And another reason....
Shiny new PPL in pocket, dead keen to take a friend for a flight.
The first impressions of most of our clubs ain't good. So many of them are scruffy sheds with help- yourself coffee/ powdered milk and chipped cups.
Food? Only a small percentage of clubs go this far simply because it aint economical to do so. 95% of those that do tend to offer transport cafe-type grub where lard is the order of the day.
Impressed passenger thus far?
Walk along the flight line past the shiny private owners whizzers and suffer the further disappointment on the face of your passenger when you pitch up to the ubiquitous tired old Cesspit.
'Here it is!'
Oh..nice... (gulp) I'm really looking forward to this (ish).
Climb in, pull the door shut and the door trim closes before the rest of it. Ugh!
OK OK, it ain't the prettiest of pictures and I could certainly draw some nicer ones - hurrah for those (us fliers know where I mean because you dont need too many fingers let alone toes to count them).
Draw a parallel to your local golf club, with nice bar, nice menu - somewhere to be proud of - the essential social factors are largely missing from aero clubs.
Aero clubs in this country generally(!) give the impression that they are not making enough money (probably because they aren't..) and that the sport attracts people who really can't afford it.
In France for example, a much greater percentage of aero clubs have nice restaurants. These are invariably situated on a busy road and open to the general/ passing public. Many of those in turn will be intrigued enough to want to know more whilst glugging their fine wines and enjoying cuisine that we can only ever dream of.
So, take a look at the successful places and see if they have a steady supply of new punters who 'were just driving by, dropped in for a look/lunch and ended up booking a trial lesson'.
Aviation in this country simple didn't evolve in that way. It has never enjoyed the same support from the government. How many local authorities here have provided a shiny new airport on the edge of town? It happens in France.
It will therefore always remain largely an enthusiast pursuit in the UK and will never gather the social momentum that will make the difference, simply because, in the UK, it happens 'behind hedges or 'at the end of a scruffy potholed road just past the grain silo..'
Try operating your own aircraft, as I do, and you will understand then that the seemingly 'huge' costs charged by aeroclubs simply aint anywhere near enough to provide decent aircraft and decent club facilities.
Only the enthusiasts will stick this, go on to private ownership, pitch up, fly and then go somewhere decent for lunch by car - most likely home again. If its by air then, a handful of places excepted, its over the Channel.
How many people continue to hire after, say, 5 years? Very few.
Its a case of 'do something with your licence or go and do something different'.
Head above parapet and ready for the incoming!
HP