Partial and group ownership is incredibly common now because everything is so expensive. I'm making ~$60k and 'own' 1/20th of a plane (Cessna 177) that none of us could reasonably afford alone. Admittedly that's not struggling, but it's not a ton of money in my part of the country either. It's just prioritizing spending on getting to fly instead of other hobbies.
Most flight instructors / people going for the airlines are in similar partnerships or at a flight school using those small planes to eventually get enough hours to go to the airlines. They're usually making less than I am.