Well, that proves the point, there is so much demand for aircraft that they are expensive. That wouldn't be the case if GA was dying.

There are still plenty of ways to fly cheaply. It isn't going to be a 182 with full Garmin, however. The demand and the upgrades are what are making the old planes worth a lot.

You can find small inexpensive aircraft to fly. A Luscombe for $22.5K:

https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?listing_id=2439472

When corrected for inflation, that is the same as $6500 in 1983. You have to recalibrate your expectations of what the numbers mean today.

Gliders are also a cheap way to have a lot of fun in GA.

Mike C.

I have not been thoroughly following this thread so apologies if I go where someone has been recently. A few pages back someone noticed they sense the market is softening and I also think this is the case – in particular niches. For instance, I’ve been watching the F33As and up until recently everything was north of 200K – now I am starting to see planes with effectively runout engines between 150 and 200K – it’s been a while since I’ve seen that. I’ll tell you something that is overpriced right now is a Mooney 201, whereas Ovations seem like one of the better deals out there. Interesting times

I recently visited an auto museum. They had a few of the late 1940s GMC pickups and Suburbans with NAPCO 4WD kits. 4WD trucks were not really available then so conversion kits were the only way to go unless buying Military surplus.

What amazed me were the kits cost the same or MORE than a Piper J-3 or later Vagabond in the same year!!

There are NO new airplanes experimental or certified that have the capability of those legacy airplanes for the price or equivalent value. New or used.

And definitely won't have the same airframe lifespan even with no care at all. None of the new designs will last stored outside for 60 years with faded peeling original paint and still fly.

Imagine if in the 1960s people used ACF-50 and had hangars for more of the airplanes that were in high production then.

What I see is many airplanes for sale with TBO and beyond engines. Yeah yeah I know TBO is a myth etc. But at some point the bill comes due... That point is here.

Tipping point has been reached for many airframes that need basic avionics replaced, instruments replaced, glass, engines, propellers, paint, interiors, exhaust systems, corrosion and damage repaired. 200K won't do it for rebuilding a used up basic Lycoming powered 172. No upgrades. Just put it back and reset to go again for another 2000 hrs with basic IFR capability vacuum pump no engine monitor and steam gauges. 180 hp upgrade would be great but it really blows a budget.

But yet what is another option for the same job/mission with the same useful load and capability. With wings that don't fall off...

Been said before. But about everywhere I fly, the runways in traffic patterns are busier, the ramps are fuller, hangar space is scarce, don’t think it could get much busier before we exceed infrastructure capacity. But I imagine there’s parts of the country where things are slow. Probably more going on there than just general aviation issues. I do agree things are getting crazy expensive. Even that is supply and demand.

It is Amazing out in the west. Especially Idaho and Utah. And down around areas like Raleigh or pretty much all of Florida. You are 4th or 5th in the pattern often.

Most of it is some type of 141 school training.

Come out to the little airports in the Northeast or Rust belt areas that do not have a college flight school program based at them or Skydivers.

I think it follows the local economy. We had a lot of industry near here with IBM, Bendix, Kodak, Alcoa and others. They had a lot of bright people who wanted to fly and build airplanes. And they made good pilots.

When the industry left many stayed at retirement age and flew all through the 1990s into early 2000s. Then it stopped almost overnight.. Many airplanes are still here and most airports have no hangar space. But they are not moving.

Flying around NYC and New Jersey has kept very busy. But land outside that and it is pretty slow.

As an airport owner it is tough because the old guys who you have known for many years still pay rent and get their airplanes inspected in the shop. I don't want to disturb that because it is reliably paying the bills but you don't want to build new hangars either because at some point you think they will call it quits and drop out. You can't bring in new people who do fly often because the hangars are not available. But none of the based airplanes fly hardly at all other than if I get them out to use for something. I probably have 15+ owners now who say the same thing. " If you need an airplane fly mine it needs exercise". So I rotate around between different airplanes often. The rest I shuffle battery chargers and keep tires pumped up. Wash them occasionally. It makes the annuals go much easier if they have run and flown since the last annual. Rodents are the enemy.
Phone rings with people looking for hangar space and the answer is always Sorry we are full. Sorry I have no idea when an hangar will become available. No idea what a timeline would be for a waiting list. If one does decide to sell I never discourage it. But it seems to take a long time between stopping regular flying and a person deciding it is time to sell. By then the airplane needs a lot of updating even clean originals always hangared.

It was funny last summer. I loaded my wife and two boys into a Cessna 185 I maintain and we flew to a local fly-in at a grass strip. She was under the wing and a couple guys walked up and said "Oh is this your airplane". She said no we just borrowed it for the day.. One of the guys said "Nobody just lets you BORROW their 185!" But that is how it goes.
She also says of course you WANT your mechanic to be confident enough to put his family in your airplane.

Out West and rural Northeast is like two different worlds for Aviation.