Aviation started off rather big last January and was metaphorically sitting in with its main landing gear stuck in the mud by the end of the year. I can understand why people might not want to spend a lot of money on a new airplane if they can’t be sure that they’ll have a job or a place to live next month, but I can’t understand why aviation itself isn’t booming.

Fuel costs next to nothing right now compared to a few short months ago. Airlines are actually making money and some might post their first profit in god knows how long. With the most expensive operating expense of every airplane in the world continuing to go down why is the flying world in such a slump that even the NBAA is canceling things?

I think that we are all in a grumpy mood because we have allowed ourselves to listen to grumpy people. If you switch on just about any form of media it is filled with journalism grads telling us that things all around this little blue globe suck. That is what they are paid to do and being journalism graduates they think it is their job to “educate” us about the world even though none of them have actually experienced it.

Just think of the media as low time teenage CFI’s and I think you’ll have a good idea of what they really are. When I was a 19 year old CFI there wasn’t anything I didn’t know about aviation and piloting – except I really didn’t know anything.

All I am trying to say is that before we write the entire year off as a failure lets give it a week or two or even a month or two to “grab some air” or “pull some pitch” depending on whether you like skateboarding or helicopter metaphors.

In other words, we should all chill and quit harshing everybody else’s buzz.

I suggest that we all go out this week and burn some of the very inexpensive aviation fuel just putzing around the pattern and doing spins to clear our heads for the New Year. Keep your comm. Radio turned off (or at least turned down) and hum a happy tune as you slip the surlies just for the fun of it.

I usually write a bunch of predictions at this point for the New Year in aviation but I’ll leave it to you. Type in a comment and tell the rest of the class what you think will happen in 2009. Don’t worry – much like the media, we won’t hold you accountable if you get it wrong.

return to kevincreates.com