Economy buffeting student pilots, flight schools

DAYTON, Ohio — Ivan Nogalo can often hear small planes buzzing over his machine shop in Cleveland.

"You want to be up there," the 33-year-old said.

But Nogalo can't be. The would-be pilot has been grounded because the economy has forced him to tighten his belt.

It's the same for Ryan Fisher, who spent an estimated $10,000 on flying lessons before losing his job with a real estate developer. The 37-year-old was two weeks short of being certified as a private pilot when he couldn't afford further training.

"It's frustrating," said Fisher, of Cleveland Heights. "I miss being up in the airplane, that sense of freedom. It's kind of transcendental."

The slumping economy has forced some student pilots to put their dreams of flying on hold, threatened to accelerate the decline of the U.S. pilot population, and put a financial chokehold on flight schools.

The number of U.S. pilots has fallen more than 25 percent from a 1980 peak of about 827,000 to about 590,000 at the end of 2008, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

While there are no more recent figures, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is seeing some anecdotal evidence that the economy is taking a toll, said Chris Dancy, spokesman for the Frederick, Md.-based organization.

"Flight training is done with disposable income," Dancy said. "It is very common in economic down times for flight training to fall off."

It usually costs between $6,000 and $9,000 to get a private pilot's license, according to Dancy.

Ryan Gessel, 26, of San Francisco, has wanted to fly for nearly three years, hoping to fly for pleasure as well as to see clients in northern California as an account manager for a brewing company. He began taking flying lessons last summer and had gotten four or five hours under his belt when the economy went into a nosedive.

Gessel's salary became uncertain, and while he has since gotten a new position in the company, he is not sure how much he'll be paid.

"There is a lot of uncertainty, so I didn't see it as the smartest move to put $10,000 into something that isn't really considered a priority," Gessel said. "It's kind of frustrating. But the dream is definitely still there."

Economic conditions have also forced some pilots who already have licenses to give up flying.

Marty Helms, of Wake Forest, N.C., got his license in 2006 and would fly to visit family and friends in Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Last May, Helms began to re-evaluate the money he was spending on aviation as the economy began to sour, the price of fuel began to skyrocket and his friends started losing their jobs. The 40-year-old hasn't flown since.