My concern is if flying just becomes a hobby then it's the world's most expnsive hobby, probably not a good idea.
On balance, I'd argue that it is still CHEAPER THAN
GOLF!!!
My old boss had two club memberships, all the latest kit and a new set of bats most years... add to that his golfing weekend trips away, flights to play elsewhere and associated costs and he reckoned he was well in the region of $15-20k p.a.
As I tell my wife (more often than strictly necessary) it makes the $5+k I drop on 30+ hours of float-plane rental p.a. pale in comparison.
Such a saint, I am.