Mel Dorr Says

Even in the toughest times General Aviation never dies.  Probably because GA is such a delightful form of recreational and business transportation, it survived the depression era 1920’s and 1930’s.  In 1958, when I first started in the business, we were in the middle of the Eisenhower recession.  We didn’t know that, yet we bought and sold airplanes – we got ‘em financed too.  Then came Viet Nam – material shortages, a depressed Wall Street, inflation, social unrest, riots, and a pervasive distrust of government – all a part of our daily life then.  There were, of course, cut backs and set backs for our industry during those years – we survived however.  With the war’s end came the Nixon and Carter years – more economic turmoil, price freezes, economic malaise, stagflation, and even 21% interest rates.  When the Carter Administration, for awhile, rationed fuel by meddling with free market distribution, there were actual fuel shortages along with exorbitant prices.  Even then, however, 1976 turned out to be GA’s biggest year with production of about 17,000 aircraft – that’s right folks – seventeen thousand aircraft!

Looking back, we see how the Reagan era calmed the markets, eased social tensions, brought down energy costs while teaching the Middle East a few things in the process.  The Wall came down too – Germany, rightfully, became one nation – the USSR collapsed – the world calmed down – public confidence in the US and abroad revived.  However, we never got back to producing 17,000 aircraft in a year.  GA had taken a new path – a healthy one at that.  Aircraft became more utilitarian – fewer trainers and more “business” type aircraft emerged like the pressurized Malibu and Centurion, the turbine powered Conquest and Cheyenne.  The industry had taken a new turn evolving into what I call The New User Mode.  Now new aircraft often replaced scheduled FAR Part 121 airline service – more costly, of course, but more convenient and time efficient.

That User Mode continues today, hugely enhanced, however by whole new lines of emerging products such as the new generation of Very Light Jets (VLJs) and for recreational flying, a new genre Light Sport Aircraft (LSAs).  New construction features include composite materials and modern GPS/Glass navigation systems which render flying simpler and significantly safer.  Some aircraft, like the Cirrus, even have parachutes to safely lower the whole airplane including passengers in the event of a catastrophic emergency.

No doubt, we are in a period of world wide financial chaos and unprecedented economic uncertainty.  Still, I feel that GA’s brightest future lies ahead.  All those new and exciting products will make it happen once we get past the current liquidity debacle.  Remember, aviation icons like William Piper, Clyde Cessna, and Walter Beech, in the depths of the Great Depression respectively developed and marketed the J-3 Cub – the Airmaster and the Staggerwing.  General Aviation didn’t die then and it ain’t gonna die this time either.

Tough Times, Yet Aviation Never Dies

By Mel Dorr, Chairman & CEO, Dorr Aviation
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.