Supercubber said:
In this day and age I think there are a bunch of yuppy cub owners who probably couldn't start a lawnmower if they owned one, have no idea how to change a tire, oil or anything else for that matter.
The good old boy cub pilots you describe are probably those who pay $90,000 or less for their cubs, flying and maintaining them on a regular basis.
And then you have the docs, lawyers and whoever paying the 100,000-160,000 for a cub just to say they have one even if they have no idea on how to use it.
Supercubber, I have been thinking a lot about what you said up there, and while I can't disagree, I wonder if it is a good or bad thing for cubs in general? I'll admit to being late in the supercub game, and actually the flying game, but I also believe that if new folks don't continue to perpetuate the appreciation of these type aircraft, eventually, it will be real hard to get parts - among other things.
I have seen people actually change the way they think about flying after serveral lessons in the supercub. It is one of the greatest pleasures I get from instructing. Not all get to act on it. I suspect ( I will never know, that's for sure) one of the problems of making huge amounts of money and being able to buy whatever you want is that you don't have anytime to use it. Like Jay Leno and his motorcycles, or Bill Gates and his million dollar porsche.
I can't fault the romance and appreciation these people feel, but certainly agree that if they could get in the plane, get some great cub instruction (which is now available both down here and up in the 49th) , and go to some great places (where folks like you are fortunate enough to get to work!), they might find more time for the flying part, and less time for golf and making money.
I know that everytime there is a little breeze and I take off before the runway starts in the little supercub there is a guy in a King Air or Citation watching and dreaming about it. Sometimes so much that they comment on the tower frequency. I like to share that with as many folks as I can, be they yuppies, dinks, painters, plumbers (actually yuppies), or kids - and hope they too catch the bug.
One day when I took off with the amphibs the guy in the tower said, "4CC, Where you going today?" before I could answer he added "I wanna go"...
sj