C-172 right now for under $30,000. Their options are open and they only have to take one checkride and they are done. I have seen more than one person go SP, only to decide later they want the bigger plane option which means another written and another checkride. Faster, more comfortable, wifey likes the ride, etc. And, BTW, not many people buy new airplanes. I don't know how many planes I've owned, and not one has been new except the Exp AB I built myself which I don't think counts in the context of this discussion. I don't know know what new C-172's cost, but I know the price of used ones. And a 150 is under $20k. Yeah, I'm trying to spend $100,000 more for a brand new LSA. Apples and oranges, yes, but.....
Jim
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