"Peter Pryor" wrote in message
...
How uninformed and misguided is that? The temptation is to use the words
"useless" and "politicians" in the same sentence, but that would be redundant.
My oldest son soloed at 14 (that was 19 years ago) and by the time he was 17
and fully licensed had already learned things about responsibility, judgment,
decision-making, self-reliance, friendship, etc. that have served him well and
will continue to do so his entire life, even if he never pilots another
aircraft.

Likewise. My daughter soloed at 14 (glider) and 16 (power) and it did her a
world of good in all of the categories that you mentioned. As it turned out,
the flying kept her so absorbed that I believe she was 18 before she even
bothered to get a learner's permit to drive.

One of the most wonderful things about growing up in the aviation world
were the wonderful mentors that took an interest and served as positive examples
to her. In the soaring world, Mary Gafney and Bill Willis come quickly to mind.

Vaughn