Born To Fly?

Johnathan

Johnathan

Well-Known Member
I read an article recently and I thought I would get your opinions here since this is something that relates to me. How early is too early to start to fly? Can you be born to fly? What do you guys think? I ask this only because I think I am one of the youngest pilots here.
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i started taking lessons when i was 14...that might have been a little too early though...i was only flying once a month but now its risen as i get closer to 17
 
In my opinion as a new CFI, a youngster shouldn't start training until they are old enough to complete the private in a year. I take into account the time it takes to get a private certificate flying once a week and you come up with close to one ( 1 ) year. You can't get your license until you are 17 and although I know you can solo at 16, I wouldn't start unless you are 16 years old.

Some parents want thier children to start at 13 or 14 years old and the trouble is thats three years before you can get a private certificate. Saying all of this, there is nothing wrong with going up with someone and they let you fly the plane at whatever age, as long as you don't have to pay for it.

What I am not taking into account is the youngster who wants to solo at 16 years old. If you are a youngster who wants to solo on thier 16th birthday than obviously you have to start at 15. That still leaves two years you have to finish the private which in my opinion only, is a long time and a lot more money than a year to complete. Remember that time not flying diminishes skills learned.
 
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In my opinion as a new CFI, a youngster shouldn't start training until they are old enough to complete the private in a year.

Remember that time not flying diminishes skills learned.

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I agree completely...
 
I know what you mean. Right now I am 13 and taking lessons, but here in Canada you can solo at 14 with your Student Pilot Permit. Then at 16 earn your Recreational, and at 17 your Private. And I usually fly once a month at least.
 
There's an article in this month's AOPA Flight Training on this exact subject. My personal opinion agrees with the two above. Start at 16. The recreational license is an option, I guess. But I don't think you can carry passengers with that one. Other than having to get your instructor to sign off on you every once in a while, how is that different from a student pilot license? A lot of people if they start at 15 will either get frustrated with the lack of progress due to their age or might find something else that holds their interest more. I know when I was 15 I couldn't stay focused on something as complicated as flying, but that was just me.
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I started at age 14 and have no real regrets. I would say that I had a pretty strong desire and I can see how not having that it could lead to a very long two years. Best case scenario I would agree, wait till 15 or so. I soloed at 16, private at 17, etc etc. blahblah
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I started at fourteeen and took my private and instrument ride on my seventeenth birthday and a week after, respectively. I was training under part 61, so I spent a lot of time doing x-c's for the minimum fifty hours for the instrument (I have two extra sheets of endorsements glued to my first logbook).

That being said, I don't think it really matters. As long as you have certain personality traits (patience, etc.), you can be a good pilot within a couple years. I believe flying at a young age instilled these in me, but there are plenty of others ways to develop them. I'm just glad I did it before college, as there is NO WAY I'd be able to train for a cert./rating while attending classes. I must also say that it certainly kept me out of trouble (not that I was looking for it!).

J.
 
I think that as you begin to reach the age of understanding (14-55...depending on the person...), you can learn!!! If I own my own airplane and my daughter wants to start learning when she's 13...what's the problem? Just means that she'll have that much more flight time by the time she's 18.

Imagine....start flying when you're 14, and log 100 hours each year. By the time you hit 17, you're ready for your private. Get your commercial as soon as you're 18, and follow up with all of the instructor ratings. It's been done....

Most teenagers are idiots, we can all accept that. And most of them have no desire to do anything but listen to Jigga Ray , or whatever the newest rap trend is. As a result, most of them will miss out. Woo-hoo...more flying for the rest of us.

But for those that do want to fly, those are probably the ones that you do want flying. And that's a good thing!!!

Lastly, I think when you hear someone say that a student should start when they're 14, it's said for the same reason that they say a student shouldn't buy a Skylane and learn : because they didn't have one.
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There's an article in this month's AOPA Flight Training on this exact subject.

