Teenager Student Pilots

mscard88

mscard88

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Oct 1, 2015
Messages
23,216
Location
Alabama
Display Name
Display name:
Mark
I have two, 16 & 17 boys, and they are sharp. Both are ahead of where others are in training. So for those wondering about this generation, here's evidence that they aren't waiting for others to do things for them. Great to experience firsthand.
 
What's an airplane
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Glad to hear Mark! I started when I was 15. Soloed at 16 and got my ticket at 17. By far the best thing I’ve ever done and continue to do.

Here’s me where it all began. Taken circa 2012 at a local airport’s open house day!
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Mtns2Skies said:
I started when I was 13.
@Ryanb
@ktup-flyer
@DavidWhite
and I'm sure there's plenty others on this board that started as teenagers as well. We're out there... in force :cool:
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Ryanb said:
Glad to hear Mark! I started when I was 15. Soloed at 16 and got my ticket at 17. By far the best thing I’ve ever done and continue to do.

Here’s me where it all began. Taken circa 2012 at a local airport’s open house day!
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Happy for both of you, and others. I would have started early, but, well girls, and money. I'm just glad to see the younger generation flying.
 
mscard88 said:
Happy for both of you, and others. I would have started early, but, well girls, and money. I'm just glad to see the younger generation flying.
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I heard that! Nice to have the girls and money after you get your ticket though. Some of my best memories have been taking friends (especially female friends) for rides!
 
Ryanb said:
I heard that! Nice to have the girls and money after you get your ticket though. Some of my best memories have been taking friends (especially female friends) for rides!
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Girls AND money?! You figured out how to have both? C’mon man, you owe it to the male world to share the secret!
 
Half Fast said:
Girls AND money?! You figured out how to have both? C’mon man, you owe it to the male world to share the secret!
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Certainly not a lot of money, but enough to go out and have fun. With that being said, a magician never reveals his secrets! :)
 
My familiarization flight experience this weekend with a 17 yo blew that whole "damn kids today" thing right out of the water.
This kid was mature, sharp, motivated, thoughtful.
Such a great thing to witness.
You kids, come walk on my lawn!
 
I meet some motivated young kids ,when flying young eagles.some of the future generation of pilots have got it together.
 
Ryanb said:
I heard that! Nice to have the girls and money after you get your ticket though. Some of my best memories have been taking friends (especially female friends) for rides!
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Back when I was allowed to date, I found that night flights along the beach in South Florida was a GREAT first date. Or second. Or third.
 
I teach high school and I’ll say, this generation is different than even my generation( I’m 35) but there are lots of good kids out there. I’m even starting to see this generation is becoming more aware of how technology is impacting their lives and trying to lessen their addiction to their phones( granted this is a recent thing and many are still far beyond addicted to their phones!)

I’m sure this generation will get interested in flying much the same way ever generation before them did. People are always too critical of generations that come after them generally speaking, but I think this generation will be just fine.
 
mscard88 said:
I have two, 16 & 17 boys, and they are sharp. Both are ahead of where others are in training. So for those wondering about this generation, here's evidence that they aren't waiting for others to do things for them. Great to experience firsthand.
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My HS age daughter is expressing interest in learning to fly, and I made a deal with her. Good grades this year in exchange for dad footing the flying lessons next summer. Hopefully she makes good on the deal.
 
I taught my son right after he graduated from college. My daughter started months ago but hasn't continued. Says she plans to start up again.
 
Bill Jennings said:
My HS age daughter is expressing interest in learning to fly, and I made a deal with her. Good grades this year in exchange for dad footing the flying lessons next summer. Hopefully she makes good on the deal.
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My daughter was 16 and said she wanted to learn to fly. The deal I made was maintain a B average with nothing less than a C and I would pay for half. Make straight A's and I'll pay 75%. I had that 25% earmarked for other stuff. Damned if she didn't do it. I wasn't flying at the time and never talked about how I used to. Turns out what motivated her was wanting to be a Flying Doctor. There was some show on TV about a woman who was a bush pilot doctor in Alaska.
 
True story...
Came home after school (no football practice that day) and watched an episode of Andy Griffin. Aunt Bee learned how to fly and solo. The show ended, I thought if Aunt Bee can do that I can too - and I promptly drove to my local airport and just drove up to the "Cessna Pilot Center" and took a "discovery flight". I was hooked, took lessons, and soon soloed and got my PPL at 17 years of age. Paid my own way too - I had a good summer job in the Texas oilfields.

Now, the above being said, as a 17 year old licensed pilot, I definitely did some things that would be considered a little reckless and unwise. Just a maturity thing. I definitely took a few risks in my Z28 Camaro and rental 172's.

But - I am 55 years old now and am a much better automobile driver and pilot than I was at 17!
 
Stephen Shore said:
True story...
Came home after school (no football practice that day) and watched an episode of Andy Griffin. Aunt Bee learned how to fly and solo. The show ended, I thought if Aunt Bee can do that I can too - and I promptly drove to my local airport and just drove up to the "Cessna Pilot Center" and took a "discovery flight". I was hooked, took lessons, and soon soloed and got my PPL at 17 years of age. Paid my own way too - I had a good summer job in the Texas oilfields.

