Hints for parents of 13 year old student pilot?

Corky Scott wrote:

I think Rick would probably explode with pride if his skin were a
thousandths thinner. ;-)

Yet another reason for him to be glad he's so thick-skinned. :-)

George Patterson
Battle, n; A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would
not yield to the tongue.

Have you read Rick Durden's article about his daughter soloing in a
glider? There is a picture of her in this month's Sport Aviation
standing in front of the glider and looking hugely mature for a 13
year old, and extremely smug about things.

He flew beside her watching the flight.

I think Rick would probably explode with pride if his skin were a
thousandths thinner. ;-)

For sure! I've met Rick's daughter, both at Oshkosh and when he brought her
here to Iowa City -- and she is one smooth operator. Very sharp and
self-confident for a teenager.

I think she was actually 14 when her AOPA article ran -- and she's probably
pushing 15 now.

Girls sure mature faster than boys at that age.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Tue, 23 Mar 2004 18:40:44 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:


I think she was actually 14 when her AOPA article ran -- and she's probably
pushing 15 now.

Girls sure mature faster than boys at that age.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I think you're correct about the age. As to girls maturing faster
than boys at that age, I'm beginning to wonder when we ever catch up.

Corky Scott

*sigh* They say raising kids is the hardest thing you'll ever do. I'm
starting to believe that.

Starting??? Either the first 12 years were easy or you're a little slow on
the uptake there Jay :-)

Best of luck to you and Mary as you try and figure out the way to pursue
this whole thing. One thing your son has going for him is that when ATC
calls out traffic, he'll know *exactly* what to look for.

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Best of luck to you and Mary as you try and figure out the way to pursue
this whole thing. One thing your son has going for him is that when ATC
calls out traffic, he'll know *exactly* what to look for.

Yeah, but he'll be expecting a quarter every time he spots traffic! :-)

(We've been paying both of our kids 25 cents for every plane they can spot
before we do, since they were toddlers. Those young eyes can really SEE.
Of course, we have turn them "off" when we're flying into Oshkosh Airventure
or Sun N Fun, or we'd go broke!)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Sure, just tell him the proper radio phraseology is "Roger approach, Piper
xyz has that traffic in sight, expect standard fee" then see what happens.
:-)

When he takes you or Mary along as a pax, see if the table is now turned and
you can start earning those quarters back.

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Jay,

It is too bad you are not near me in Colorado. I have had several
young students... I like to start them in airplanes at 10 years old,
transition to gliders at 12, solo gliders at 14, glider ticket at 16,
solo airplanes at 16, airplane ticket at 17. :-)

Youth are an interesting group to work with. I get to serve Civil Air
Patrol at glider and power flight academies, so I am quite used to
working with young folks. Make sure your son and your chosen flight
instructor get along well, and that your son is doing this for
HIMSELF, not to please his parents!

So, look around, and purchase him a glider ride, a balloon ride, and
an airplane introductory ride (without any parents or parent's friends
or acquaintenances in the airplane). Afterwards, intervies the
CFI/pilot about their perceptions of your son's motivations and
aptitude at this time.

Take this ALL with a grain of salt, as EVERYTHING for a young person
may change in 6 weeks or 6 months.

In rec.aviation.student Jay Honeck wrote:
My son, age 13, is planning to take flight lessons this summer. My wife and
I are both pilots, so he has been flying since birth.
Best regards,

Jer/ "Flight instruction and mountain flying are my vocation!" Eberhard

--
Jer/ (Slash) Eberhard, Mountain Flying Aviation, LTD, Ft Collins, CO
CELL 970 231-6325 EMAIL jer'at'frii.com WEB http://users.frii.com/jer/
C-206 N9513G, CFII Airplane&Glider, FAA-DEN Aviation Safety Counselor
CAP-CO Mission&Aircraft CheckPilot, BM218 HAM N0FZD, 197 Young Eagles!

On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 23:01:40 -0600, Jim Fisher wrote:

"J" wrote in message
$1000 down
the tubes.


Kinda early to say that, ain't it? Those kind of investments may take a
while to mature, you know. Because of her early experience, she may blossom
into something unexpected like an astronaut or (your worst nightmare) an
engineer.

