Some suggestions for a young'n (please don't flame)

pavelump

pavelump

Well-Known Member
Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

I have a young man who is about 12-13 years old (7th grade) who is very interested in becoming a pilot and is asking my advice on the subject. From what I gather, he has no aviation conncections in his family (kinda like a lot of us).

Obviously, he can't get a student pilot cert. yet, much less a private, so what can he do to keep working towards his interest?

The only thing that I've thought of so far is CAP, but I hate to think of making him buy one of those jumpsuits and turning him into a dork... hehe
wink.gif
OK, sorry.

Any other suggestions of activities, books, programs, camps, whatever?

I want to help him, because he had the balls enough to ask his teacher (my friend) about it and email me. I wish I had done the same thing when I was his age.

Thanks!
Dave
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

Gliders? You only have to be fourteen to get a student pilot license for those. Even if he can't get a student license then he can still receive dual, just can't solo.
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

Try to hook him up with a pilot mentor in his area...maybe someone who owns a plane he could wash in exchange for rides. I usually tout the EAA chapters as a good place to meet airplane friendly folks in person but, as a 7th grader, I'd say he's a bit to young still....unless he went with an adult.

I was at the local YMCA last night...they have a teen center with computers and stuff. I got to thinking that it would be cool to volunteer to come down there one evening a week with my Cirrus 2 flight console and Elite flight sim software. You could let kids fly around a bit and teach them a few things....it's better than those dumb games they play. I'd say, for your 7th grader, maybe a computer flight sim with a joy stick would be a cheap way to keep him interested for a few years till he can fly either gliders or powered planes.

Have him check the library for aviation books or magazines. I spent a lot of time at the local library when I was about his age reading Flying magazine.

Also, if he'd like to send me an email...I'd be happy to chat with him.

doneikenberry@hotmail.com
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

I would point him in the direction of the EAA Young Eagles. They often have programs where they give kids a short flight and answer questions about flying. It's a good start and he could meet some people around the airport.

Here is some info about the program.

As far as books are concerned, see if you can show him something from the FAA. One of the teachers at my school has a son in 7th grade and I helped him with a science project on wind shear and wake turbulence. I let him borrow my FAA Airplane Flying Handbook and Pilot's Hanbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. He thought that was way cool.
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

The gliders is a great idea and what I did. Are their any airports in the area he can hang out at and try to get some connections? Tell him to hang out there for a while. And of course refer him to this site. If he has AIM or AOL tell him to IM me at citationpilot88. I talk to a lot kids like him on AIM from the ''simmers'' site's and wouldn't mind talking to another.

And aviation challenge is an ok aviation camp.
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

I have been hooked on planes since I was but a wee little thing, but I got hooked on the reality of being a pilot almost 15 years ago when I took a community ed course. For some cheap amount of money ($100?), you got six one-hour evening ground lessons in a group, then got to take an introductory ride in the instructor's 177RG with two other students. He took three of us up and we'd climb over the seats to switch places in the left seat. Everyone flew for about 20 minutes but nothing was logged.

It was not only a great way to learn about flying, but also a great way for that instructor (I still remember his name, voice, plane, phone number, and hangar after 15 years) to drum up some business.

Maybe there's something like that in your area? If not, maybe some starving instructor could start one?
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

Refer him here! We'll all be happy to help.

That, and he could start reading up now on, say, Rod's private book.
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

[ QUOTE ]
The only thing that I've thought of so far is CAP, but I hate to think of making him buy one of those jumpsuits and turning him into a dork... hehe
wink.gif
OK, sorry.

[/ QUOTE ]CAP doesn't have those jumpsuits anymore, they'd make him buy a set of camouflage BDUs, tho--which most 13 year-olds dig.

I don't know if they still do, but CAP's Illinois Wing used to have some great flying programs established (better than most other states). In any case, CAP's a great place for someone his age to start, particularly if he's interested in going the military route (MikeD, for instance, was a CAP cadet). More info is available on www.cap.gov.
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

Yep, I would say the the washing in trade for rides, I got the chance to ride up front on a Piper Malibu on Sunday, rising up through the clouds as the sun is decending on the horizon, one moment I will always remember. Remember, for people without a license or not in training (like me) just riding up front and being able to watch the dials and the pilot in action is great. Just my thoughts though.

Kostco
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

Thanks, those are all great suggestions. Maybe we'll hear from him one of these days in the forums.

Later,
Dave
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

I started at 14, which isn't too far off. I jumped into a C-172 (aka chickenhawk) and logged my dual for about two years, gradually. Eventually it was already time to solo..now I'm 18 and I'm working on multi-commercial. So far I feel it's worked out fine for me...but that's just me. I've never done gliders, but it's always been an idea. I've also thought of sky diving once too, but again that's just me.
smirk.gif


Clem
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

[ QUOTE ]
I've also thought of sky diving once too, but again that's just me.


[/ QUOTE ]

Gotta be 18 to partake in that activity. And if you're planning on making money in it, you've got to spend a ton first. You need hundreds of jumps (400-600 at a MINIMUM) before you can become a coach or instructor, and probably more if you want to be a videographer.

But you should definitely try it sometime. Its like nothing else!
cool.gif
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

[ QUOTE ]
And if you're planning on making money in it, you've got to spend a ton first.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds familiar
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

I fully recommend CAP - there's dorks in every organization but overall it's a great program and I enjoyed my time there. I soloed gliders through one of their programs and I was able to tour Austria for 3 weeks for $300 with cadets from other countries.
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

CAP would be the easy way to:

Get some flight time, CAP has a thing they call orientation rides that go through a pre-programmed list of topics. First is an intro flight, and with a few more lessons added on, a cadet may do the half dozen orientation rides, and learn quite a bit to cut down on paid training when older.
Find others of similar age, with similar interests.
As mentioned above, there are other things in the CAP program. I as well got to go to a foreign country as a guest of them, stop in D.C. and Germany on the way over and back. Cost was about $150 for a 'uniform' that was a jacket, slacks and a tie, and a few shirts and polo shirt alternates. Wore those things to official dinners on bases over there.

Or, just go out to an airport and hang around, wash planes. You'll find most plane owners don't like to fly along, and are looking for a reason to fly. There were days I was renting, and was alone, needed to build time. I would have taken anyone that wanted to go along for a couple hours if they just asked.
 
Re: Some suggestions for a young\'n (please don\'t flame)

CAP around here doesn't even have to pay for uniforms. And the nice thing about it is if their is an instructor in the squadron, you can pay him to rent the airplane for you. So you give him the $55 an hour and most instruct for free. A lot of cadets over in Baltimore do this instead of paying the $100 an hour at the flight schools.
 
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