There speaketh the PPL's. Believe me, in every part of the country, there is plenty of money available to learn.
Yes there are fewer PPL(H) holders, but we in the fixed wing world could learn an awful lot from the Heli training side.
It is generally done better and very few "schools" rely solely on training for their income. Aircraft sales, AOC work etc.etc all help to make a more viable business model.
To be frank, keeping cost artifically low helps no one. It does make it more inclusive, but that doesn't make it better.
I would rather have fewer, richer students and members who fly more often.
This is nothing to do with richer people being "better" or other such nonsense, but having a stable community. At the moment what we have is people who save up for a licence, but once they have got it, they can no longer justify the cost and end up flying rarely, lose confidence and give up after a couple of years.
That is rubbish for the industry as a whole. If you raise the entry barriers to a more realistic level, then you might not get as many coming through the door, but you will get better "quality" clients.
Now that all sounds rather arrogant, but it is just a business look at it, not a look at the personalities.
There are ways of making flying more affordable, but that will take a change in regulation and aircraft types used.
This business needs a stable future and going back to the dark ages is the last thing we need.
Anyone who thinks paying FI's starvation wages will help this industry is either a flying school owner or has no idea of the work of an FI. Let alone one of good business practice.