Aero-Tips!

A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of "there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.

Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner, master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us -- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we might never have considered before, or something that didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for the practical test.

It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow them to soar magnificently through it.

Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips. Remember... when it comes to being good pilots, we're all in this together.

Aero-Tips 03.04.06

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA, www.gama.aero) has released its 2005 General Aviation Statistical Databook. To aero-geeks (I’m one) it’s like when the Christmas catalog arrived when we were kids.

Readers of the Aero-News Network run the gamut of aviation, from mechanics to helicopter pilots to skydivers to astronauts to enthusiasts of every type. Forgive me if I concentrate this article on fixed-wing, noncommercial airplane use... what I call personal aviation. I do this not to direct attention from other segments, but airline, business jet and military aviation aren’t faced with extinction... as personal aviation and small airports may be if we don’t work actively to keep them strong.

So, how many pilots fly in the personal aviation spectrum? For 2005 GAMA tells us:

1. 228,619 persons held FAA Private Pilot--Airplane certificates.
2. 120,614 held Commercial Pilot—Airplane certificates. NOTE: a great many of these are likely on a corporate/airline track, and not engaged in personal aviation.
3. 134 have earned Sport Pilot so far (presumably mostly fixed-wing) and 276 held the Recreational certificate.
4. 87,213 pilots held student certificates. Historically a small percentage of students actually earns a pilot certificate... some of this year’s students may become next year’s pilots, and many of those are in non-personal aviation-track training. But we really can’t count student pilots as a significant part of the personal aviation fleet.
5. 141,992 pilots hold airplane ATP certificates. These days few airline pilots also fly personal aviation; those that do are likely far outnumbered by the commercial pilots flying on an corporate/airline track, so to estimate we won’t count ATP holders toward the personal aviation number.

So we have about 349,643 certificated “personal aviation” pilots in the U.S.

Certificates last for life unless surrendered, however, so this number does not mean there are nearly 350,000 active personal aviation pilots. A friend highly placed in aeromedical circles tells me that about 41% of certificated Private and Commercial pilots hold active medical certificates. If that is true, there are no more than about 143,500 active personal pilots. That’s about one for every 2060 people in the U.S. 

Aero-tip of the day: Recruit and mentor new pilots to help keep personal aviation alive.

FMI: Aero-Tips