If you're looking to get into flying, and put off by the expense, try sailplanes (gliders). I learned first in gliders, and then got my airplane rating a few y

If you're looking to get into flying, and put off by the expense, try sailplanes (gliders). I learned first in gliders, and then got my airplane rating a few years later, but I still go out to fly sailplanes on the weekend, because gliding is more of a sport, and more engaging once you already know how to fly. More importantly, for a lot of people, it's much cheaper than flying airplanes -- typically less than half the cost. It's also a more social type of activity, as gliding is mostly organized around clubs, which exist to provide instruction and tow planes. You'll meet lots of great people in the club. In airplanes, you typically don't have a whole lot of routine contact with other pilots, because you just drive out to the airport, get in, and go. If you're interested, ssa.org is the national organization, and they have a list of local clubs.