@And to be honest, I'd rather flying remained the domain of the few who

really appreciate it.

You misspelled, "the few who can afford to jump through the innumerable
hoops required in conventional aviation, ca. 2006."

Those who truthfully have no appreciation for flight will not pay to
get into it. They can stay on the roads, in the trains, etc. But
there is no physical need for flight to remain the exclusive domain of
the twentieth-century fixed-wing fraternity.