Penguin:
Very few can use the aerodrome. What percentage of residents have ever been on a flight from the local aerodrome, let alone park an aircraft there?
And he answer is (drum roll): About a tenth of what the numbers should be if we had FAA style regulation and an informed council.
The "user pays" argument spirals downward as an ever decreasing number of aircraft owners are asked to share a steadily increasing burden.....until the owner of the last hangar gets a bill for the entire cost of the strip and is bankrupt.
You need to look up the definition of a "Public Good".
And another thing..... I am continually surprised at the number of people I meet who say: "Oh I had a pilots licence once, but I let it all lapse - didnt use it enough" or "I took flying lessons 30 years ago but never got the licence". These are a broad cross section of society from suburban mums to submariners.
Makes you think what we could have if we dreamed bigger,