OC619 - Tiger Club - I had no idea that even existed in the UK! I will fly down there and see what it's all about. (still 2 hours drive from central London - but sounds like it is worth the trip!)
Pittsextra - I think you're right, aviation does play a massive part in the motivation of younger people. But aviation and GENERAL aviation are completely mutually exclusive in terms of industry. I don't think many people know about general aviation, or their possibilities. None of my friends (most of them in the mid-late twenties) have any concept of general aviation, until I attempt to impart some of my passion for general aviation. Then they are stunned by the relative costs (generally fuel alone scares them). When I do take them up, they do love it, and really thoroughly enjoy it, asking when they can go up again for another trip somewhere. Very few are prepared to spend the time, effort, and money required to achieve it. And the few that have done, either stopped their training after a few hours (due to time & costs implications) or are financially limited to 1 hour a month (where naturally the more "adventurous" flights are out of reach). Not in my group of friends - but - I see more and more people ready to spend £150+ for at least "a night out in town" every week, and very little willing to sacrifice these outings for a day of expensive (in both time and financial setbacks) disappointment, renting a car to arrive at the airfield to realise that their lesson is cancelled for the third week in a row due to the unpredictable weather on the day, and them having to leave the house more than an hour and a half before the lesson.
It took me just under a year to get my licence, spending every whole weekend at the airfield and a couple of evenings a week doing exam-work / prep work. All that whilst working over 50 hours a week is a challenge. My friends didn't see me often, my family didn't see me often, my girlfriend although understanding and also passionate about aviation did make me feel the strain of the time implications required to achieve my goal. You need to make a lot of sacrifices to be able to achieve the PPL.
Perhaps if I was successful and in my mid fifties, with a well paid 35-40 hour a week job, no more mortgage on the house, no more student loan repayments, no more kids' school tuition fees to pay - perhaps this would suddenly be much more accessible.
Civvy & Thing - Are these youngsters you talk about going into General Aviation? Or are they looking at progressing to the heavy metals? There are schools full of "younger people" training on both modular and integrated ATPL courses, but most of these do make me feel as though their passion is not with general aviation, they see the spam cans as a means to an end. Their goal being a career in commercial aviation transport, and not for the enjoyment of the spam-cans. Now - that's not to mean that after a few years in commercial aviation that they won't decide to buy/fly an old bird in their spare time.
I think perhaps, the £300+ round-trip to the Isle of Wight for 3 people in a spam-can for lunch; Is often seen comparatively in terms of costs by non general-aviation people as relative to going down to Spain on an EasyJet flight for the weekend. (which may only cost you a further £50 each including hotel if you book in advance / special deals). Although I, like many of you here know the incredible experience of freedom, and incredible sights that you see along the way, in terms of "adventurousness" it could be construed as comparable to the untrained eye.
This in my mind, would inevitably limit the number of younger people becoming involved in General Aviation - BUT - this is not to mean that older, fifties ish people may not become smitten with general aviation, and get involved! Just the uptake age would be slightly older. Perhaps the focus should be on this age group rather than the people who can't even afford the deposit on their house, or the repayments on their various loans / mortgages.