I've done quite a few discovery flights -- not one had any idea how new or old the airplane was (not in the Chief, FWIW), and only a couple have even asked. A coat of paint on a 40 year old airplane will fool 99% of the aspiring aviators.
True - But that makes your $35K C172 into a $43K C172.
And the interior has to be done. Now we're in the upper $40K's.
And the radios probably shouldn't be the old amber-display variety... In fact, a color GPS is almost a necessity to not look "old". Now we're over $60K... Wait, we can get a 5-year-old LSA with all that stuff already in it for only $10K more, and it'll burn half the fuel! (That's gonna be a huge factor... Well, it already is.)
The FBO nearer the large city also charges folks for "Taxi practice" when the weather is marginal, and schedules CFIS for 1 hour blocks -- total. So students might fly .75 of that. Guess how many hours it takes to earn the Private? Yeah -- lots.
Ugh. That's the kind of crap that needs to stop.
I'm not disagreeing that we have to do a better job, but Apple is a very poor example as it has only recently rebounded from dark days and appeals to a niche, loyal market that buys in to the whole contra mantra.
The "rebound" began in 1998 and they've been going up, up, up ever since. But what I mean in bringing up Apple is this. Apple, for a long time, was all about "user interface." That's great, but when your flagship machine costs $10K without a keyboard, monitor, or video card and people have to actively seek out the only dealer in town who sells the stuff, and then worry about support... Well, the user interface doesn't really matter. That would be like a flight school saying "Hey, check out this COOL Garmin GTN 750 we just put in our C172! You should learn to fly!" It makes no sense.
What Apple has transformed into is focusing on the entire *user experience*. That's a large part of why they have their retail stores, and when you go to those stores, you really see the "new Apple" at work. The stores are well-lit, stylish, and "comfortable." You'll be greeted at the door, but not in a "can I get in your face and sell you something" kind of way. There's a short table with computers on it for the kids to play on while you talk to someone or browse around. The store isn't product-heavy, so it's reasonably easy to find what you're looking for. When you do, there's no waiting in line at a cash register - Each employee has an iPod Touch with a credit card scanner, and they'll swipe your card and the receipt will be in your email when you get home.
Then, you get home with your new iGadget and open the box. Instead of a ton of packaging, manuals, cables, etc. to dive through to extract your new toy, you simply open the box - And there it is. You start playing with it right away, and leave all the other "stuff" for later. The software that comes on it is fully functional, not demo crapware - It's good to go right away. If you have a problem, you can go to the store again and they'll fix it while you're there (excepting more complex hardware problems). If you call in on the phone for support, you talk to an easy-to-understand American, not a guy with a strong Indian accent named "Thomas" who's in "St. Louis".
All of those little things make a HUGE difference, and they're a large part of why Apple is still growing like crazy. Apple used to be the Mooney of computers - Lots of OWT's, and they had a great product but they weren't very good at selling it. Those who did buy them loved them. Luckily, with the iGadgets Apple has been able to transition to the role of market leader, and with people buying their other stuff and having that excellent experience with it, they start to think "Hey, maybe I'll get a Mac next time I get a new computer."
So... Instead of an average FBO, let's imagine a "new-school" FBO experience. "You" are a curious, potential student pilot to start off with.
First, you hear/see an ad on a local Radio/TV station, newspaper... Or you see something in Twitter or Facebook about learning to fly, and your curiosity is piqued. You go to awesomeFBO.aero and see that they not only have information about their fleet and rental rates, they also have a FAQ that covers a lot of your questions. You decide to go visit the FBO, and you walk in the door to find a clean, well-lit facility where you're immediately greeted with a smile. Upon finding out that you want to learn to fly, an instructor is summoned and quickly appears, and not only covers the basic requirements, but takes the time to show you the airplanes, discuss safety and costs in an honest manner, help you with some strategies to maximize your training dollar, and also tells you about some of the wonderful joys of flying. Finally, they ask if you'd like to have a taste, and they take you on a flight. The airplane is clean and in great shape inside and out, and looks like it's relatively new (<10 years), even if it's not. You and the CFI preflight, he explains exactly what you're looking for and why. You sit in the airplane while the instructor shows you the various things you need to know, and then you start up, taxi out, and take off. The instructor directs you to a heading, has you do some maneuvers but keeps you pointed in the same general direction. Another airport quickly appears, and you're surprised to find out you're already 5 towns over. The instructor walks you through your first landing, and you taxi in to another location of awesomeFBO, where the employees greet you with applause and welcome you to the world of aviation. They invite you in for a free cup of coffee and a cookie and you debrief with not only the instructor, but any other pilots or instructors who happen to be hanging out. After a little while, you hop back into the airplane and fly back to the point of origin, where the person at the desk smiles and welcomes you back by name while taking care of payment details.
(time passes)
You taxi in from your successful checkride, having completed in 45-50 hours thanks to some of the suggestions the FBO gave you for completing your training in an efficient manner. Your picture goes up on the wall - On their facebook wall, that is. Twitter, too, and the web site. Your instructor congratulates you, and makes arrangements with you for further instruction a couple weeks out, and talks with you about continuing to increase your skill and experience. You start going to the weekly "Night Out At The Airport" where you hang out with other aviators, tell stories, maybe take in an aviation movie, maybe see a safety presentation, but there's always something going on one night a week at the airport that keeps you coming back. You're continually encouraged, made to feel like a part of a community, and you start bringing friends along...
Now, doesn't that sound a hellofa lot better than what we've got now?
But, I think it could attract a lot of new members, both those who are losing (or have lost) their medicals, and those who want to learn how to fly.
As time went on, I'd check about once a year and eventually the requirement was reduced to watching the Sporty's G1000 DVD and getting four hours in the plane. Rates are better, too.