Offer a new C182 that runs on diesel for $60k purchase or rents for
$30/hour
and the world would beat a path to your door.


As a "poor' pilot, I will add this. So much of the problem is also
"destination costs". So many new pilots get their ticket and scrape up
enough cash to fly in the local area for fun every now and then in a
rental. But to fly XC means car rentalk at the destination. And that is
why I rarely take the family anywhere in a plane. I could squeeze out
the rental money for the plane and balance it with gas savings from not
using the car and time saved, etc,. But when I have to add in the car
rental expense ... it just doesn't work. This is a big reason so many
new pilots get tired of just doing local site seeing flights after a
while and stop flying all together.