While the Sport Pilot category has provided an opportunity to lessen the initial cost to learn to fly, the light sport manufacturing industry seems to be more geared to pricing out the little guy.
There has been much discussion recently about the shrinking Pilot population and while there may be a crisis in professional aviation, there seems to be no less interest in recreational aviation than before, certainly in the podcasts I listen to and on the websites I frequent. There is, however, a disconnect between the desire to participate and the action taken to actually learn to fly and participate. Last year Jack Hodgson from the "Uncontrolled Airspace" podcast spoke about what he called a $6000 "speed bump," referring to the cost of flight training that seems to be the distinguishing factor between those who fly and those who desire to fly but don't. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my belief is that the Sport Pilot certificate was introduced to bridge the gap between the aviation interests of the average Joe, who celebrated his love of flight by participating in the cost effective operation of ultralight aircraft and the Private Pilot, who could afford to pay thousands of dollars for his training and the operation of GA aircraft. What I've found is a lack of interest in this golden opportunity to recruit "new blood" using the Sport Pilot designation and some reasons behind the aviation community's "apprehension" I think, are legitimate.
I've sought out Sport Pilot training at local FBOs and I have either been discouraged from pursuing it, encouraged to go "Private" or turned away because the school itself has closed. As a result, that "speed bump" is growing and as much as some of the reason is a prejudice held by purists that don't consider a Sport Pilot certificate "legitimate", the main culprit is the curiously extravagant cost of new LSAs. So, while it may take less hours to train for a Sport Pilot certificate, the cost of operation for Sport Pilot schools is directly effected by the price of their fleets. The cost of the average light sport aircraft produced by a major manufacturer is around six figures, which to me is odd, considering that the Sport Pilot designation, as I understood it, was initially intended to bridge the gap between "average joes" desiring to fly and the seemingly economically out of reach costs of aviation training and operation. Maybe I'm wrong in my assessment of the mission statement of the Sport Pilot certificate. Maybe it's goal is not necessarily to recruit new participants. Maybe it's goal is more about retaining those devotees who, for no other reason than the hassle of passing a medical, have surrendered their privileges to participate. After all, the average Pilot with medical restrictions is probably older, closer to retirement, and has successfully cleared the hurdles of home ownership, putting kids through college and establishing financial security. The average Joe is certainly not in a position to drop $100,000 on a "hobby" so he builds a kit plane or buys into a partnership or flies ultralights in order to whet his aviation appetite. Whatever those interested in aviation are doing to satisfy their need to fly, the industry could do more to encourage participation.
Is the solution to this issue as simple as something daring like classifying all trainers with a powerplant under 160hp as "ligh sport compliant"? That would drastically change the perception of the Sport Pilot certificate and offer a "boost" to empty FBOs, currently passing their time, waxing their unrented 150s and Cherokees.
Manufacturers could offer to subsidize the cost of lessons with the sale of their aircraft.
"BUY MY AIRPLANE, LEARN TO FLY FOR FREE(OR LESS)."
That would possibly boost sales. Maybe average Joe could afford more if ownership and training were packaged?
What about expanding the fleet? Could the LSA designation benefit from including more legacy aircraft or cost effective ultralights?
Should the Sport Pilot certificate be marketed as a legitimate stepping stone to a PPL? I read all the time about Sport Pilots continuing their training to Private.
I don't know any of the answers to these questions, nor do I claim to know anything about this industry or if any of the ideas I've heard online and in podcasts and read in magazines and on websites would even begin to address the "speed bump." What I do know is, if an established manufacturer produced an attainable $30k LSA tomorrow, that "gap" would begin to close and it would begin with me.
