Tough Times, Yet Aviation Never Dies
Written By: Mel Dorr, CEO
This article appeared in our April 2008 newsletter
During the first 4 decades of heavier than air flight - roughly 1903 to 1939 - sex was generally considered safer than flying. On the other hand, the airplane's longest period in which there were no fatalities began on Dec. 17th 1903 and lasted nearly 4 years until the death of Army Lieutenant Selfridge in 1907 with Wilbur Wright at the controls. Selfridge had been appointed by the US Army to evaluate the Flyer (the airplane) with regard to military applications. Ironically, the Flyer crashed, Selfridge died and the Army ordered several Flyers anyway a little more than a year later. This is the same army which, roughly 50 years earlier, thought the best way to eliminate Native Americans (Indians) would be to massacre all of the buffalo. Well, the airplane (Flyer) survived and so did the buffalo and the Native Americans. Today, it is about 10 times safer to ride an airline vs. an automobile. It remains anyone's guess as to how much safer flying is today than sex. No doubt, these paradoxical issues are best left to the world of Academia & Cambridge philosophers.
Today aviation, in all categories, is confronted with unprecedented and seeminly inexorable obstacles. A plethora of issues exist on nearly every societal plain; political, economic, institutional, and international. This, however, is nothing new for our exciting and intriguing industry.
At times I have thought the words aviation & problems were interchangeable. Allegedly, originating with the Wright boys, the success of the airplane immediately created new problems. For a time, annoyed by the way they were being treated in America, they moved their "Flyer" to England. Meanwhile, little known, Glenn Curtiss, a motorcycle builder, emerged with the Little Wing" design, now known as the Aileron. The Wright concept of Wing Warping, to make an airplane turn, was replaced with the Aileron. Years of litigation ensued between the Wrights and Curtiss'. Finally, the Wrights moved back to America and the world renowned firm of Curtiss-Wright emerged.
In spite of ongoing problems, the airplane & aviation carry on. Today, aviation permeates all aspects of world society, as one of the largest industries. I guess like "Accidents Are The Price Of Motion" (Rickenbacker), problems are the price of success, especially for aviation.
The Bottom Line is, even with high fuel costs, lack of gate space, air traffic congestion, inclement weather, international tensions, and accidents, the airplane survives, continuing to evolve and improve along with ancillary devices for navigation (GPS) and weather depiction (WSI) et. al. The immediate future for our GA (General Aviation) segment is bright with the (VLJ) Very Light Jet and the (LSA) Light Sport Aircraft taking the lead. These two developing markets, each at an end of the General Aviation spectrum, will most likely provide us with GA's NEXT CHAPTER.
The Age Factor
By Mel Dorr, CEO
Written 2/2006 for our website
A year and a half after we left Brown University in '55, some of my classmates were trained to fly the Strategic Air Command's new B-52 bombers. These monster aircraft, products then of the latest technology, were only four or five years old - virtually new. We were roughly 24 years old - we were pretty new too!
Recently I took my annual tour to Utah and Wyoming in my Beech F-33A, departing Daytona Beach. My first stop was Shreveport-Barksdale, the current B-52 training base. My friends were gone. The B-52s, at age 50-plus years, however, are there and still flying. The kids flyin' 'em, however, are still only 24 years old. There's got to be a message.
Today, when we go out to select a general aviation aircraft for personal or corporate use, we are not always presented with the luxury of looking at last year's model, say of a 182 Skylane RG, or a 5-year-old Cessna 210 Centurion. More likely, we'll find choices among 1971 to 1979 models - those were the great years of GA production aircraft.
The RG, for example, ran from '78 through '86 before being discontinued. Various versions of the 210 ran from 1960 to 1986. 1976 was GA's biggest year, with roughly 17,000 aircraft produced - compare that with today's paltry production in fractional relative numbers.
Now we can find a lot wrong with this situation, but amazingly, good aircraft are still available from those years. The B-52s are still flying from the '50s and the Cessnas, Pipers and Beeches are still flying, some vintage relics even from WWI!
One should keep in mind that most aircraft built after WWII were built from sheet aluminum riveted together. If it is not corroded, has been kept inside and well maintained, it’s probably still a good deal! Remember, the engines and avionics have changed, but not much has changed in the airframes. All of these aircraft can be updated, even the ones with no modern cabin comfort and no heat! For that matter, even the ones with no cabins!
I should know. I have a '79 Cessna 180, a '79 Cessna 206 and a virtually new '93 Beech F-33A! All three of them give me the equivalent of new airplane performance! Unfortunately, I am no longer 24 years old. I do like to think, however, that I am still performing just like the airplanes.
Mel Dorr,
President, Dorr Aviation
