"JH" == Jay Honeck writes:

If aviation weren't dead in France, they should have the same
PROPORTION of pilots, aircraft and airports as the US.
If aviation were dead in France, they wouldn't build
Airbusses.

JH Airbus? Pah. That's not aviation -- that's industry.

JH I'm talking about real, grass-roots aviation, Stefan -- like
JH Bleriot and Saint-Exupery practiced.

What about all the Light Sport aircraft just starting to show up in
the USA? Most come from Europe, including France.

In my research of airport clubs to visit 5 years ago for my one and so
far only :-( trip to France, I found lots of clubs and airports. GA
is certainly not dead in France, nor did it appear to me to be
confined to the rich. Instead, just like in the USA, people make
choices on how to spend their money and a few spend it on airplanes.