...And Here, Darn it, Are The Heartbreakers
It is both the most "fun," and most difficult task, facing the
ANN staff at the end of every year -- determining who, or what, did
the most to promote the cause of aviation in the past 365 days...
while also chastising those people or entities that did all they
could to undermine the many successes the aerospace community has
managed to accomplish.

Alas, 2007 saw more than its fair share of downers,
aviation-wise. Sure, "stuff" happens... but a few folks, issues, or
entities seemed to go out of their way to create problems for the
world of aviation.
So... it is ANN's annual obligation to recognize a solid dozen
of our Aero-Heartbreakers for 2007... in something of an informal
order, starting from 12th to the 1st. Let us know what you think of
our selections... whom YOU would have liked be included, or
omitted, from such a list. In the meantime, we hope those who had
something to do with this year's selections think a little more
positively about the welfare of this industry, so that future
lists become harder and harder to catalog. Be it ignorance,
arrogance or just plain incompetence, these were the folks or
topics that made our lot a whole lot more difficult and
immeasurably injured the aviation world in the past year.
Shame on those issues, folks or topics that made our lot so much
tougher in 2007...
From the Heartbreaker's List #9: Fuel Prices
While no one will tell you that aviation is cheap, fuel costs
have made a bad situation worse... and in ways that have not only
affected how much people are flying, but WHAT they are flying.
Reports of $6 and $7/gallon Avgas prices are not at all that
unusual and it's a rare find to buy the stuff anywhere near the low
end of the $4 range anymore...

For those of us who burn 15/17 gph on a thirsty (OK, WAY
more than thirsty) IO-540, the resultant $60-$80/hour basic
operating costs have made the hundred dollar hamburger a distant
memory and the $200 hamburger is fading fast -- unless you (ahem)
get places REALLY fast... like I do in my Glasair III (but I
digress... sorry).

So... it's getting tough(er) to afford flying... meaning that
autogas (such as it is) at $3++/gallon pricing is awfully
attractive for the light aircraft segment than can burn it.
Further; the allure of cheaper Jet A for the new Diamond and
Cessna diesels gets more enticing by the day. What this means
is that efficiency is finally becoming an issue for a number of
flyers -- and the companies that build their airplanes -- so
that the more cost-effective singles are going to do well
while thirstier twins (despite their redundancy) are going to be
easy to buy and tough to tank up. Diamond is looking positively
prescient at the moment with the efficiencies of the DA42 to bank
on...

We expect to see far more made of future aircraft efficiencies,
even more made of the use of alternatively fueled powerplants and
the ever-increasing need for FADEC and other
fuel-efficient/tolerant systems are sure to be increased
demonstrably over the coming year. None of these things are bad...
we just wish they that would come about as a function of the
inherent genius/progress of the industry -- rather than as a
result of the need to service the costs of fueling up.

2008 looks to be an interesting year, folks... say, how much is
that Diesel Skyhawk, anyway?