Originally Posted by
TimboEman
It is a shame that aviation has become so cost-prohibitive.
I think it's like medical care. Adding the layers of insurance, lawsuits, lawyers, etc. raises the cost. Those layers don't produce or 'do' anything. They have their place, but IMHO they're out of control. A huge part of the cost of every flight is for liability when you consider product liability as well as high insurance for students, etc.
And of course the previously mentioned high starting costs of (medical/flight) school plays a part.
I got my Uncle Sam to pay for my flying and 60% of my training through the GI Bill. 6 years Army Guard got me college and my Private, 8 years active Air Force got me a plane (182) and all the training up to CFI/II.
I start with a regional in Jan 2007.
Again, the medical school analogy (for me at least). It's taken a long time to get here. I got my CFI ticket about a week before Sep 11 2001. We know where the industry went from there.
My hope is that everyone who has stuck with it and is now in a position to benefit from a shortage will get the rewards.