Dylan Smith wrote:
Insurance in aircraft, from what I've seen, does not depend on age but
hours and ratings. In any case, if you can't be comfortable letting your
son fly off in your airplane, how can you be comfortable letting him fly
any plane? If he's prone to stupid pilot tricks you'll be mourning the
loss of him not the plane so it's irrelevant which plane he augers in
with.


If I didn't say it explicitly, that's what I was implying. I can see letting
him fly the family plane on trips with the family. I can't see letting him out
of my sight solo in any aircraft; particularly one occupied by one or more of
his frriends.

One other thought is that it gives him an unrealistic view of flying as if
everyone had a divine right to it. Flying is expensive; most pilots can barely
afford to fly at all (like me, I'm semiretired). What happens to him when he
hits the real world away from Mommy and Daddy and the family Cherokee? I would
imagine damned few of the staff at McDonalds are instrument rated. Sadly, CEO
jobs are relatively scarce. One very important lesson taught to me by my father
is that just because the family has money doesn't mean *I* do.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE