Who said you should budget for everything you could possibly budget for?
When I used to fly around a lot with my brother, I don’t remember transportation ever being a problem. If we were flying for fun, the airport more or less was the destination. There was an airport - I think in PA - that had this restaurant that specialized in hotwings. Damn, they were good and we flew there specifically for that restaurant.
I can’t remember any airports we landed at that didn’t have decent facilities, rental cars, etc.
He flies himself on business all over the Mid-Atlantic & New England areas and I really don’t think transport is a problem. The only time ground transport might be a problem is when he flies up to the small summer home they’ve got out in the boonies there. But he has family who’d come pick him up & loan him a car.
So yeah, it’s not for everybody. It is expensive. A good question is, is it expensive because few people fly, or do few people fly because it’s expensive?
Of course they do something. The OP was talking about aeroplanes in general but a helicopter has it’s own uses. Aircraft take you further, and faster than a car. A helicopter will land pretty much anywhere. Can’t get to that fishing spot by car? Take the chopper.
I’ve popped over to visit my Mum on her birthday. It took one hour to fly, would’ve taken three and a half hours to drive. I’ve flown to an airport to pick up my wife from a commercial flight. Driving, return would have been eight hours, the return flight was only three. There was no commercial flight available for that particular leg.
Point is, just because it wouldn’t be useful for you, doesn’t mean they are not useful.
Who said you should budget for everything you could possibly budget for?