Training your kid to fly..

[AlbieF15]

For the CFI mommies and daddies out there...

Got a logbook today as a gift for my 13 year old.

Now--when I was an active CFI, I had several syllabi to take a person via part 61 or 141 through their private pilot program. Goals were solid training, minimum time, and minimum expense.

Now I have a very difference situation. I have a child/teenager who has an interest in flying. I think doing the full up ground school--this is types of airspace, this is LIFT, this is a short field landing, etc etc might be a bit much right now. At the same time, I'm looking for some ideas on teaching her to fly beyond the "here...daddy will let you steer" mode. She's 3 years from being able to solo, so there is NO rush to work on patterns, stalls, etc.

I'm thinking of actually starting her "formal" training with cross country planning. How to plot a course, locate landmarks, indentify types of airspace and ATC procedures. Let her plan a trip (to a nearby amusement park?) or another fun place, do the takeoff, fly the legs, then let me teach her the basics of an approach and landing. Over time, we'll work in more serious airwork, stalls, approaches, hood work, etc etc. Again--no rush on time and we own our own plane, so there is not a critical requirement teach items in the most "efficient" manner. Instead, I'm wanting to share the passion and instill the professionalism and air sense along the way.

Another wrinkle--our plane is a complex fuel injected retract with a C/S prop. No, its not a 150--but the military trained folks for years in complex airplanes ab initio, and the first "real" flying post solo many of my UPT classmates did was in a JET. So--this could get interesting.

How many of you taught your kids to fly or learned from a parent at a young age? How did you go about it? I've got several ideas in mind, but I'm also smart enough to know if someone else has been there/done that they might have some good insights.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Gryphon]

Will you adopt me??? J/K I wish i'd had that when i was young, but dad wasn't much interested in much of anything except his beer... I was once told when i wanted to ride a motorcyle, if you ride a bigger one than you think you can handle, it will only improve your abilities... i did, and it did. I think it's great you are helping your daughter in that way. Best of luck.

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

I have three children, one 33, one 25 and one 15. I’ve taught all of them to fly. I do have a few comments for your consideration. First you are off to the right start by just flying cross countries to enjoyable places, the closer the better. Maybe a 30 - 50 mile trip to an airport restaurant for lunch is the idea to keep them interested. No pressure of really trying to teach anything of a serious nature because young 12 - 14 year old children really are not mentally ready. As far as the cross-countries I wouldn't even get into the planning too much, just put it in the GPS and make it look as easy as possible. It should look like its as easy as just getting in the car for a trip to the store.

One thing I have noticed with all my kids, it takes 10 hours to teach a 12 or a 13-year old what can be taught in one hour with that same child when they are 16-years old.

Another observation, young people usually do not know anyone their age that really has any interest in flying and they don't know any parents that fly either, so they naturally must think that people who fly are different and that isn't always good for your purposes. Therefore it is important to take your kids to fly-ins like the EAA convention and camp for the week. That way they will see that thousands of people fly, not just their mom or dad. Plus all kids like camping so Oshkosh becomes a much looked forward to event that happens to involve airplanes.

After all this, their own learning to fly becomes just part of growing up and becoming an adult. If you want your kid to learn to fly it just won't work to force it on them. It has to become their idea and something they want to do. And it will become their idea if it looks like a fun experience and something that they believe they can do. They'll want to learn to fly so they can be a part of aviation so as to take their friends up for a ride.


As far as learning in a high performance airplane is concerned, it is fine if the child is older but to a 12 - 15 year old the smaller and simpler the airplane the better for your purposes. A sport airplane or an old C-150/152 or a Citabria are perfect for this. My 15-year old flies our Decathlon well plus he can fly an IAC sportsman sequence. I had him in a C-172 for about 10-hours and he did fine in that too but he thought it was big.

I've taken all my kids to OSH every year and stayed the week camping with them. They all fly now. Plus my daughter, the oldest one, married a guy who I taught to fly as a wedding present. Now he's a corporate pilot. Flies as captain on a Falcon 2000 and a Falcon 10.

 

[frog_flyer]

quite an age range on the kiddies

 

[Vector4fun]

Albie, just my experiences;

I was an airplane nut from age 8, but my Dad had me take lessons with other folks in a J-3 and C-150 when I turned 16. (He was a DC-8/L1011 Capt) I think he felt it kept personalities out of the picture. He did work with me after I got the Private, but he was a pretty demanding teacher. I was able to deal with that better after I could keep up with the mental side better. (X-country/IFR decisions and such) I still did much of my Com/Inst/ME with other folks though.

10 years later, I soloed my youngest sister in a Warrior. It went well until we got to X-country and flight planning, and the math and head work just killed much of her interest. (Wasn't "fun" anymore)

Personally, if you know of anyone with experience and a J-3 or Champ or T-craft that will take her through, or near solo, she will learn some basic skills and habits, (stick and rudder) that she will never loose. Beyond that, a C152 or Tomahawk is a simple airplane that will let her concentrate on flying, rather than boost pumps, MP and V-speeds. In my case, I went from Private in the C150 to MEL in a PA-23 in about 4 months and 30 hours, but I was good at operating farm machinery of all kinds, and the six levers and cowl flaps/boost pumps/fuel system/hydraulics were no big deal to me. I would also wonder what it would add to your insurance premium to insure her for solo.

Still, there's no reason to not let her tackle what she's comfortable with in your present airplane until she's 16. She may like the planning, or Weather, or be a whiz with systems, who knows? But I wouldn't push anything that seems to overwhelm her.

 

[pilotyip]

I am teaching my 14 old grandson to fly, I agree, do the fun stuff, they enjoy it more. Low level cross counrty to a resturant in Jackson, MI is a fun trip. I found unlike my son who I also taught to fly, he was not big on the canned hi-work, followed by pattern work. His mom says don't talk him into a flying career, he can do it if he wants, but don't you talk him into it.