C# - Cannnot access variable in another script unless I get the component everytime.

Hi !

I have a problem since I got back into scripting, and I can't figure out the solution. I already searched but nothing gave me an answer.

I have a script, in wich I want to access the variable "viewDistance"

 public class AiStats : MonoBehaviour {
 
     public int viewDistance;
 
 }
 

So I did this:

 using UnityEngine;
 using System.Collections;
 
 public class AiBehaviour : MonoBehaviour
 {
     public Component aiStats;
 
     public LayerMask layersToIgnore;
 
     void Start ()
     {
         aiStats = GetComponent<AiStats> ();
     }
 
 
     void Update ()
     {
         Physics2D.Raycast (transform.position, Vector2.up, aiStats.viewDistance, ~(layersToIgnore));
         if (aiAttitude == AiAttitude.Agressive)
         {
 
         }
     }
 }
 

The problem is that I get this error:

Assets/Scripts/AiBehaviour.cs(122,76): error CS1061: Type UnityEngine.Component' does not contain a definition for viewDistance' and no extension method viewDistance' of type UnityEngine.Component' could be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)

But if, instead of putting the AiStats script in a variable, I write :

 Physics2D.Raycast (transform.position, Vector2.up, GetComponent<AiStats>().viewDistance, ~(layersToIgnore));

It works.

But I think it is bad to call GetComponent() so often, so I'd like to reference the Script and use it with that aiStats variable.