Magsau wrote: "I spend alot of time in the UK on layovers and get an appreciation for the aviation centered citizens. There is probably not a country in the world that has such informed travelers. "
Thank you for the kind words Magsau. Although I am certainly not one of those chaps that goes to the airport to spot planes with camera and notebook in hand I must say that air travel still has a very strong draw for many reasons. Technical, operations/scheduling, and the personalities involved are among the more interesting points.
Apart from the pure techinical and engineering rigour that is involved in flight, I am also amazed at the operational aspects. It seems to be one of the few industries that does not gain from economies of scale and production. In other words, when the assembly line was developed it was of benefit to have as many automobiles that the market would bear passing along the conveyor belt. It was simply easier to build a thousand cars than start all the machinery for just one. In the airline industry though it seems as if complexity is added when the operation grows and this complexity grows exponentially. Moving an aircraft from A to B is simple. Add in C, D, and E, with weather, diiferent aircraft, and staffing requirements and it is a very serious enterprise. I do not envy those who have to make these planning choices.
The industry also seems to be as no other just from the personlaites involved. Could anyone envision a forum such as this with such lively debate among chartered accountants? Among those who proffer insurance? No, call it the beauty of flight, technical interest, or business curousity, it certainly is a field open for all and any to lend a viewpoint. This is where many of us in the U.K. fit into the picture of the interested customer. You are correct that England does have a strong interest as a whole in aviation. I can only wish that we would take the same interest in unclogging our motorways!
Cheers