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That is the article I read, and that's why I posted this.
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Well, I am 14 turning 15 and will be taking lessons this summer...From around the local FBO, I have heard people say that there is no harm in starting too early, and others say that you dont wanna burn out too early..just depends on what you want/think you can do!
 
I started at 13, about 4 months before my 14th birthday. I'm 15 and half now. I soloed shortly after my 14th bday (Canada remember). I was pretty much done the private training after my 15th birthday. Right now I'm getting a little discouraged with just doing the same crosscountries over and over since I'm technically still a student pilot and can't fly elsewhere. Although I've gone up for some ILSs and the like, and it was an absolute blast! In retrospect I probably should have waited a bit longer, because the waiting before I can get my rec is killing me.
 
I had my intro-flight when I was 12. One can never give advice that would make sense for EVERYONE, but regarding myself, I think that I should have waited until I was around 15 or 16 to start. My problem was that I would get into this cycle of learning and forgeting stuff all too quickly when I was flying so sparsely. When I began at age 12, I took lessons once a month, now that I'm 17 and only a few hours from my Private, I'm flying once a week (as long as this "stable" Ohio weather coorperates)
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I have 6.4 hours and I'm 16, turning 17 shortly. It is a lot to undertake and can be somewhat intimadating at first, but it's a blast!
 
i started taking lessons about 3months before my 17th Bday and still soloed at 16 and took my checkride like a month after my 17th birthday.
 
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I started at fourteeen and took my private and instrument ride on my seventeenth birthday and a week after, respectively. I was training under part 61, so I spent a lot of time doing x-c's for the minimum fifty hours for the instrument (I have two extra sheets of endorsements glued to my first logbook).

That being said, I don't think it really matters. As long as you have certain personality traits (patience, etc.), you can be a good pilot within a couple years. I believe flying at a young age instilled these in me, but there are plenty of others ways to develop them. I'm just glad I did it before college, as there is NO WAY I'd be able to train for a cert./rating while attending classes. I must also say that it certainly kept me out of trouble (not that I was looking for it!).

J.

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You did all of this in such a short time and at such a young age,congratulations you did well. I don't think you would have gotten in trouble because you have a goal and you understand what you stand to loose if you get in trouble. Keep up the good work..
 
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I have 6.4 hours and I'm 16, turning 17 shortly. It is a lot to undertake and can be somewhat intimadating at first, but it's a blast!

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Earning your Private Certificate will be a blast. All the hard work and dedication will pay off. Make sure you show up prepared for your lesson and it will cost you less in the long run.When your Instructor debriefs you after a lesson, and make sure he debriefs you,he should tell you in advance what to expect for your next lesson.You can study before hand and read up on the maneuver he has planned for you.This will make your lesson go easier and save you money in the end. Good luck and have fun while you learn..
 
I really love training right now and think that it is just amazing! I knew right when I took my first flight that I definitly wanted to continue training. So far it has been hard at times but I don't mind.
 
I'm 16, and soon to be 17. I just signed up to begin training in April. I chose this time to start because I would like to complete the Private before I go away to school, and thought that I would have ample time to do so starting in spring. If I started too young, I felt I would simply be throwing money out the window.
 
There's no such thing as a natural-born pilot.

— Chuck Yeager

Great pilots are made not born. . . . A man may possess good eyesight, sensitive hands, and perfect coordination, but the end result is only fashioned by steady coaching, much practice, and experience.

— Air Vice-Marshal J. E. 'Johnnie' Johnson, RAF

I'm happy to say I haven't even graduated from high school and I have my commercial single/multi engine land ratings. I have my CFI checkride this Friday; I plan on finishing CFII and MEI before I graduate. And this summer I'm going to get the Helicopter addon to my commercial. I did many flights at a young age on different rides that were offered at the fair, at the airport, tours, etc. I started flying when I was 14 to get some of my own time logged and I have had no problems with it. I was mature for my age, and I still am; it sometimes causes me problems with my friends. How would a 14 year old react to a certain situation, 15, 16 year old? I feel it's not the age of the person, but the maturity. Anyways, I'm drained long day....

Clem
 
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