How to introduce kids to flying?

This is what it looks like when you do it right

http://www.baldeagleflyingclub.org/Potwbig.htm

--

Roger Long

Artie and Airplane is good too! http://www.artietheairplane.com

At 6 paper airplanes are fun, teach him how to fold and bend the wings to make it move in different directions. Balsa
gliders and rubberband balsa planes are also good. Developmentally most models wouldn't be appropriate. Depending on
where you live you take him for trips in the plane to cool places. Of course when we flew the kids to the aviation
museum the thing they talked about for weeks was "they just let us take a car to McDonalds". Oh well, neither one flies,
but the girl is a meterology major and promises personal briefings.


Blueskies wrote:

http://www.allaboardtoys.com/Jay_Jay...+the+jet+plane

Jay Jay the Jet Plane.

Get involved with the local school and promote aviation, get his friends excited about it also. Every time you hear a
plane, look up (automatic, eh?)

Model rockets are pretty cool, make good noise and happen quickly. Keeps the attention.

Don't push, let him figure out that this is really the coolest thing there is...

"GEG" wrote in message ...
I have a 6 year old son.
I'm only a student pilot.
However, in my youth, I thought flying was totally cool - yet
completely out of my domain. I lived in a very rural area
and we didn't have much money as a family.

I really wish I had been exposed to it earlier.
In fact, I wish I would have made a career out of it.

My wife is a little "weary" of flying, having the "nervous wife/mom"
syndrome.

I'd like to introduce aviation (not just flying) to my son
over time.

I'm wondering if anyone has resources or recommendations of how
to do this effectively without being overbearing, being realistic,
but creating true excitement.
I mean, I have some idea, but still, input and perspective from
other sources can be invaluable!

Are there books covering such methods?

Thanks to all in advance!

This worked for me.

While I was a student I took my daughter to the airport and we sat in
the planes and she "pretended to fly" - I did this to get her
comfortable in the cockpit. She was 4 or 5 at the time.

We would also watch the planes take off and land and occasionally we'd
be close enough to a taxiing plane to hear the noise etc.

When I passed my checkride I took her and my wife flying on a calm
afternoon somewhere for dinner and a very smooth night flight home.

My kids enjoy the more amusing aspects of flying more than my wife (who
thinks that a clearing turn to find traffic reported in the same general
area is done just to annoy her).

I just have to always remember that my wife's continued acceptance of my
flying is contingent on her not being turned off to it by bad experiences.

Get your kid a proper kids headset (pilot avionics make a decent one)
get them used to what they feel like...

I'm sure they will love it once you take them.

Robert

GEG wrote:
I have a 6 year old son.
I'm only a student pilot.
However, in my youth, I thought flying was totally cool - yet
completely out of my domain. I lived in a very rural area
and we didn't have much money as a family.

I really wish I had been exposed to it earlier.
In fact, I wish I would have made a career out of it.

My wife is a little "weary" of flying, having the "nervous wife/mom"
syndrome.

I'd like to introduce aviation (not just flying) to my son
over time.

I'm wondering if anyone has resources or recommendations of how
to do this effectively without being overbearing, being realistic,
but creating true excitement.
I mean, I have some idea, but still, input and perspective from
other sources can be invaluable!

Are there books covering such methods?

Thanks to all in advance!

A little early right now, but EAA Young Eagles also...

Paper planes at the New AirZoo grand opening: http://www.airzoo.org/events.htm Local 2nd graders did the flying...




"Margy Natalie" wrote in message ...
Artie and Airplane is good too! http://www.artietheairplane.com

At 6 paper airplanes are fun, teach him how to fold and bend the wings to make it move in different directions. Balsa
gliders and rubberband balsa planes are also good. Developmentally most models wouldn't be appropriate. Depending on
where you live you take him for trips in the plane to cool places. Of course when we flew the kids to the aviation
museum the thing they talked about for weeks was "they just let us take a car to McDonalds". Oh well, neither one
flies,
but the girl is a meterology major and promises personal briefings.


Blueskies wrote:

http://www.allaboardtoys.com/Jay_Jay...+the+jet+plane

Jay Jay the Jet Plane.

Get involved with the local school and promote aviation, get his friends excited about it also. Every time you hear a
plane, look up (automatic, eh?)

Model rockets are pretty cool, make good noise and happen quickly. Keeps the attention.

Don't push, let him figure out that this is really the coolest thing there is...

"GEG" wrote in message ...
I have a 6 year old son.
I'm only a student pilot.
However, in my youth, I thought flying was totally cool - yet
completely out of my domain. I lived in a very rural area
and we didn't have much money as a family.

I really wish I had been exposed to it earlier.
In fact, I wish I would have made a career out of it.

My wife is a little "weary" of flying, having the "nervous wife/mom"
syndrome.

I'd like to introduce aviation (not just flying) to my son
over time.

I'm wondering if anyone has resources or recommendations of how
to do this effectively without being overbearing, being realistic,
but creating true excitement.
I mean, I have some idea, but still, input and perspective from
other sources can be invaluable!

Are there books covering such methods?

Thanks to all in advance!

GEG,
When you finally take him up get child sized headsets for him. My
daughter was very uncomfortable with my DC10-20's. I bought the child
size head band for it and it made a huge difference for her on our
second flight together. It seems like a small point but avoiding
discomfort is a biggy.

My kids are 10 and 12 and although the headset helps, they don't beg to
go flying. I'll ask them from time to time, if they say yes great but
usually the answer is no. I never push it. I hope they enjoy it as
much as I do someday but I'm the only one in our entire extended family
that does so I'm not too hopeful.

Dave
68 7ECA

GEG wrote:
I have a 6 year old son.
I'm only a student pilot.
However, in my youth, I thought flying was totally cool - yet
completely out of my domain. I lived in a very rural area
and we didn't have much money as a family.

