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0 pointsultrarunner3d ago0 comments

Counterintuitively, it's probably the unrealistically high maintenance standards that lead to 1) no available qualified mechanics, and 2) incredibly high prices, resulting in 3) deferring whatever is possible to defer. This is the situation in the US; I imagine costs are doubly impactful in a country like France.

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13 comments · 4 top-level

jmward013d ago· 4 in thread

Aviation is in a huge rut. A major issue is that innovation is nearly dead. Want to bring a new aircraft to market? Got 5-10 years to get it certified while not being able to sell it to a market size of....? How about a new engine? In GA we fly 80yo designs around not because they are great, but because nobody can innovate to bring in the better stuff. I have a lot of hope for electric aviation because a new regulatory space and simpler designs may mean faster certification which could lead to real innovation in the space.

MaKey3d ago

Every now and then there are some people who try to innovate in this space. Example: The guys from corsairpower (https://corsairpower.com/) who put a marine engine in a Cessna 172. However, it seems like they get stuck because of small market size, regulations and incumbents who don't want the status quo to change.

clarkmoody3d ago

Don't forget that the incumbents will fight to keep regulatory barriers high.

airstrike3d ago

I'd read this blog post.

adastra223d ago

You just did.

NordSteve3d ago· 3 in thread

It's certainly possible to maintain GA aircraft to a high standard and not break the bank. For example, a flying club I'm in has Cessna 172s for $116/hr wet with no-compromises maintenance.

ultrarunnerOP3d ago

If you're not directly involved in the maintenance, I am skeptical. For example, many flying clubs only exist because they have members who are A&Ps / IAs, who maintain the plane in consideration of membership. That's a workaround for the problem I'm presenting. I won't say it's impossible, but it's increasingly difficult and location-dependent.

vwcx3d ago

what's the club buy in and annual fee? I instruct out of a 150 and $125/hr is the cheapest I can justify charging.

NordSteve2d ago

$13800 transferable membership and $220/mo.

echoangle3d ago· 2 in thread

Citation needed. Afaik they mostly crash from pilot error, not technical problems caused by too little maintenance.

bombcar3d ago

The vast majority of GA crashes are pilot error directly or indirectly (taking off without fuel is "technically" a mechanical issue but really pilot failure).

Equipment failure is pretty low on list.

ultrarunnerOP2d ago

I just went through a bunch of reports while I'm on call at work. Yes, pilot error is far and away the biggest official cause (although I've read some reports along the lines of "wing fell off", cause: pilot's failure to keep airplane flying with one wing). Pilots make mistakes. But as with so many things it just isn't that simple.

That said, there are a ton of tools available now that give massively enhanced situational awareness to keep pilots from making mistakes. Cooking a cylinder on takeoff should not happen anymore with fully instrumented EGT/CHT displays and alarms. And indeed, powerplant failures are way down despite flying the same powerplants.

But for some reason engine monitors cost thousands [https://sarasotaavionics.com/search?q=engine+monitor]. Many of the dwindling numbers of A&Ps don't know how (and so decline) to install them, and only authorized inspectors (a fraction of licensed mechanics) are allowed to sign off on an installation to make it legal. And when they do, they're told their license is on the line if a mistake is found.

So when a pilot burns or sticks a valve, has to navigate a partial power situation, and in a moment of extreme stress makes an error in emergency landing, was this a technical problem? A regulatory one? A monopolistic economic problem? Or just blind pilot error?

schmookeeg2d ago

There are more responses to "hard to schedule, hard to afford" than "defer everything possible"

You can fly something smaller and more inline with your budget

You can share the plane with partners

You can get a motorcycle or boat instead.

...I do not disagree that your presented "option 3" is a common one. That hurts me as both an instructor and a mechanic.

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