Andrew Sarangan writes:

Why aren't the kids who grew up with cell phones and iPods not
interested in aviation?

One key factor is the antiquated airplanes we fly. If we could only
drive a1975 Chevy Nova or something similar, with bolted down wooden
panels and foggy instruments, I doubt many teenagers would be earger
to get their drivers license.

I seriously doubt that any teen is discouraged from aviation by the age of the
design of the airplanes used. Most teens have no idea how old the designs
are, and in fact could not draw any kind of airplane with any significant
accuracy if requested to do so. This being so, they cannot reject aviation on
the basis of information they don't have. Besides, fancy vehicles appeal
mostly to young males, not to the population in general.

Things like cell phones and iPods didn't exist fifty years ago. Today there
are a great many things competing for our attention that simply were not there
a few decades ago. It's only natural that our attention is more thinly spread
than before. People who might have turned to aviation in the days when
options were fewer have a much greater choice today, and therefore a much
greater chance of picking something else.

The second aspect is the fascination pilots seem to have with war
equipment, and the yearning for the 'good ol days'. Many pilots look
at a WW2 airplane like a B17 as if it were a technological marvel.
That may be true, but it just doesn't connect with the new generation.
Even though I am not from the iPod generation, I too found this
fascination with war equipment rather strange. Perhaps it is because
no one in my anscestry participated in the war.

I don't know if this fascination is that widespread.

How many kids do you see hanging around at antique car shows?

How many kids do you see hanging around at car shows, period?

Aviation technology has marched on in great strides in the past 50
years. But almost all of the modernization has occured due to the
advancement in electronics. This is the only aspect that keeps some of
us still interested in aviation. That includes VOR, GPS, satellite
weather, flight planning tools, electronic charts, glass panels etc..
The mechanical aspects have been stagnant. All these modern
electronics are still housed in ancient aluminum panels that are
riveted togother. They creak and vibrate, and the engines consume
leaded fuel and puff out smoke and oil, and have frightening gas
mileage.

In order to appeal to the next generation, this is what I think we
need:
- a small turbine engine suitable for GA aircraft with fewer moving
parts and smoother operation
- gas mileage comparable to an SUV
- a fully composite airframe
- molded aesthetic interiors
- cost about 2-3x the price of a luxury car

The list is very ambitious, but we are on the right path with LSA.

It's more than ambitious; it is straddling the jagged edge of impossible.

What is still seriously lacking is the powerplant.

I will grant that powerplants are archaic. I think that the overhead of
certification is a major obstacle to seeing newer developments. And the cost
of having certified powerplants makes even the archaic 50-year-old designs
expensive, to say nothing of anything more modern.

Even a modern-style piston engine would be an improvement. But it would be
hugely expensive.