Looking to Build time

[xchox]

Another sad aspect is how many aircraft are just sitting in airfields abandoned.

When they sit for years, you just lost all the value that aircraft had. If people were just going to abandon the aircraft at least let someone fly it if they agree upon maintaining the aircraft. Or sell it when it still has some value.

If you are getting out of flying, and cannot sell the aircraft, do something with it, rent it, or at the very least donate it to someone who may not be able to afford the purchase price but will keep flying and maintain the aircraft.

I was recently offered a twin for $1 but she had not been touched in years. So it is beyond my financial capability to make her air worthy again. However, when the owner stopped flying, I would have offered a reasonable amount to purchase or at the very least flown her and maintained her on his behalf. Now it's not even worth that much in scrap.

So someone looking for airplane rides or trying to experience GA or time build, they are having fewer and fewer options... Even if they do spend all their time at the local airport.

[photofly]

But you weren't offered it for 1$ by anyone who had the rights to sell it....

[xchox]

They do have the rights. But it's at the point of a Detroit Mansion. Haha

[SteveWhite]

All this talk about the decline of GA in Canada and losing out at the chance of possibly hitching a ride while hanging out at the fence. It seems the OP and most replies are in the SO region. Here is your chance to restore some faith in our quiet GA airports (see link below).

Great little airport, scheduled fly in next weekend. Moms/Dads, this may be a good opportunity to bring your kids out to the fence (yes, CYEE has one. Not intimidating...it's a very inviting fence!) next weekend...who knows, there may be some great fellow pilots looking to share some empty seats on a (hopefully) nice VMC day!

If the link doesn't work go to http://www.huroniaairport.com

http://www.huroniaairport.com/public/sk ... 021316.pdf

[chephy]

And perhaps it is just a mirror of so many current pilots and instructors. Many of them are perhaps the role models?. They show up as late as they can and leave as soon as they possibly can after their last flight/lesson. They feel that hanging around at the airport or volunteering a bit of time is being taken advantage of. If they aren't going to be paid, there's no way they are going to be around so even if students want to hang out a bit, who's there for them to talk to? You can not develop or maintain a society/culture of shared interest and passion if some of the prime participants feel they have to be paid to participate.

Instructors have to work second and third jobs to be able to afford Kraft dinner, so yeah, they don't generally leisurely hang out at the airport. :-/

[JasonE]

Thanks SteveWhite for posting that fly-in. If I can get the 3 inches of frozen slop off my plane I'll head there! I didn't get to the airport today before the temperature dropped and now there is several inches of frozen slushy snow stuck to my wings.

As for instructors - mine usually showed up on non-fly days anyway. He also has helped push/pull/drag my plane around the apron and clear snow from it! So...can't generalize there.

[TeePeeCreeper]

Thanks SteveWhite for posting that fly-in. If I can get the 3 inches of frozen slop off my plane I'll head there! I didn't get to the airport today before the temperature dropped and now there is several inches of frozen slushy snow stuck to my wings.

As for instructors - mine usually showed up on non-fly days anyway. He also has helped push/pull/drag my plane around the apron and clear snow from it! So...can't generalize there.

Agreed! If I weren't on the other side of the country I'd gladly come to partake in that fly-in!

As a side note, (get wing covers!!!) I have never had anything but help and assistance from the local club instructors when I used to fly my bird extensively (private reg). It always made my day to take a helpful instructor out and let them log dual on my rather finicky tail dragger. Maybe that's why I always had a hand to help?

[7ECA]

Lets face it, the days of the welcoming airport are over. I remember talking to a fellow a few years back about how I was going for my CPL, and he was telling me stories about cycling to YVR as a kid, and being invited onto different aprons and into different company hangars to sit in planes, talk to mechanics, etc. I cannot recall when this was, probably 50s or 60s...

Nowadays, the fences have gone up, and people hanging around airport perimeters get hassled by security, or the cops.

And as for friendly pilots and instructors, I've seen and talked to a fair number of very friendly people at airports, showed me planes, shot the breeze, etc. But there are just as many times where I've tried to strike up a conversation with someone and more or less been told to f$!k off. CZBB is pretty much famous for being an unwelcoming airport, and I've experienced that first hand.