Parent of Teen wanting to Fly

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mattnday

Filing Flight Plan
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Matt Hardigree
I have been scouring around the web researching every school in Northern California trying to determine if there is a flight school near Sacramento California for my 13.5 year old teenager to begin flight training.

A bit of background on my son is that he is a bright child who is obsessed with everything plane and military oriented. He has built(with help) his own 3 monitor cockpit for his room and spends several hours every weekend flying on his simulator. When he is not flying his simulator he is studying flight videos or flying RC planes.

He is even studying ground school manuals he found on the web to understand more about terminology and procedures.

I realize he is only 13 and his first solo/licence are several years away.

I am seriously considering the several thousand dollars a summer we use for various summer camps to allow him to start taking flight lessons. He is begging to go on his first flight and we think that some sort of "deal" rewarding him for good grades and citizenship in return for flight lessons might be rewarding and motivating for him. Flying is his passion.

He will essentially be 14 by the end of summer. Is a lesson a month with a lesson a week during summer a good idea when they are this young or is it just too much for them to take in at this age.

I see a decent number of teens who get there licenses and solo close to the 16/17year old minimums.

If anyone has feedback on schools/instructors near Sacramento that would be good ber a young pilot or even feedback that I am just crazy and he would be better off waiting until he was closer to 16 I would appreciate any and all feedback.
 
You should consider sending him on an introductory flight just to make sure he would like real flying. Then maybe save up for a year or two so you can pay everything no problem and he won't have to wait as long to get his license if he is interested.
 
Find a local EAA chapter. There are usually many Young Eagle Flight programs to get him and keep him involved. Most EAAers are more than happy to take a teen flying. I certainly do. :yes:

You are doing a great job raising him BTW. :D

FYI, The service is starving for drone pilots. A sever shortage that can only get worst as time goes on. Golden opportunities for people with simulator time.
 
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Geico266 said:
Find a local EAA chapter. There are usually many Young Eagle Flight programs to get him and keep him involved. Most EAAers are more than happy to take a teen flying. I certainly do. :yes:

You are doing a great job raising him BTW.
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I agree with Geico, find an EAA chapter and get him involved. Spending money now means you'll just be spending it for the next 3 years while he learns and waits for his 17th birthday.
 
Look at gliders, a great introduction to energy management and will allow solo sooner. The experience will make him a better, safer, powered plane pilot as well.
 
Welcome Matt.

Let me get the bad news out of the way first. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Dubroff

Please note that although the story is about the young Jessica, the flight instructor was the pilot on this fateful day and made a series of horrible decisions that cost three lives.

Now, on to happier things. Go here: www.skyvector.com and drag the map to the city around Sacramento. All those magenta and Blue things are airports. If you right click on them, you can bring up the identifier by clicking on the blue link. Then you can go here www.airnav.com/airports and put in the identifier and get the contact info for the flight schools, or Fixed Base Operator at that airport. Frex KSAC is the identifier for Sacramento Executive airport where there are a lot of services avail. Call the FBO, and ask for schools or better yet, ask for a local CFI. Make some more calls and get the lay of the land. Develop some contacts, and talk to some instructors, and let them know what you want to accomplish. They will guide you.

My opinion is to find the oldest, crankiest, curmudgeon with access to a plane, and have him give your son a intro ride for a fee. Another opinion is that after the intro ride, maybe wait another year or so before starting actual lesson. Plenty of time for him to get in the mix of things.
 
Www.SSA.org Best thing you can do for him is start him in gliders. He can solo a glider at 14. Times a wasting.
 
ClimbnSink said:
Www.SSA.org Best thing you can do for him is start him in gliders. He can solo a glider at 14. Times a wasting.
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:yeahthat:

Based on the kids age, that's the way to go!

It'll also make him a better pilot and will build a great foundation.

As a ATP/CFI who has trained a few young folks, that's what I'd recommend every time.

Find the closest one and get your kid a discovery flight.

http://www.ssa.org/WhereToFly
 
Henning said:
Look at gliders, a great introduction to energy management and will allow solo sooner. The experience will make him a better, safer, powered plane pilot as well.
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And they are really cool! :D

An excellent idea if there is an active glider clubs in that area.
 
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mattnday said:
I have been scouring around the web researching every school in Northern California trying to determine if there is a flight school near Sacramento California for my 13.5 year old teenager to begin flight training.

A bit of background on my son is that he is a bright child who is obsessed with everything plane and military oriented. He has built(with help) his own 3 monitor cockpit for his room and spends several hours every weekend flying on his simulator. When he is not flying his simulator he is studying flight videos or flying RC planes.

He is even studying ground school manuals he found on the web to understand more about terminology and procedures.

I realize he is only 13 and his first solo/licence are several years away.

I am seriously considering the several thousand dollars a summer we use for various summer camps to allow him to start taking flight lessons. He is begging to go on his first flight and we think that some sort of "deal" rewarding him for good grades and citizenship in return for flight lessons might be rewarding and motivating for him. Flying is his passion.

