Sadly I'm pessimistic about the future of aviation in the United States. As a nation we are technophiles, rule happy, and control freaks. Put all that together and the future for drones looks rosy. I believe we'll see much more automation in the cockpit, including unmanned cargo flights, one day unmanned refueling stations, and possibly single-pilot commercial flights. Image so of the movie Wall-E come to mind.
I can see why folks sliding into retirement can do so with a sense of I made it during the glory days based on what probably lies ahead for the GA crowd.
I'm surprised so many thing it's the cost of aircraft. I would have thought it was partially cost of entry (which, aircraft notwithstanding, I thought was much less a barrier with LSA) and mostly with the regulation differences (medical, simplicity, etc).
I like the comment above about the SeaMax. That's probably how I'd become a pilot. I think the considerations of cost & fun favor LSA, and probably would get me out there more often than GA.
