Jay Honeck wrote:
We both agree that he's ready to learn to fly "for real". So, last week we
sat down with a local flight instructor to check out his options on learning
to fly.

Was he there at the meeting? He should have been. Does he really want
to do this? Or is this something you and Mary want?

Let me tell you a story. Once I went with a friend of mine to pich up
a very nice glider he picked up for a very reasonable price (It was a
Ka-8b, and he paid $5K for it, in flying condition and with a fresh
annual). Only problem was, it had sat on its trailer in a hangar for
almost five years. There was a reason it sat there.

A guy who was really into flying (including gliders) bought it for his
15 year old son. Now, when I was 15, I would have been willing to kill
someone to get my father to buy me a flying maching of any description
whatsoever. But this kid just didn't much care about flying. He never
did fly it. It sat, and it sat, and in the end his father sold it to
my friend, when it became obvious that his son wasn't going to fly it.

In a world full of people, only some want to fly. Isn't that crazy?
But it's true. I think if your son really wanted to fly, you would
already know what to do. He could have soloed a glider at 14, and he
can get a glider certificate at 16. He can solo at a powered airplane
at 16, fly for year doing solo flights and training, and take his
private and instrument back to back. There are lots of options. But
the real question is, what does he want? Unless he really has a desire
to fly, it won't matter in the long run what you do - he won't fly.
And if he does have a desire, he'll let you know in no uncertain terms.

I know a kid who chose having a glider over having a car at 16. Would
your kid make that choice?

Michael