The Editor's Letter

Georgina Hunter-Jones

One of the anomalies of aviation is why does a business that attracts such rich people find it so hard to make money? This was brought home to me in a particularly poignant way as the school for which I was an instructor and examiner ceased trading in August.

In this particular case another company has risen from the ashes, but this is not unique in aviation and  a lot of people are hurt in the winding-up of a business, these include not only the staff: instructors, engineers, office workers, and part-timers; but also students, who have often put large amounts of money into the school to fund their dream; and purchasers who have bought helicopters only to find that the helicopter they bought did not exist. It is not hard to understand the frustration and pain of those who have suffered, but it is hard to discover whether these problems with aviation businesses arise simply from naivety and poor business acumen or from, as has been suggested, fraudulent intent, or even because there is simply not enough profit in aviation...