It seems the majority of the time, the Strats on most maps are not even located near the 163 base. There are very few times when large strat/HQ missions even get put together. It sure as hell is not because of the 163 being in the area, it's because there are so few player who enjoy or will even take part in those missions.
There are also only a very small population of people who can fly the plane well, myself not included. I take one up only when there is a large mission in the area, just to do something different. Most of the time I get killed and I know I'm not the only one. I try to, but I also don't expect to bring it back to base.
We could increase its price, but that wont matter because the best will still be able to afford it. The people who cause the most grievances in the perk planes are the ones who will least be affected by any increase in a perk ride price increase. So all that will be done is to take away from the other players who otherwise don't fly the plane often.