What GA needs

Recently, Andrew Sarangan posted:

This is a follow-on to the various discussions on the future of GA.

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

(rest snipped for brevity)

I think you've hit on a big reason already. iPods, internet computing and
such are passive involvements that require little in the way of
commitment, education, sacrifice, and focus. In short, just the opposite
of what is required to get actively involved in GA.

Beyond that, the barriers to entry have increased significantly in the
last couple of decades due to many factors, including an overly-litigious
society and urban sprawl. One way that interests can grow into active
involvements is through incremental experiences. When I was a kid,
although we lived in large cities, there were plenty of public places to
fly model planes within walking distance of our house. Today, I don't know
of one place within an hour's drive to do that. There isn't even a decent
hobby shop in our city from which to buy materials or kits to build flying
model planes. It makes it tough to maintain interest if you can't have
positive experiences along the way.

Neil