We have moved from a society that used to depend on a certain amount of problem solving to accomplish our goals. But we “progressed” from that…or so we think. We now have entered the age of the end user. Problems are only for those who are tasked with designing and integrating various technology as the all-encompassing and therefore inevitable solution. There is no need to immerse ourselves in anything. All we need to do is the heads down thumb’s search for the solution technology has already provided. It will be clearly displayed on our devices in seconds.
Disclaimer: I make no pretense in knowing what came first, the technology, or the end user. And certainly, don’t condemn end users as someone beneath anyone else. At times, we are all end users.
As end users, we want a fast solution to satisfy an immediate desire including solving problems. There is no need to immerse oneself into much of anything because technology instantly provides the solution. Vocational skills once needed as a part of the process of becoming expert in a chosen endeavor or in demand skill has been replaced with on demand answers through advanced technology and communications. Can’t get people immersed in process of becoming a pilot? Have technology bridge that “immersional” requirement with automation. Avionics are certainly leading that charge. One can clearly see that in current cars and trucks, too.
Today, even the most basic car has sophisticated technology that will cover vehicle blind spots , backing into things, bumping into curbs, keeping the driver within the lanes, applying the brakes when the technology detects a myriad of potential conflicts including emergency stops. This common technology even warns the driver of fatigue to the point of displaying a cup of coffee on the dash and heads up display when the car senses erratic driving actions. Headlights come on automatically. High beam low beam use is also handled by the vehicle. Wipers turn on and off with no action required by the driver. Volume is speed controlled. Screens automatically brighten and dim according to ambient light. Navigation is provided including recommendations based on customer reviews of desired locations with amenities offered by other end user reviews. No need to push anything, simply speak it into existence upon command should button pushing be too tedious or distracting
This constantly expanding host of technology takes hours to explain upon delivery. However, it only takes about 10 minutes for the average end user to get that glazed-over look while the salesperson is attempting the impossible to explain all these “features and benefits” in that 10 minute allowance. Glaze over takes place in all end users. Most are not interested in how it works, why it works, and the intentions of the technology that provides for all this insulation. All they want to know, is it there, what buttons do I push to see what they want personally to see for the moment, and do they have to do anything to engage it.
This commonly used technology combines sonar, radar, laser, algorithms, and virtual reality to completely insulate the driver from any practical need to be…well, a driver. The vehicle is a far more capable driver than the average driver.
If the vehicle malfunctions, OBD-2 will pinpoint the problem, identify the failure point including the part in many cases. Complete vehicle history including all fault codes is contained within the loosely called electronic control module(s). Yes, it still requires someone to get their hands dirty to replace the offending component with sophisticated tools and knowledge in the use of those tools to access the virtual inaccessible. However, auto makers are making more and more use of sealed components to eliminate as much as possible maintenance for the end user with the goal of maintenance techs to be simple parts changers. Try finding a transmission fluid dipstick on a late model car. Most transmissions are now sealed units.
The average selling price for new cars with these end users required standard features is about $38,000 for the year 2020. 14 to 17 million new vehicles are sold every year. So, expectations of technological performance is high with little expectations of end user driver performance or participation.
Commercial flying has become all weather with a 24/7 availability expectation of the end user. End user wants no additional participation in the process other than show up, climb aboard, sit down, be entertained during the journey, with a certain amount of minimal comfort…cheaply. Commercial flying is no longer for the well-heeled. Virtually anyone with a credit card and a smartphone has flown. Anything smaller than a 737 is a “little” airplane, the proverbial “puddle jumper”. Commercial aviation defines flying for the average citizen today. Anything smaller than an airliner is viewed with some suspicion, trepidation, relegated for those who are looking for an adrenaline rush. Aviation, especially general aviation, has never been embraced by the average citizen as something anyone can pursue. It has had a long stereotypical identification that has changed little since the Wrights switched from bicycles to designing and manufacturing airplanes
For a while after WWII with all the benefits of the GI Bill, many military vets did sample aviation. But that interest in flying on average from anyone outside of the GI Bill of WWII has never really changed from the Wright brothers through today. We want to blame someone, something such as cost, or the FAA for why general aviation seems to gather a small percentage of the population’s interest.
I believe it’s simply a matter of flying being a skill set that demands a comparatively enormous sacrifice of time, requiring thoughtful study, intentional preparation, overcoming unusual sensations, with the result that once the license to fly is granted the sport of flying will continually demand a similar investment to be reasonably safe. Airplanes have always been cramped, noisy, uncomfortable, hard to enter or exit, and involve a blend of science and mysticism to start the engine. Airplanes can never be manufactured to be as comfortable as the $38,000 average end user automobile. The physics of flight do not permit anything close to the comfort of ground bound transportation. Even the most expensive personal airplane has no where near the comfort of an average modern grocery getter. Just have the average person try to climb into the left seat of a new King Air let alone a 1000lb LSA. How about explaining the average SR-22 at close to a cool 1 mil doesn’t have air conditioning to an end user.
The road to becoming a pilot and continually be a pilot seems to be unique yet predictable. There are a few people who live life beyond being an end user. Most of us pilots have for one reason, or another been infected with the flying bug. That bug was available and still is to the masses. The infection came from an interest in flying machines and flight itself. Many of us, if not most aviators got the same exposure as say, other family members. Yet, I am the only one of six siblings who is a pilot. I have never met a person who does not know what an airplane is. Why does an almost universal exposure result in such limited interest?
For myself, the sensation of flying was terrifying at first, but the view of planet was breathtaking. Mentorship of others previously infected helped me learn to handle those sensations encouraging me to move forward. Never, did one of them say, anyone can do this. They did say, with a personal investment over time, anyone with that persevering, inquisitive attitude could become a pilot. I think this explains why so many student pilots only get so far and then realize the personal and continuous investment it takes to become and remain an active pilot. The reward is not worth the investment for most.
We all have personal testimonies on what we did and are doing daily to maintain our active status as aviators. Aviators are a unique bunch of folks. We are not end users at heart. And flying is not an endeavor for end users, never has been, and never will be. Personal flying will never be for the masses. Never has been, never will be. But I am confident, as long as there is freedom, there will always be a steadfast number of general aviation aviators simply because we have been infected by a bug that if it needs to be explained, it will never be fully understood by others outside of the flying infection. But a comparatively few will keep GA alive and well for a long time. We fly because we like it. No need to explain, I love it also.