She really has no love of flying. She grew up with a plane in the
family so a plane is just a means of transportation. Sort of like a car.

As far as her other skills, she has been a straight A student for 8 years
(now in 8th grade), is tops in the school in math and physics, and
achieved her black belt at 10. So we have not problem with motivation or
focus. Flying is just not a big deal.

Sigh,

jerry

Hi Jay;

Neither of my parents flew. So I speak from the student/child side. Although
that
was 30 years ago. :-)

I was extremely motivated when I was a kid as I had always wanted to fly. I
can
not remember a time that I did not want to fly. I would save any money that
I earned
and use my lunch money to fly with. I had my first 4 or 5 hours before my
parents
knew what I was doing.

My father was supportive to the point that he did not stop me and my mother,
well,
she pretended that I was not doing anything.

I started my training when I was 14, soloed on my 16th b-day and had my
private
ticket before the end of high school. I had planned to have a flying career,
but I ended
up a computer guru. Go Figure. :-)

If your son really wants to learn, I would have him fly a few hours, then
have him hit
the books. If he is truly into flying he should be willing to study a few
hours a week.

Our 15 year old son is not into flying at all. He loves his Tae Kwon Do. He
is just about
to test for his 2nd degree black belt. Jody has been asked to go to a
tournament in
Chicago in July.

Regardless if he enjoys flying or not, be supportive.

Craig R. Bowers
Rosamond, Ca http://craignet.com


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:IyC7c.58287$_w.912977@attbi_s53...
My son, age 13, is planning to take flight lessons this summer. My wife
and
I are both pilots, so he has been flying since birth.

Any parents out there gone through the same experience? My concerns a

1. Training Program. His training need to be thorough, but not dull and
too
"book oriented." I don't want him to burn out.

2. Structure. He's a typical 13 year old -- one minute mature, the next
minute a scatter-brain. He learns best in a structured environment, which
is something I've noticed is lacking in most FBO-based training programs.
The problem, of course, is if it's too structured it may become dull, and
then we're back to #1.

3. Frequency. Given his inability to solo for a few years, I was thinking
that weekly lessons would be plenty. I know this slows the learning
process, but that's okay for now. Or do you think he'll lose interest at
that slow of a pace?

4. Instructor. Whoever teaches him is going to have to relate to a young
teenager. Considering the young age of most of our CFIs, this may not be
a
problem. Or, they may not take him seriously. Or, worse, he might not
take
*them* seriously.

It's really hard for me to tell if his interest is genuinely internal, or
if
it's just coming from the fact that his mother and I are pilots. We've
assumed from birth that he and his sister would one day fly, just like we
assume that they will one day drive a car and go to college, so it's not
like he's got this unusually strong, burning desire to fly. Heck, he's
been
flying right seat since he was 8 years old, so it's kind of "old hat" to
him, and he, too, has always just "assumed" he would learn to fly.

But flying is serious business, and I want to make sure he becomes safe
and
proficient.

Despite our aviation background, my wife and I are both on pins and
needles
about this -- we want to make sure he gets off on the right foot. Any
advice from others who have gone down this road is appreciated!

Thanks,
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:IyC7c.58287$_w.912977@attbi_s53...
My son, age 13, is planning to take flight lessons this summer.

Just wanted to say, what a great opportunity for your son! Gotta confess,
looking at the 9 year old and kinda hoping that he gets the 'bug' around the
time he is your son's age. My wife (not a pilot, but a willing passenger) ,
of course, knows what I'm thinking and I'm not sure what her 'vote' will be
if the munchkin at 13 asks about taking flying lessons, but time will tell.
Assuming your son is sufficiently motivated,, having two pilot parents is
going to give him a great start.

Good luck!

--
--
=-----
Good Flights!

Cecil
PP-ASEL
Student-IASEL

Check out my personal flying adventures from my first flight to the
checkride AND the continuing adventures beyond!
Complete with pictures and text at: www.bayareapilot.com

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -

"We who fly, do so for the love of flying. We are alive in the air with
this miracle that lies in our hands and beneath our feet"
- Cecil Day Lewis -