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$70,000 is also the price of a Lexus or Infiniti or other entry-level luxury car. When you're on the highway surrounded by BMWs and Mercedes E-classes, that's t

$70,000 is also the price of a Lexus or Infiniti or other entry-level luxury car. When you're on the highway surrounded by BMWs and Mercedes E-classes, that's the sort of people who, if flying was something they wanted to do, could have purchased an airplane instead, by your very own metric. In fact, let's extend this a bit further. You say a Cessna is in a moat because it's the only supplier.... of Cessnas. BMW is the only supplier of BMWs! That's ridiculous reasoning. There are other GA and even light sport aircraft available - Piper and FlightDesign and Zenith and Bristell all sell aircraft. And they're all in the same price range, leading one to believe that maybe aircraft manufacture isn't as cheap as you're making it out to be.

brudgers 9y ago
$70,000 is about the price of a new four cylinder Lycoming O-320 engine for a Cessna 172 (traditionally among the least expensive production aircraft). Airframe, avionics, and installation not included. The alternative to a Lexus is a pile of metal on a pallet not an aircraft. The high price of the O-320 engine reflects FAA regulations that require the use of a Lycoming O-320 in every Cessna 172...and actually a specific version of the O-320 engine for each minor variant of the Cessna 172. There's no second source for Cessna 172 engines by regulation...by regulation there's no second source for engine parts either. The supply is restricted. Light sport aircraft are by regulation impractical as ordinary transportation. The allowable gross weight and one passenger restrictions insure that. It's like arguing that a YZ250 is a reasonable alternative to a Civic.