I'm not enough in touch with kids these days to know what motivates
them, though I'm sure that basic human motivations do not change over
time.

So I agree that the equipment should not be ancient. The noise level
is much too high. The cost is too high. The turbine approach would
likely help with the noise problem, but turbines are pretty
inefficient compared with piston technology. The turbo-diesel design,
to me, represents the future of GA power in a world of expensive fuel.

Certification and liability costs together appear to be the major
obstacles to getting costs under control. Yet the aircraft must be
"forgiving", and people should be able to sue against serious design
flaws.