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 magazine editor observes a shift in "On The Air" column submissions, indicating fewer stories from light General Aviation (GA) piston pilots flying full IFR and more focused on visual or near-airport operations.
This change in content, despite stable overall submission numbers, raises concerns about a potential decline in IFR proficiency and willingness to use the IFR system among light GA pilots.
A "sea change" is predicted for light-piston IFR, where increasing equipment costs and complexity (exacerbated by NextGen) may create a growing divide between pilots who can afford to fly in the IFR system and those who cannot.
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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