What I noticed in the US is that government restrictions and fear have killed every activity that revolved around clubs, i.e. the 300 member motorcycle club that was a big part of my life for 30 years is virtually dead now, maybe forever given other factors like aging of the pre-existing membership. Most areas of the US were not subjected to the same level of over-regulation that is still ongoing in areas of Europe, but club activity is one area that definitely suffered regardless. Very sad for a lot of people.
The good news was that US flying is not an organized club activity, the social aspect tends to be based on informal groups of friends at the airport making their own plans, and it operates ‘behind the fence’ as a Federally regulated activity without any relevant local or state coronavirus restrictions. Also, flights were possible to areas where local restrictions on e.g. restaurants were less than they might have been in your own county or state. Therefore GA was relatively unaffected, and may have benefited. Aircraft prices rising during the period reflect this trend.
internal closures of runway & restaurant especially as the majority is local or sandwich flying rather than full day trip, weekend or holiday (some have visited Sandown 30 times last years as going to everywhere else seems like begging or less inviting)
That’s true, since only the absolutely totally desperate will go to Sandown, to eat their stodge fried in W80, and then fly back without going anywhere 
They don’t go anywhere because a taxi to Cowes is £60, but there is no forum on which one can run a boycott of Isle of Wight taxis.
However, the conditions where you really could not go anywhere lasted only weeks. I managed a couple of locals during that time, and to be fair one could have done real locals around the UK, sightseeing in Snowdonia, etc. So there was little excuse, apart from those who got shafted by airfields which closed, trapping aircraft there.
Peter wrote:
UK “social life” has been hit hard by the inability to travel to the mainland, especially the warmer places. Not sure the airlines are a major part of the economy though, and anyway one would think this would benefit GA. I did some nice trips abroad in 2020 in the TB20, when airlines were grounded.
Surely, I did more UK/France trips in 2020 & 2021 than I have done in previous years but all were family & work commutes, even crossing English Channel in winter felt better than driving through Eurotunnel
Certainly, going to warmer places far away did become a hassle but I think what killed UK “social life” is not external flying restrictions but internal closures of runway & restaurant especially as the majority is local or sandwich flying rather than full day trip, weekend or holiday (some have visited Sandown 30 times last years as going to everywhere else seems like begging or less inviting)
That threat by the CAA “chief doc” to AMEs, of some nasty sanctions if they are seen to be doing Class 2 medicals during the lockdown didn’t last long.
UK “social life” has been hit hard by the inability to travel to the mainland, especially the warmer places. Not sure the airlines are a major part of the economy though, and anyway one would think this would benefit GA. I did some nice trips abroad in 2020 in the TB20, when airlines were grounded.
I guess the UK has been hit harder than most with things like restrictions on flights, AMEs being told not to do exams for class 2 medicals…
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.🙂
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.
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)
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.
Yet the high prices of (used) aircraft would indicate otherwise, no?