I really wish I had been exposed to it earlier.
In fact, I wish I would have made a career out of it.

My wife is a little "weary" of flying, having the "nervous wife/mom"
syndrome.

I'd like to introduce aviation (not just flying) to my son
over time.

I'm wondering if anyone has resources or recommendations of how
to do this effectively without being overbearing, being realistic,
but creating true excitement.
I mean, I have some idea, but still, input and perspective from
other sources can be invaluable!

Are there books covering such methods?

Thanks to all in advance!

I think your bigger concern ought to be your wife. One of the first
things I learned as a low time pp from my male colleagues was the high
AIDS epidemic amongst the men:

Aircraft
Induced
Divorce
Syndrome

Amongst most of the male pilots I know, unless they have a wife who
likes to fly with them, they eventually faced the "wife or the airplane"
ultimatum. While I'm not saying that you will ever find yourself in
this situation, you probably should deal with this problem now while you
are still taking lessons. Otherwise you are going to be facing an
uphill battle trying to get your son involved without your wife's
approval. Your son is too young to really appreciate aviation. Your
wife is not. If you can get her on board, you will find it much easier
to eventually get your son involved if both of his parents are
encouraging him.

If you'd like some advice on helping the wife learn to appreciate your
flying, drop a post. Us women folk tend to be attracted to different
aspects of aviation than men and often have different fears and concerns
and ways of getting over those fears and concerns. I'm sure the women
on this list as well as the husbands with flying wives would be happy to
share some tried and true advice to help you teach your wife to
appreciate flying.

Helen

If you'd like some advice on helping the wife learn to appreciate your flying, drop a post. Us women folk tend to be

I'm always intersted.

Jose

--
Nothing is more powerful than a commercial interest.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

"GEG" wrote in message
...
I have a 6 year old son.
I'm only a student pilot.
However, in my youth, I thought flying was totally cool - yet
completely out of my domain. I lived in a very rural area
and we didn't have much money as a family.

I really wish I had been exposed to it earlier.
In fact, I wish I would have made a career out of it.

Up until I started flying lessons, the only airplane ride I ever had
was when I was maybe 7 or 8. It was in a C-172 and we all got airsick
from the rollercoaster ride that day. I never got to do much with
the R/C models my dad had for a while. I just added 2 more flight
sims to my collection. I've estimated that I have somewhere around
3000- 4000 hours with sims. It didn't help much with real planes
but I did at least understand how the controls worked. I'm currently
working on my commercial and multi-engine and then CFI so I can
pass on the fun. I'm 41 now

Last summer, I managed to do an XC to where my sister lives
and gave my nephew, who is around 10, a short ride.
My sister wouldn't go because of a scare from a commercial jet
flight, but my nephew has his older sister convinced she needs
to go next time. I did a nice greaser with a 10 knot direct
crosswind that day. Interestingly enough in a C-172N.

The tough part is I rent and scheduling the airplane and getting
nice weather rarely happen at the same time. So rides are kind
of a rare thing at this point.

When you get your private, take him for a ride. Sometimes
it is the little things that spark an interest. Let him do the
rest on his own.

On 2/28/05 9:38 AM, in article , "GEG"
wrote:

I have a 6 year old son.
I'm only a student pilot.
However, in my youth, I thought flying was totally cool - yet
completely out of my domain. I lived in a very rural area
and we didn't have much money as a family.

I really wish I had been exposed to it earlier.
In fact, I wish I would have made a career out of it.

My wife is a little "weary" of flying, having the "nervous wife/mom"
syndrome.

I'd like to introduce aviation (not just flying) to my son
over time.

I'm wondering if anyone has resources or recommendations of how
to do this effectively without being overbearing, being realistic,
but creating true excitement.
I mean, I have some idea, but still, input and perspective from
other sources can be invaluable!

Are there books covering such methods?

Thanks to all in advance!

My grandson is just over 1 year and already points at every plane in the
sky, while going "oooh, oooh."
He has to touch everything with wheels that he can get his hands on. He
insists on sitting on the motorcycle in the garage.
It's going to be very hard for me to be patient and wait a few more years
for him to fly with me.
--
Jeff 'The Wizard of Draws' Bucchino

Cartoons with a Touch of Magic�
http://www.wizardofdraws.com

More Cartoons with a Touch of Magic�
http://www.cartoonclipart.com

On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 20:47:39 -0500, Wizard of Draws wrote:

It's going to be very hard for me to be patient and wait a few more years
for him to fly with me.

Why wait Jeff?

I took my nephew up at the young age of 1 1/2 and my niece went up on the
next flight because my nephew went up. Now, I have to plan my visits to
allow for "flying time".

Also, I use the plane to teach them things like counting, how many wings,
how many tires, and so fourth. My nephew knows all the exterior moving
parts, though getting him to say aileron is interesting to hear!

I try to time it so he sees me come into land, and then take off as well.
He knows what runup means, taxing and even knows the colors to the taxiway
vs the runway.

I keep the talk to a simple term so he can understand what I am looking at
even if he don't understand why I am looking at things.

He also understand the danger of the propeller, knows to look where he is
walking around the plane (flaps on a low wing are hell on foreheads!)

You should see him pull or put the chocks under the nose wheel with him
doing the limbo act under the fuselage.

His first cross country, he and my niece was outstanding. Took in the
ride, like a champ. Though I doubt he has a full appreciation of the
priviledge of flying, I do believe he knows it's something different then
what his friends experience. My niece on the other hand sees it as another
form of transportation. She got in the rear seat, and had her eyes closed
for most of the trip.

My poor sister and brother in law..... they are Jay Jay the jet out.....

Allen