Did your parents/family support your journey to get a sport pilot or private pilot license?

N918KT

N918KT

Line Up and Wait
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KT
Just curious, but when you were growing up as a teen or young adult did you have supportive parents or family who allowed you to do flight training for a sport pilot or private pilot license? If not, why were they opposed of you learning to fly and how did you convince them to allow you to learn to fly? For every reason that they opposed you to learn to fly, what points did you make to back up your reasons of learning to fly?

I'm in my mid 20's and live on my own so I thought to myself that while they can influence my decision to fly or not, I have the final say.
 
Loving parants but non supportive parents on flying. Mother said it's to dangerous. Father just didn't want to spend the money. To this day I regret not pursuing as a career or joining military to get wings.

I'm determined NOT to be that parent.

Oldest daughter started talking airlines at a young age so I purchased her (us) a C150. Have to sacrifice a few other material things in order to afford but have enjoyed the progress. Even if her career path changes I don't want her regretting not having the chance.


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I earned my license in my 40s, working as an engineer in a medical device manufacturing plant and getting my masters at night. It worked well, since my fall / winter/ spring lessons were almost all on weekends. My wife was supportive of the idea.

My dad, as a teenager, worked as a line boy and was paid in flight time. Not sure if his parents knew he was taking lessons--his girlfriend signed his mother's name on the required form, and he got his license at 17. Times were so much more relaxed back then . . . . .

Never had the opportunity as a teenager, and when I tried the military route I had less than the required 20/20 vision to get into training.
 
Greenhead said:
Loving parants but non supportive parents on flying. Mother said it's to dangerous. Father just didn't want to spend the money.
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Same here, so it took me a long time to get licensed as I paid for it on my own against the headwinds of everyone telling me it is too dangerous
 
I think my mother was glad I found something that interested me, although she never expressed much of an opinion either way. But she was my first passenger. I was 20 when I got my private.
 
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I was an adult when I started. My mother never flew with me, and even when I talked about it she wasn't even close to positive about it.

My father did fly with me once. (We lived in different states so there weren't a whole lot of opportunities)

When I was training my wife at the time seemed neutral-to-negative on it. Probably contributes to the "at the time" portion.
 
another 'trained as an adult' but I didn't even tell a soul I was training, I mean NO ONE until after I solo'd. after getting certifimicated my parents flew with me and they loved it. overall though I get the feeling they don't like the concept much, but since I'm a grown-azz man it doesn't matter much.
 
I got my license at 17, and both of my parents had mixed feelings about it. My dad has never liked flying. He's always viewed it somewhat negatively, especially after his brother was killed in a King Air in '91, due solely from pilots' negligence and disregarding the MDA during a non-precision approach. Stupid, decision.

I've told him that it had nothing to do with the aircraft and it was the pilot who made an utterly ignorant decision. He knew the pilot was very arrogant and that played a role.

I always had the feeling that neither one of my parents wanted me to start flying lessons, but they became a bit more supportive, because they knew it's always been something I have loved since a kid.

To this day my dad still has somewhat mixed feelings and mom too. Dad has flown with me many times over the years and has expressed some enjoyment, while I can tell he is still quite reserved. Mom has only been twice, and she wasn't too keen on it.

In the end OP, you're an adult and can make your own choices. While there is some risk involved in the activity, most of the ill feelings come from a lack of education. Learning to fly has been the best thing I've ever done and haven't regretted the choice for a second.
 
I agreed to wait until the children were "grown," being the one with greater income, and resumed training four years ago while the youngest were in college. Like a lot of kids I dreamed of going the military route (Air Force), until I needed corrective lenses. Did not have the money when I was younger. Wife has been supportive, but she worries a lot. She did help buy the Luscombe, so that counts for a lot. She won't fly with me until we have a joint will. Lol. That's on the to-do list this summer. Three of my kids love flying with me; one even in turbulence!

I second @Ryanb ... best thing I've ever done. Looking forward to a lot of fun in retirement.
 
I didn't earn my PPL until I was in my late 30's. My dad always had a passion for flying but mom would not hear of it. So dad was on board but mom was not happy about it when I started training.

When I bought my baby Beech 20+ years ago I told mom it was a fixed gear, she said at least you won't forget to put the landing gear down...:) I live in Alaska and they lived in TN so there was not a lot of opportunity to fly with either of them. I did get Dad up a couple of time when they visited. When I called to say Hi dad would normally ask if I had been flying lately.

Chartered a float plane a couple of times to drop Dad and my family off at a remote lake to camp and fish. He loved it...:)
 
I didnt start until I was growed up. I was the parent of a teen that wanted to though. My daughter was 16 and wanted to. I said I'd pay for half if she maintained a B average with no grade less than a C. If she got straight A's I'd cover 3/4 of it. I didn't plan that 1/4 in my own budget but damned if the little whelp didn't do it.
 
Dad's a pilot but never forced the career on me. Mom was supportive and she knew what kind of lifestyle it was. Grandma still freaks out everytime I fly whether it's at work or GA.
 
luvflyin said:
I didnt start until I was growed up. I was the parent of a teen that wanted to though. My daughter was 16 and wanted to. I said I'd pay for half if she maintained a B average with no grade less than a C. If she got straight A's I'd cover 3/4 of it. I didn't plan that 1/4 in my own budget but damned if the little whelp didn't do it.
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Sure is a nice incentive. :)

Did she end up going for it?
 
Ryanb said:
Sure is a nice incentive. :)

Did she end up going for it?
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Yeah. She soloed and then did a few more flights and then quit. She picked it up again a few years later as an adult and ran with it. She's a CFII now with all kinds of "wallet candy." Multiengine and ATP are just about the only things she doesn't have.
 
luvflyin said:
Yeah. She soloed and then did a few more flights and then quit. She picked it up again a few years later as an adult and ran with it. She's a CFII now with all kinds of "wallet candy." Multiengine and ATP are just about the only things she doesn't have.
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Wow! That's fantastic. Good for her!
 
