Children in gliders?

"Roger Worden" wrote in message
...
Are there some common guidelines about how big or old kids should be before
going for a glider ride? My concerns are around the safety harnesses being
intended for adults...

How do you ensure the harness is safe and is not going to slip around or off a
kid?

Are there safe ways to use a booster seat to enable a small one to be up high
enough to see out, without a possibility of it becoming a loose object in the
cockpit?

For a few years I had a nice gig as a rides pilot, my youngest passengers
were in the 5 or 6 year-old category. I see little point in taking up a child
that is too young to understand and later remember the experience. We never
tried a booster chair, but used cushions instead. (There might be something to
be said for booster chairs.) I don't recall any particular problems with an "H"
harness fitting a child of that age. Our procedure was to instruct the child to
cross arms and grip the shoulder straps high on their chest with both hands and
"don't let go". The main purpose of this was to keep their inquisitive hands
off of the controls. If you put the child in the front seat, don't forget the
ballast!

Keep the briefing short, but describe the experience in terms that they can
understand: The glider "tilts like a bicycle" when it turns, and "goes up and
down like a kiddie rollercoaster". If your takeoff area is bumpy, warn of that
just before takeoff. Throughout the ride, keep talking. Describe what you are
going to do, and point out interesting things on the ground; particularly the
place you just took off from, and any family that may be there to watch.

As for the ride, simpler and shorter is better. As every good entertainer
knows, "leave them wanting more". If you land with a sick and/or terrified
child, you will have turned that person off on your favorite sport for life.


--
Vaughn

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On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:52:20 GMT, "Vaughn Simon"
wrote:
[snip]

Keep the briefing short, but describe the experience in terms that they can
understand: The glider "tilts like a bicycle" when it turns, and "goes up and
down like a kiddie rollercoaster". If your takeoff area is bumpy, warn of that
just before takeoff.

Some years back I had the pleasure of taking a highly gifted
6-year-old for a ride in a 2-32. When we hit a little chop, he
exclaimed "Don't make it go all wiggly!"

When I explained that it was just like a boat going over waves, he
said "Oh. Okay", and all was well....;-)

rj

How confident are you that the child can jettison the canopy and deploy the
parachute in the event of an emergency? The parents at least should be
aware of the risks. Picture yourself at the crash scene having safely
fallen to earth as the ambulance personnel remove the body of a child,
securely fastenned into the remains of the glider. what do you tell the
parents?

Questions I have asked myself and, yes, I will fly children.
Best wishes

JohnR-K

"John Roche-Kelly" wrote in message
...
How confident are you that the child can jettison the canopy and deploy the
parachute

Parachute? What parachute? Chutes are neither required nor common in two
seat gliders in the USA. They are fairly common in single seat gliders, but in
non-aero flights in airplanes they are virtually unheard of.

But I suppose that is a subject for another thread...


--
Vaughn

.................................................. .......
Nothing personal, but if you are posting through Google Groups I may not receive
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a real NNTP server & news reader program and you will never go back. All you
need is access to an NNTP server (AKA "news server") and a news reader program.
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.................................................. ........

Will poofread for food.

Vaughn Simon wrote:

Parachute? What parachute? Chutes are neither required nor common in two
seat gliders in the USA. They are fairly common in single seat gliders, but in
non-aero flights in airplanes they are virtually unheard of.


I do not use a parachute for non-aerobatics flights unless all
occupants have parachutes, and are trained in their use. With or
without chutes, all occupants will know how to escape from the
cockpit in an emergency and will be reasonably capable of doing
so, or they do not fly. This prevents me from carrying young
children, or certain adults.

C'est la Vie.


Jack

I'd go T1 on that, nice windup but it breaks a bit early.

Thanks, Bob K.

On Sep 10, 8:23*am, John Roche-Kelly
wrote:
How confident are you that the child can jettison the canopy and deploy the
parachute in the event of an emergency? The parents at least should be
aware of the risks. Picture yourself at the crash scene having safely
fallen to earth as the ambulance personnel remove the body of a child,
securely fastenned into the remains of the glider. what do you tell the
parents?

Questions I have asked myself and, yes, I will fly children.
Best wishes

JohnR-K