Kyle Boatright wrote:

I simply don't see young people (30) at the airport, unless they are
young CFI's or guys making $8/hr driving the fuel truck.

well, the money issue has already been discussed, but there is
another issue that might drive said young crowd away from GA, even
the wealthy kids, and that I don't think you can really fix: GA is
not for the 'instant gratification' crowd; the learning process is
long and takes a certain amount of dedication that today's youger
ones are not ready to undertake, even those who could easily
afford it (I live in the Silicon Valley, there are plenty of
rich 20 something -- you see them sometimes poping up at the local
airport, ask a few questions, may be take a ride, but rarely coming
back); there are so many other avenues (sport cars/bikes,
'extreme' sports, the kind you see on mtv, etc.) that makes
it possible for them to get instant gratification and show off with
a limited amount of personal investment/learning (as compared to what's
required for GA), that it is difficult for GA to compete...

--Sylvain