He will essentially be 14 by the end of summer. Is a lesson a month with a lesson a week during summer a good idea when they are this young or is it just too much for them to take in at this age.

I see a decent number of teens who get there licenses and solo close to the 16/17year old minimums.

If anyone has feedback on schools/instructors near Sacramento that would be good ber a young pilot or even feedback that I am just crazy and he would be better off waiting until he was closer to 16 I would appreciate any and all feedback.
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First post..............

Welcome to POA....

:cheers::cheers:
 
Your not crazy at all. First i would have him go on an introductory or discovery flight at a nearby FBO. It will get his feet wet and he can see what its all about. He can solo when hes 16 so if he starts when hes 15 he can take the lessons and be ready to solo on his 16th birthday. However, if you want my opinion, i would wait to have him start lessons until he is 16, reason being is that once he solos (if on his 16th birthday) he will have to wait a whole year before he can get his license. All that time can cost more $$$ if you have to keep repeating lessons etc. either way I would get him setup for a discovery flight at any age.
 
Williams CA has a great glider training program. He can solo gliders at 14, get his private pilot certificate at 16 and be well on his way. Rex and Noel are great people to work with.
 
Where's that video of the kids summer glider camp? That was cool?
 
Geico266 said:
And they are really cool! :D

An excellent idea if there is an active glider clubs in that area.
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Another vote for gliders.And at the risk of starting another CAP war (please, not here) CIvil Air Patrol offers free glider lessons for cadets.
 
BillTIZ said:
Williams CA has a great glider training program. He can solo gliders at 14, get his private pilot certificate at 16 and be well on his way. Rex and Noel are great people to work with.
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No, solo inpower at 16, private at 17. Glider at 14 as you pointed out.
 
Henning said:
Look at gliders, a great introduction to energy management and will allow solo sooner. The experience will make him a better, safer, powered plane pilot as well.
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No more calls, we have a winner! Get the kid involved in soaring, it will make him a much better pilot. :yes:

And they can solo a glider at 14 and get their PPL-Glider at 16.
 
I soloed a glider at 15 3 years ago and got my license shortly after my 16th birthday. Your son sounds similar to me. I played flight sims since I was around 10. He will probably pick it up very quickly and gliders are by and far one of the best ways to learn to fly. You build a better feel for flying and it is very enjoyable. I moved on to powered after that and it felt easy (not to mention having a glider license removes a large portion of the oral exam). Largely just a transition to learning more systems and some cross country material.
 
Another vote for gliders. Because it takes a few people (usually pilot, wing runner, tow plane pilot) and there are often several gliders in operation, soaring tends to be a social activity. He will be interacting with other pilots and ground crew and enjoying their company while waiting for his turn to soar. Good way to hangar fly while he's not in the air and to enjoy the camaraderie of aviation.
And, there are powered gliders if he wants to get some engine time.
Byron and Williams CA have glider operations.
 
I soloed at 16 years old. Help your child pursue their passion! The ideas about an introductory flight and the Young Eagles program are great ideas to get him started.

Just know that the training will draw out if he starts now... maybe get his feet wet once per month, but I started training at 15 years old and it really dragged on because of the age limitations. Of course, that adds costs.

Another good starting spot is working the line at the airport... maybe a little young, but maybe not. Washing planes, helping with luggage, etc.
 
Wow! As a collective group of diverse personalities, we have actually come together and come up with a good solution to the OP's challenge

Soaring

Pat yourselves on the back.
 
Early exposure to aviation with responsible mentors is nothing but good.

I can speak, by way of example, of three young folk I met through thus very web board.

One was, I believe, 17 when I met him- he is, today, besides being a professional pilot and flight instructor, a senior executive in a thriving and successful business. Still in his twenties. All of his mentors have been pilots.

Another was just starting college when we met, and she's a professional pilot, flies jets. Cute as a bug, too.

The third was 16, had soloed and, on his 17th birthday (first lawful day he could), passed the checkride for his private certificate; on his 18th, his Commercial certificate. Now, he flies professionally.

Honestly, flying is good training for life, and in associating with aviators, your son will be associating with good role models. You could do worse...
 
BillTIZ said:
Williams CA has a great glider training program. He can solo gliders at 14, get his private pilot certificate at 16 and be well on his way. Rex and Noel are great people to work with.
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I've heard good things about Williams, they are a rather busy operation and do a good amount of outside glass glider repair as well. Good friend of mine did his glider add on there and had nothing but good things to say.
 
My Uncle Art, the P-38 pilot, gave me my intro ride in the front seat of his J-3 when I was 10. That was all it took. I did my solo at 16.

Another vote for the glider route, a great way to get an early start and really learn flying.
 
Henning said:
Look at gliders, a great introduction to energy management and will allow solo sooner. The experience will make him a better, safer, powered plane pilot as well.
Click to expand...

Agree - plus gliders can provide a great club atmosphere. The kid can spend all day at the airport helping with glider handling and prolly get free instruction (at a non-commercial club). It's a great starting place if there is a club near by.
 
