WICHITA, Kansas -- Flying evidently doesn't command the same inspiration among young people that it once did if FAA statistics are any indication. Or perhaps we simply have so many other things to distract us that we can take on as past times.
Consider these FAA statistics. At the end of 2014 there were 174,883 private pilots in the U.S. Five years earlier there were 221,619. And back in 1999 there were 258,749.
The numbers clearly show a decline alarming aviation leaders including FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. While in Wichita recently Huerta talked about the pilot shortage saying, "We are no longer in a place where we have a very large pipeline of pilots coming from the military."
"What we need to do is continue talking about aviation as an attractive career and what it represents for the future."
Veteran instructor pilot Jerry Griggs challenged me to take flying lessons at least through my first solo and share the joys and challenges of learning to fly. So I did.
I kind of think Griggs figured if the public sees an older guy like me learning to fly then they might say, 'Hey, I can learn to fly if he can.'
Griggs got his license at 16 and was giving flight lessons by the time he was 19.
We started flight lessons in his Cessna 150 from the Lake Waltanna grass strip near Goddard. We later switched to Stearman Field at Benton and into a Cessna 152 after Griggs sold his plane.
We'll be showing the progress along with talking about the issues around the pilot shortage as we continue through August and will be adding to this story. Keep watching on KAKE TV news at six Thursdays.
Story, video and photo: http://www.kake.com
No comments:
Post a Comment