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As Bob Dylan wrote in 1964, the times they are a-changin’, especially in aviation. I can’t remember when there has been a more exciting time to be alive and watching our industry. True, the future is a great unknown, and some of the possibilities are, as my mother might have said, plumb scary. But you gotta admit it is nothing if not exciting.  

Some of the big-money folks are determined to build and sell a corporate SST. The amount of the investment is downright frightening. It will be years before such a machine actually flies, assuming they get the sonic boom thing solved, but by golly three different groups are working on it, last I heard, and I, for one, can’t wait to see the end result. The Very Light Jet (VLJ) thing is fast coming to fruition, and will probably change the industry forever. We don’t know yet who the winners will be, but the industry should come out ahead. Once there was only the Eclipse. Now it seems that everybody is on the VLJ bandwagon and the parade hasn’t even started. How will they all fare? I don’t know, but damn, it’s fun watching. Likewise with Light Sport Aircraft. LSAs are, like spring, bustin’ out all over. People are putting down serious deposits on these new aircraft, and some of them are nothing short of amazing. Could these be the trainers and recreational aircraft of the future? Nobody knows, but it is exciting.

Aviation insurance is changing drastically and will play a huge role in the success and failure of the corporate SST, VLJ, and LSA. None of these aircraft has a significant history, so the insurance carriers are breaking new ground.

Fuel prices? They will never, ever, be “normal” again. In fact, “normal” is a thing of the past. There is no more normal. Will 110-octane low lead be available? Or will we all switch to some version of kerosene, diesel, or other alternative fuel? Who knows????

But ain’t it exciting????

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