I'd probably do what my dad did. At that age he'd tell me if I wanted something, I needed to go earn the money to pay for it. That made me invest in the pursuit. That was a lesson I'll always be grateful for.
 
Stewartb said:
I'd probably do what my dad did. At that age he'd tell me if I wanted something, I needed to go earn the money to pay for it. That made me invest in the pursuit. That was a lesson I'll always be grateful for.
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These days that would be impossible, lack of opportunity for even minimum wage jobs for kids coupled with the extraordinary price of flying now make it is non starter for flying.
 
BTW, just because gliders don't have an engine doesn't mean they are cheap to rent and learn in. Subject to others observations, I'd say you can expect to pay almost as much per hour (maybe not total) for glider training as you can for learning to fly in an old C-150.

Another observation that is purely personal. I trained two of my daughters to fly while they were juniors in high school. When they applied for college, they were able to put "private pilot" on their application. In a day when competitive college entrance boards are trying to find those qualities that will indicate a student will be successful, surely it can't hurt to document that the student has passed this test. In any event, it may cause the student's app to stand out to the admissions committee. If the kid wants to fly, it seems to me it can't hurt to get it documented that they were successful in attaining this level of accomplishment. One graduated from Wellesly, one from Carnegie Mellon. Yep, I'm proud as punch of them. Did being a pilot help them get in? Maybe. I like to think it may have.
 
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Stewartb said:
I'd probably do what my dad did. At that age he'd tell me if I wanted something, I needed to go earn the money to pay for it. That made me invest in the pursuit. That was a lesson I'll always be grateful for.
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Henning said:
These days that would be impossible, lack of opportunity for even minimum wage jobs for kids coupled with the extraordinary price of flying now make it is non starter for flying.
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I agree with the concept, but I think Henning raises a good point. There is a difference between providing the keys to the door and simply throwing it open. The OP sounds like he has a plan to at least tie this "reward" to something. Besides we all know that a gateway to aviation is simply an opportunity to learn to find ways to support your flying habit.
 
WingNut42 said:
I agree with the concept, but I think Henning raises a good point. There is a difference between providing the keys to the door and simply throwing it open. The OP sounds like he has a plan to at least tie this "reward" to something. Besides we all know that a gateway to aviation is simply an opportunity to learn to find ways to support your flying habit.
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The only school job I can think of that would pay enough for flying is selling dope. I guess you could look at it in that it will lead to the most lucrative flying jobs that exist. No other pilots can make a million dollars a trip....
 
Henning said:
Look at gliders, a great introduction to energy management and will allow solo sooner. The experience will make him a better, safer, powered plane pilot as well.
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There are glider ops not too far away at Byron and Truckee. And he can solo at 14.
 
Henning said:
These days that would be impossible, lack of opportunity for even minimum wage jobs for kids coupled with the extraordinary price of flying now make it is non starter for flying.
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It's a good thing the local kid at our airport didn't get that advice. He's been working there a couple of years, working on his ppl and getting stick time in about every plane on the field. The local pilots group just awarded him their annual scholarship.
 
Jealousy? Why make suggestions that make it harder for the kid to fly? Dad is hooking him up with flying at a young age, it is awesome that his dad is willing and able to do so.
 
Henning said:
These days that would be impossible, lack of opportunity for even minimum wage jobs for kids coupled with the extraordinary price of flying now make it is non starter for flying.
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I ain't buyin it...

If the kids want something bad enough, they will work their asses off to achieve it...

Mc Donalds pays 10 bucks an hour to flip burgers....

One day at work will buy them 1 hour of flight time..

40 days at work should get them their glider ticket... IMHO...

If there is a will.... there is a way....:yes:
 
murphey said:
Another vote for gliders.And at the risk of starting another CAP war (please, not here) CIvil Air Patrol offers free glider lessons for cadets.
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CAP offers 5 glider orientation flights. Lessons above 5 there is some expense to the cadet.
 
I know some parents who comment, "finish your glider certificate, then we'll talk about your auto license".
 
A guy in my club (an ATP) for a little while was trying to get his son to finish his glider rating before he got his DL. I think he did it, got the checkride in the morning, then his DL in fhe afternoon.
 
N801BH said:
I ain't buyin it...

If the kids want something bad enough, they will work their asses off to achieve it...

Mc Donalds pays 10 bucks an hour to flip burgers....

One day at work will buy them 1 hour of flight time..

40 days at work should get them their glider ticket... IMHO...

If there is a will.... there is a way....:yes:
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Even if a 13 year old can find a 10 dollar a hour job I doubt he will be able to get more than 20 a week hours. plus they are going to take taxes out of whats he makes. He may bee able to chip in but he will not be able to pay for it himself.
 
mikea76 said:
Even if a 13 year old can find a 10 dollar a hour job I doubt he will be able to get more than 20 a week hours. plus they are going to take taxes out of whats he makes. He may bee able to chip in but he will not be able to pay for it himself.
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Then get a paper route, or open a kool aide stand, or any other money making job.........

WE did it when we were kids......

This generation of kids are getting flat out SPOILED.... IMHO...
 
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