Many things no longer look like they did seven years ago, when I started flying. Some things actually changed, and the way I perceive some other also changed. Here is a small list of objective and subjective changes over this period.

Fuel price increased. Severly. As a rental pilot, I don’t see it directly, except when I buy some fuel away from my home-base. The fuel price increase was included in the hourly cost I pay to clubs or schools. In Switzerland, the possibility to get tax-free fuel for any private flight to a foreign country has been supressed, at least for relatively short flights.

The second major change occured after the 9/11 events. All light aircraft pilots were suddenly perceived as terrorists, and restricted areas grown like mushrooms after the rain. Another side-effect of the 9/11 is the strong and sometimes ridiculous increase of security. Tarmac access is no longer that easy, even at small, local airfields.

When I started, I thought that all other pilots were serious, instructors were like half-gods able of anything in a plane, and maintenance never released a plane with a problem.

Now, I know that pilots can do stupid things, that some fly like cow-boys, and I even have a personal “black-list” of pilots with whom I’ll never fly. It’s rather short – 3 persons only, and I know more than 150 pilots – but two of them are instructors !

Even the shorter flight was an adventure when I started, and the concept of “routine” flight seemed remote. Now that I flew to Sion (one of my favorite destinations) 30 times, including 15 times out of Geneva, it became far less exciting. There is still pleasure in doing it, typically with new passengers, and being used to a route does not mean one can overlook the preparation.

The traffic itself also evolved. After a small decrease due to 9/11 events, the airline traffic bounced, we see more and more business jets, and the airspace left for light aviation is more and more restricted. Flying VFR is still possible, but it requires more attention and co-ordination.

Last but not least, the technical evolution over the last seven years has been rather impressive. The comparison below show the kind of cockpits I learn to fly in, and the kind I like to fly in now.

This evolution is the more visible, but airframes and engines also evolved a lot, as I like to talk about on this blog…

All in all, the changes over these seven years were not always positive, but aviation is not dead, and will not die. There still a good bunch of motivated pilots in the aero-clubs, and the new technology now available will probably motivate many other to join.

Whether you’ve been flying for longer or shorter than me, I’d really like to know what was the bigger change since you started, be it personal or factual. Please let me know in comments, and discuss that together.