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Originally Posted by Jamie
...and it may get new life to flight training and flight schools. You can do your private training in an LSA. Most new Skyhawks coming out of Wichita are > $200K. If Cessna can get their LSA on the market it will be huge for flight schools. Half the acquisition costs, maybe 2/3rds the operating costs equals a huge savings to student pilots. Many folks are turned off when you tell them they have to pay > $100/hour for the airplane plus $35.00/hour for an instructor.
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I agree with this statement. However, the real question will then become whether the flight schools will reduce the prices they charge for renting aircraft. If the prices do not go down at the point of consumer contact, the decreased purchase cost of the aircraft to the flight school will not prove beneficial to anyone, not even the flight school. Interested individuals will still be frustrated with high prices that will drive them off or keep them from taking the plunge if the schools do not decrease that $100 rental fee.
Too many times we see prices to the consumer stay the same (or in some instances rise) when a major break through provides a measure of increased profitability for a business that provides a consumer good or service. This is one of the reasons I believe there was no big rush from consumers to go out and buy up all these current LSA's. The companies in the industry have priced themselves and all of those potential consumers right out of the market.
I further believe that is why Cessna will take over and dominate the LSA market with this aircraft. Whatever they set their price at for this aircraft they have already stated it will be "far south of $100,000". They recognize that in order for their LSA to be successful they will have to 1) rely on their powerful industry leading name, 2) provide a good product at a price that will attract customers who have never thought of owning a new airplane before. This would include all of those pilots out there flying 30, 40, 50, 60 year old airplanes because that is all they can afford to fly, in addition to those new to the aviation world. There is no one providing a product for that market right now. Perhaps this airplane will do that. I guess we may soon find out.