I am just waiting for IO540 to appear, but in the meantime I will pre-empt him..........
As well as the many reasons stated here for giving up flying, there is also a few other things that puts people off. Crappy airplanes with knackered avionics and seats. Who wants to throw away a weeks food money on flying something that looks like it should be condemned?
The attitude of many "old timers" towards modern technology, the use of GPS, the use of electronic flight computers etc. The attitude that pervades flying that if people are not navigating using a stop watch and a compass then they are not proper pilots, puts doubt into peoples minds and starts to make them feel inferior and lack confidence. Once that starts then they start to fly only when the conditions are perfect and as those opportunites start to dwindle due to the endless bad weather we experiance there interest starts to dwindle and then they stop finding time to fly.
The same goes for tailwheel and aeros, everyone seems to think that they are justified in convincing others that there chosen path in flying is the "best way" to go to the point of making people feel inadiquate if they do not conform.
I long ago stopped listening to the "experts" and went and did my own thing, I use GPS, I have cracking avionics fit in airacraft that suits my needs and with a thousand hours on it have had a of of fun.
I am broadening my horizons with a conversion onto a supercub, but I doubt very much it will encourage me to shout to everyone in earshot that they should only fly a tailwheel and navigate by map stopwatch or they are not proper pilots. And will I stop flying the Duchess and the Baron or my Cessna because I can now fly a tailwheel cub? I doubt it, why? Because I enjoy the climb through cloud and the cruise in the sunshine before executing (what I hope!) is a perfect ILS into an airfield before a night out for dinner.
We should encourage people to experiance everything flying has to offer but not try to force people into pidgeon holes.
I guess by now I am probably in the super anorak stage?