On many weekends the contests get so bad that 40M is too crowded to find a QSO, and even during the week QRM sometimes is a problem. Of course the upper bands (6 10, 15, etc) need condition to be right to get very many openings. So no, it's far from dead. In fact, amateur TV (including High Def) is still going strong in some areas (obviously not DX though).
Yes, my first realization about that was in the '70s when I was in Albuquerque. A flying friend periodically flew his C-170 to the Denver area for hamfests, at least 2-3 times a year, in addition to other places. There are other overlaps, too- motorcyclists are quite common among pilots, as are musicians (I've had a few jams here and there).
One member of our daily morning 40M net is a corporate pilot, flying a Falcon 7, and literally travels all over the world. Once in a while we chat with him airborne, and he checks in occasionally (listening only) via SDRs (Software Defined Radios), basically a way to listen over the internet. He was in the Maldives a few days ago, then Rome, etc.
At least four others on the net are pilots, some currently inactive, and they range from Florida to Oklahoma and Texas, and one builds and flies RC models.