Now, the above being said, as a 17 year old licensed pilot, I definitely did some things that would be considered a little reckless and unwise. Just a maturity thing. I definitely took a few risks in my Z28 Camaro and rental 172's.

But - I am 55 years old now and am a much better automobile driver and pilot than I was at 17!
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That’s cool. Sure she would have been proud to be your inspiration
 
I’m another one that started at 15...soloed a few months later on my 16th birthday...got my private on my 17th. Now teaching the wife!!
 
I hate when people classify the entire current generation as being useless and wanting everything given to them. I'm still part of the millennial generation, soloed at 16, private at 17, and I have my commercial checkride scheduled in 13 days and will be starting my CFI immediately afterwards. A good friend of mine soloed on his 16th birthday, private checkride on his 17th birthday, and will be getting his commercial by the end of the month at age 18. And he's going to be doing his CFI next month. A large percentage of the current generation makes up the stereotypical attitudes, but there's a lot more that are hard workers, meaningful, contributing citizens.
 
Half Fast said:
Did you pay for the lessons yourself or were they given to you?
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Whether they were or not is kind of irrelevant isn’t it? Most of us have parents who have sacrificed to help their kids get to where they need to be in life in some fashion or another. Few of us can say that we grew up entirely without anything being ‘given to us’.
 
I have no idea what name was given to my generation. I started flying in high school. Dad payed for private. I picked up the tab for the rest.
What concerns me is not necessarily the kids themselves but the education they are receiving.
 
Ryanb said:
Whether they were or not is kind of irrelevant isn’t it? Most of us have parents who have sacrificed to help their kids get to where they need to be in life in some fashion or another. Few of us can say that we grew up entirely without anything being ‘given to us’.
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Spoken like an entitled, spoiled, privileged, millennial snowflake.

Did I forget anything?






:D:)
 
Half Fast said:
Did you pay for the lessons yourself or were they given to you?
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We all have been given a leg up a few times in our lives and anyone who claims to have made it without the help of anyone else is joking themselves into a completely false sense of self importance. Accepting financial help to pursue ones future is not a sign of weakness, in my mind. Being ungrateful and constantly looking for handouts, now that’s a different story.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I started when I was 13.
@Ryanb
@ktup-flyer
@DavidWhite
and I'm sure there's plenty others on this board that started as teenagers as well. We're out there... in force :cool:
Click to expand...

You can add Anymouse to that list. I started at 16. Soloed at 17. Unfortunately, I didn't finish my private ticket until a few years later and was 22. However, all that early years stuff was financed by working for Dunkin' Donuts. The final push was paid for after a Med Cruise in the Navy.

Stephen Shore said:
Now, the above being said, as a 17 year old licensed pilot, I definitely did some things that would be considered a little reckless and unwise. Just a maturity thing. I definitely took a few risks in my Z28 Camaro and rental 172's.

But - I am 55 years old now and am a much better automobile driver and pilot than I was at 17!
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:yeahthat:

Umm... Me too!! I won't go into details. :devil:
 
Half Fast said:
Did you pay for the lessons yourself or were they given to you?
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My parents paid for my training up the the exact moment I could legally get a job; in this state it is 16. I got a job on my 16th birthday right after I got my driver’s license (used my own money I saved for several years to buy a car, just FYI) and I have paid for my own training and flight time since. And this may come as a shocker, but it was my idea to do this. My parents offered to at least assist with the costs, but I said no.
 
flannelw said:
My parents paid for my training up the the exact moment I could legally get a job; in this state it is 16. I got a job on my 16th birthday right after I got my driver’s license (used my own money I saved for several years to buy a car, just FYI) and I have paid for my own training and flight time since. And this may come as a shocker, but it was my idea to do this. My parents offered to at least assist with the costs, but I said no.
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Good for you! Well done!
 
I think every generation thinks the one after it has issues. Before Millenials, it was GenX and before that the Boomers. Boomers, etc. are saying most of the same things about this younger generation their elders said of them. How ironic.

At least some of it is true, some of the time. However, the one universal truth is you can not define individuals through generalities.
 
Wish I'd started when I was teenager....
I think its much easier to learn in that age, than as an adult..
mscard88 said:
I have two, 16 & 17 boys, and they are sharp. Both are ahead of where others are in training. So for those wondering about this generation, here's evidence that they aren't waiting for others to do things for them. Great to experience firsthand.
Click to expand...
 
jordane93 said:
Some of my best students were teenagers.
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I get students when they are 13, about 3-4 months shy of their 14th birthday. Solo after 14 then fly for 2 yrs waiting for their 16th birthday to take a checkride. Then on to powered flight.

Yes most teens wanting to fly just seem to have “the hands”. It’s watching their maturity level and decision making change as they get closer to solo, and then the checkride.
 
My daughter started wanting lessons at 6. She’s 9 now, so maybe she can start learning more.

I’m not a CFI, but she can fly from the right-seat.
 
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