Nr Fairy,
Nice idea! With helicopters too of course. And while we're about it, microlights, gyroplanes, and anything else interesting that flies. Now all I need is an airfield, instructors...and MONEY.
But to get back to the main point of this thread, I disagree with all this stuff about fancy aircraft and facilities and so on being what people want. I've heard to the same argument about why so few women learn to fly. Now, when I first walked into Welshpool Flying School, with no idea what to expect, I thought it would be like your average sailing club, which as an ex keen windsurfer I knew about, ie fancy cars, lush surroundings etc etc. I was surprised to see clapped out old cars and a portacabin type building. But none of it mattered because I was greeted with a big smile, given lots of info, and told to call any time if I wanted to book a trial lesson. When I booked that trial lesson my instructor was there, and was friendly, efficient and helpful. I liked that, and carried on...unfortunately he left and things went from bad to worse, but that's another story.
But the point I'm making is: what people want when they're learning to fly is SERVICE!!! Any intelligent person knows that they can buy a big fancy aircraft if they want once they have a licence, a cheaper one if they don't; if not, a few questions will tell them. I found that all out very early on, and I was the most aviation-ignorant non-technically minded person who ever set foot in a flying school - all I wanted to do at the time was find something exciting to do to get myself out of my longterm gloom and apathy caused by a death in the family and my own ill-health.
What every flying school needs is owners, staff, and instructors who put the students first. The rest is secondary. And to get back to the point of the article, which as you'll have gathered really struck a chord with me, why oh why aren't we insisting on it? Is it the British mustn't grumble mentality or what?