Mon May 17, 2021 3:43 pm
#1847496
David Wood wrote:Covid may be temporary; but I suspect that the pandemic's effects on aviation will be permanent; coming as it has in coincidence with sudden awareness of the long-brewed Climate Crisis. Call me a Cassandra, but I think that the era of cheap intercontinental fossil-fuelled recreational air travel is in its twilight now. As is the era of manned pilotage, either military or commercial. I've loved my flying and I intend to do many more years of it. And there will certainly be a place for [probably electrically-powered] recreational flying in the future. But were I some 40 years younger I would not be seriously considering a career in commercial aviation, or indeed military aviation.
I've been thinking this for a long time. The writing is very much on the wall for the dinosaur that is the internal combustion engine, at least with fuel dug out of the ground. Even if we could photosynthesise AvGas or its equivalent, a reciprocating engine with the buggering about that goes on inside it is just bonkers really.
The thing that will kill it all in the short to medium term is airfield closures.
I do feel really sorry for the young pilots that are just getting into it. Enjoy it while you can!