Originally Posted by
Excargodog
The reason that getting hours is so expensive has nothing to do with the regionals. General aviation has just become too damn expensive in large part because of over regulation and outsourcing to other countries. A new Cessna 172 is a half million dollars and fueling it at $8 a gallon is $65 an hour before you even consider nsurance, Mx, or cost of capital/financing.
This part is true. There was also a good 15 years or so where no airplanes were built, so most of the fleet is half a century old, or older. When they get scrapped or bent, they're gone for good. Also, anything that isn't a Cessna or a Cherokee isn't really supported anymore with parts. Fuel price is somewhat location dependent, a little airport like Arcadia, FL (X06) is $4.78, while it's probably over $8 in California, but either way, still a lot more expensive than it was 30 years ago.
Originally Posted by
Excargodog
And it’s worse in the military where putting wings on a pilot is closer to $5 million for 250-300 hours.
This is a problem of out of control govt spending and unlimited money printing. Even at the fed's target of 2% inflation, that's still 2% less (on average) that your money is worth every year. So you need a greater than 2% increase in pay each year to come out ahead or make more, even if things are perfect, and if you keep cash, the ideal plan is to make it worth 2% less each year. It's a silent tax.
The last inflation report, however, was what, 6.4%? And how much money are we sending around the world? And giving to corporations to produce studies that drinking Coke is actually good for you? Not to mention how much we shovel into healthcare and education where hospitals charge $1000 for a syringe and universities increase tuition by double digit percentages each year so the money keeps flowing. $31 tillion in debt, and neither party as a whole wants to do anything about the govt spending. To put icing on the cake, after shutting down small businesses (because we listened to China after they kept a virus outbreak hidden for several months, as well as corporate profiteers, instead of using common sense), we gave rich people near 0% interest loans to buy up real estate, airplanes, and whatever else they wanted, you know to "stimulate" the economy. Smh.
Originally Posted by
Excargodog
Now if you want to get rid of the 1500 hour equipment thatmigh be different but Republic tried for that and was turned down.
Now this is America and everyone is entitled to their opinion but if yours is blaming the regionals, your opinion is an exceptionally ill informed one.
With the major expenses discussed above and yearly planned increases and devaluation of currency, the regionals were all living on borrowed time paying salaries that came nowhere close to keeping up with yearly expenses or training costs, even before the recent spike in inflation (the reasons for these things don't change the reality of their existence). It was not a sustainable business model, but they decided to keep following it till they couldn't any longer. Now instead of facing reality, which was made a lot worse by the events and decisions of the last three years, and trying to adapt to a reality they ignored for decades, they're trying the same thing that lead them to where they are now.