Child of immigrant parents. They didn't have any money after paying to raise us. Their rule was we could do whatever we liked as long as we kept up our grades and could figure out how to pay for it. No friends, neighbours or relatives that had anything to do with aviation.

Bought a fam flight in a Cessna 150 one sumner morning when I was an engineering college student and that was it. Hooked by the time we struggled to 50 ft AGL on take off in that thing. Before that flight was over we had done three full spins and recoveries. Coolest thing I'd ever done to that point.

Younger brother decided to show me how it's really done. Got his private and commercial, went into the military, graduated top of his class, went on to fly three different types of fighters including the Hornet, moved over to helicopters, moved back to teach in fighters and now wastes his life away up front in a 787-9.
 
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I was married when I started and my wife sat in the back during many lessons including unusual attitudes. She loves to fly and is a trooper. My parents were amazed I lived past the age of 16 with all the dumb stunts I pulled so flying really wasn't a big deal.
 
My dad always wanted to learn to fly, from the time he'd stretch out on the grass near his boyhood home at Lakeland, Florida, and look up at the Martin B-26s flying overhead. When I got interested in flying as a teenager, he decided to take lessons as well, and we got our private licenses within three weeks of each other. He flew for the rest of his life (passed away in 2008), and I'm now flying the 172 that was his pride and joy since 1988. We seldom flew together, but we always had something interesting to talk about.

We were always very close, and I truly believe that flying was a major factor in that.
 
Parents payed for private when I was in high school. So I think they were very supportive. The rest was on me. Have been a professional pilot for almost 20 years now.
 
I had wanted to learn to fly my entire life, but never had the money and time at the same time. When I finally did, it was my wife that suggested that I start taking lessons. (I was just going to build a cool simulator.) She even let me buy a plane before I bought her a house.

My dad passed long before I started flying. My mom is still alive and is supportive. (I have taken her on a few $100 hamburger runs, even though she's 86 and uses a walker.) My daughter loves flying with me, and considers me her own private airline. My wife will fly with me, but only on runs that are no more than an hour, and no more than two flights in one day. But she allows me to spend the money indulging myself, so that's enough support for me.
 
I ran into a highschool buddy 25 years after graduating. My wife and I went to dinner together ... I didn't know he flew until he steered the conversation to his Luscinbe. He offered a flight, I declined and the wife actually applied pressure asking if I was scared. It took several flights for the bug to bite. Wife has been opposite of most wives really supporting the hobby
 
No.

But they allowed me to get my license at 16 in exchange for staying clear of motorcycles.
 
I soloed at 16. Paid for flying by making Whoppers at Burger King and line boy on the weekends. I later found out my Dad had been hiding behind a tree to witness the solo. He was very supportive, as his brother, my Uncle, had been a P-38 pilot and owned a Cub and a Stinson.
 
Me personally...
(I don't have kids yet).. but I would find it nerve racking to watch my daughter (a daughter would be nice lol) do her first solo. Becuase I know so many things can go wrong. Like @eman1200 I didnt tell any family members when I was training because I didn't want them to worry about me.. crazy I know. I honestly do not think I can be a dad of a child that is doing flight training.. too much worrying. Just the thought is too much.
My family found out I was a pilot after I pased my checkride, before that they had no idea.
 
Loving but not supportive parents. Wanted to become pilot with the German Lufthansa or controller at 14 but my parents talked me out of both. Not sure if I would have loved either job and never looked into it myself either.

Had a supportive husband :D who signed us up for getting our licenses: paragliding, ultralight, US PPL. My parents flew with us once and they liked it. :)
 
One more "got it when I was older". Everyone supported me, and most importantly my wife. Guess everyone wanted rides:)
 
No !
They always wanted me to be a physician. To this day they consider me a failure.
 
Dad wasn't a pilot, but loved aviation. He served on 2 versions of the USS Block Island aircraft carrier, and survived the sinking of #1. He was the type of Dad that took us to the end of many runways and just watched aircraft land and take-off. We used to enjoy family meals, watching the planes, at the restaurant at Deer Valley Airport in Phoenix. Unfortunately, my parents passed before I got my license, but he knew I was working on it. I figure I've got a permanent passenger that I don't have to figure into weight and balance.
 
My parents are both very supportive of me deciding to fly. But they never helped my pay for any of it, I worked two jobs, one full time and one part time to pay for all my training, as well as giving bass guitar lessons on the side for a little play money. The most support I've gotten is advice from my dad, who is a (recently) retired pilot. After I solo'd I found him waiting for me when I got out, that meant a lot to me.
 
Flying is in the family. One Uncle was a F15 driver. My other Uncle is a chief pilot for Coke. Dad was an Army Helo pilot. My dad had a 172 he let me get my PPL in and fly whenever I wanted if I bought the gas. My mom was my first passenger after I got my PPL. I rented everything else I needed for Commercial and Multi. My dad also got a Robinson he was teaching me on but I got side tracked (flying job) with a couple hours shy of my commercial add on...my only flying regret. So yes, lots of support from the folks.
 
Yes. We grew up with airplanes as just another 'family car'. I was in the right seat with my dad while I was still in a car seat. So it was a natural progression for me to take up GA flying as well.
 
Parents supported none of my present hobbies. I learned them all after I was on my own and making my own money.
 
I was well into adulthood when I started flying. My wife bought me my first lessons and is still my best passenger.

My mother had passed by then. My father was still alive but never knew in flew.
 
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