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The major problem is that flying is expensive. That C-150 that you training with is probably costing you between $35 and $50 per hour. Add to that the CFI who is probably woefully underpaid at $25 per hour and you are talking about approximately $65 per hour for lessons. Multiply that by the 60 to 70 or so hours needed to acquire a license and you are talking about a serious amount of cash.
I think that the costs involved with flying are responsible in creating the image that it is something that is simply out of the grasp of the average person. In order to increase the number of pilots, it is first necessary to increase the pool of people that would potentially become pilots. In order to do this, it is probably more necessary to sell the idea of flying, rather than that of becoming a certificated pilot.
An FBO might attract more customers if it advertised itself as something more than a flying school/aircraft rental. Most people are simply not interested in spending their money on flight training. Rather, emphasize sightseeing tours, informal charter flights to places like Catalina Island. Instead of using rattletrap C-152s why not larger and more comfortable aircraft. Instead of emphasizing lessons, why not sell joyrides in a Stearman? Once the public learns that flying need not be an arduous long term expense, more people might be willing to climb the ladder toward certification.
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