The future of 170's
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2022 4:16 am
We have so many treasured memories in our 55 170b. It has safely and reliably taken us anywhere we've directed it. In return we've done our best to spare no expense in maintenance, care and refurbishment.
However, it seems like a loosing battle. These planes are getting so old..Every one I see, including even the best examples have some degree of corrosion, fatigue, hairline cracks, slow mechanical degradation. We are always fixing something.
The cost and availability of parts, maintenance and operations only seems to be getting more and more outrageous. The generations of pilots, mechanics and and craftsman that built and saw these planes through their first ~7 decades is passing and It seems like so much knowledge is going with them. Gone are the days of field approvals and affordable innovation with the FAA.
We have enjoyed the rare confluence of geopolitical forces after WWII that facilitated the creation of thousands of GA aircraft. Are we reaching the end of days for the 170? Will it be relegated to museums and wealthy collectors instead of being a (reasonably) affordable part of so many families lives?
Even if you argue we can stay creative and keep them flying for another 30 thirty years, what then? What about 50 years or the next generations?
-It's easy to wax emotional about our birds or lament the status of GA, but whats the reality of their future?
However, it seems like a loosing battle. These planes are getting so old..Every one I see, including even the best examples have some degree of corrosion, fatigue, hairline cracks, slow mechanical degradation. We are always fixing something.
The cost and availability of parts, maintenance and operations only seems to be getting more and more outrageous. The generations of pilots, mechanics and and craftsman that built and saw these planes through their first ~7 decades is passing and It seems like so much knowledge is going with them. Gone are the days of field approvals and affordable innovation with the FAA.
We have enjoyed the rare confluence of geopolitical forces after WWII that facilitated the creation of thousands of GA aircraft. Are we reaching the end of days for the 170? Will it be relegated to museums and wealthy collectors instead of being a (reasonably) affordable part of so many families lives?
Even if you argue we can stay creative and keep them flying for another 30 thirty years, what then? What about 50 years or the next generations?
-It's easy to wax emotional about our birds or lament the status of GA, but whats the reality of their future?