Yes, I was once an "hour builder" like most of us, but I have continued to teach no matter what else I have flown.
People gaining experience are not neccesarily the problem. I use the term "hour builder" for those FI's who do a rubbish job and really don't care about GA or light aircraft.
There are plenty of FI's I worked with who only came into instructing to get enough hours to get a jet job, but they did an excellent job as Instructors.
GA in the UK is in the dark ages. The standards are generally awful interms of equipment avaiable, training given and value for money.
The whole thing needs a shake up. Paying FI's more than an insult needn't kill the industry, I would argue that it would actually strengthen it.
PPL's and students need to realise that they are paying an artificially low amount in this regard.
Since the club I'm mainly involved with charges seperately for the a/c and the FI, this has allowed us to actually charge a sensible amont for an FI's time ad guess what...........The students don't whinge. A good FI is worth £30-40 an hour. We all know what an a/c costs to run, so there is nothing hidden.
Are we the cheapest around? No, are we the best value for money. Easily and that is why we are busy. Good instructors, even though the prices are higher are worth it in the long run.
Charging unrealistic amounts for any goods and services is stupid in the long term. GA in the UK is now suffering for it. We simply aren't a big or strong enough industry to do anything about it. If there were big associations or big companies invlved woth GA, then we would have a lot more success lobbying for change, rather than the disperate group we are today. Especially as flying is seen as a rich mans hobby.
You want tax relief........ Yeah right.
Will GA die in this country? I hope not, but in it's present form it is just wating for the lethal injetion at the moment. It isn't the cost that's killing it, rather the atrocious service that most clubs provide. All that will happen as prices go up, is that the numbers who can't afford it will have to change to other forms of aviation, such as microlight or "sport" flying rather than flying in your standard spamcans.
The industry will change and eventually be stronger for it, it just has to go through some pain first.