The needle on my GA-o-meter registered an optimistic uptick this morning. In other words, Im getting more submissions for On The Air, IFRs much-loved back page. Over the past five years at the helm of this magazine (five years exactly with this issue), OTA has been my barometer for how much people are flying light GA and in what way.Theres a predictable uptick every spring and Im beginning to see it. History says it should peak in May and then spike again in August or September. Winter sees fewer submissions, and the ones that do come in are mostly from airline pilots or folks running all-weather aircraft.
The editor observes a trend in "On The Air" reader submissions, indicating a shift away from stories about light general aviation pistons flying in the IFR system, despite overall submission numbers remaining stable.
This change suggests a potential decrease in actual IFR flying by light GA pilots, possibly due to budget constraints impacting their proficiency and willingness to utilize the IFR system.
A "sea change" is predicted for light-piston IFR, driven by a growing perception that modern IFR operations demand increasingly advanced and costly equipment, which may create a divide within the GA community.
The needle on my GA-o-meter registered an optimistic uptick this morning. In other words, I’m getting more submissions for “On The Air,” IFR’s much-loved back page. Over the past five years at the helm of this magazine (five years exactly with this issue), OTA has been my barometer for how much people are flying light GA and in what way.
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