Flying with 3-4 year old in RV-4

[rvbuilder2002]

I flew both of my kids with me when they were pretty young (my son started in a purpose designed /installed child seat in the baggage area of our RV-6A when he was just shy of a year old).

Parents tend to know their kids, and can get a good feel for what they will or will not be ok with.

I recommend starting slow.

Make the first trip out just a taxi across the airport. Maybe with an engine run up thrown in so that a bit more noise and vibration can be experienced before actually doing a flight. Quit for the day and then talk about it later ( were they scared, excited, etc.).

For an actual flight go whether is little to no other traffic and plan for a quick trip around the pattern. Quite for the day and talk about it again on the way home.

If all has been going well, you will no if they are ready.

My daughter did a couple of taxi sessions before she committed (about the same algae as yours). She told me when she was ready.

[Indy]

Scott,
You read my mind. My intent was exactly that--to just taxi the first time so she could get a feel for the sound and vibration, then call it a day, talk to her about it, etc. Assuming that goes well, my intent for first flight is just a single hop around the pattern. Just enough to get her airborne. Call it a day, go get ice cream, and talk about it.
I have the same concerns everyone else expressed about her being behind me, unable to see or address issues, so i have no delusions about taking her on frequent or long flights. If she does enjoy it, great, but I'm keeping expectations low. We just moved back from Hawaii where I was limited to renting a DA40. Would've been a beautiful location for a flight and she would've been sitting next to me, but the traffic procedures there are a HUGE pain in the butt. Would've logged a .5 to literally just takeoff and return to land.

[NewbRVator]

My now six-year-old was easy but the four-year-old was a challenge mostly because he takes over the COM?s and gets chatty with the controller which is annoying to the controller so for him I just disabled the radio and keep intercom.

[506DC]

I think every kid is different. I have given all my kids and grand-kids rides when they were very young. I have a son that fly's for the airlines. I think 4-5 is a good age to start. I have a RV-4 and a 4 point harness so with a couple cushions they can see fairly well but not perfect. That doesn't really matter anyway. They are not use to seeing much even when riding in a car seat. I have two grandsons that live in Salt Lake. The one boy loves airplanes. When he arrived he started wondering around the Pilots room and the manager told him that the room was only for pilots. My Grandson of about 4 at the time told him "But I am a pilot" The manager let him stay in the pilot?s room. I have never had a kid take off his headset. They like talking on it and you couldn't pry it off their head. Take out the stick in the back so they can?t use the push to talk switch or mess with the controls. I tell them not to touch anything and they don't. I do one roll after about 15-20 minutes flight then return to base and that makes them happy. And yes, they will all remember the flight.

[rag]

I agree with Scott McDaniels - keep it short and smooth on a perfect weather day. I had a mirror that I mounted above and to the right so I could see my kids and so they could see my face. My intercom was such that I could talk and and listen at the same time, so I would explain every thing I was doing, while listening for any signs of stress. The will do just fine!

[Scott Hersha]

It?s funny that this subject came up. Yesterday, my grandkids came out to the airport for some fun. They like some of the cool things that are there. I?ve been teaching my 8 year old granddaughter to drive in my golf cart, and my 5 year old grandson loves to drive around the airport with me or my son on the Honda scooter. I also have a remote control Mustang Cobra that we race around on the ramp. While my granddaughter was out practicing her driving with my wife, I took my grandson for a taxi ride in the RV4. I had 2 booster cushions under him so he could see out. He thought it was really cool. When we got back, my granddaughter wanted to go. I said ?how would you like it if we took it airborne for a short ride?? She said OK - so did her Mom. Just before we took off, she said ?Grandpa, are you a good pilot?? I just love it that she has a good sense of self preservation. I assured her that I was very experienced, and that I would never take anyone so precious to me flying if I didn?t think it was safe. She said that was a good thing. She couldn?t wait to get airborne. By the time we were at pattern altitude she said this is AWESOME! And ?I can see EVERYTHING!? We stayed over the airport mostly, and the flight was only about 15 minutes. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but not as much as I did. This was her first time ever to fly, and the first time for me to take one of my grandkids up. I have 4 grandkids and my goal is to make 4 pilots out of them. My youngest is named Amelia, and from what I can tell, I think she is a natural.

[Red Mtn flyer]

Both of our kids were airborne before age 2 - strictly backseat pax. I wasn't comfortable taking them solo pilot until age 4/5... but they had both been around and in airplanes by then, and the overall environment was 'normal'. Their big thrill was sitting 'up front' and handling the controls... And even my mother was happy to fly them in her C-140 after I had broken the ice.
The critical factor I see is the tandem seating -- where you can't get to them, and they can't feel/touch/ "be" WITH you. If she gets [dis]tressed, you are going to be splitting your attention between flight ops and trying to get to her for reassurance.
I think lateral seating is a much safer option for a first flight -- even if that means renting a spamcan, or buying a buddy some gas while you sit in the back seat -- before transitioning to your hotrod.
YMMV.

[Radioflyer]

This discussion reminds me of a recent experience with my dog. Dogs in a tandem pose similar issues to very young kids. My dog always rides behind me in the back seat of my car. He is a frequent visitor to the hangar and is not phased by airplanes and engine noises. He happily jumped into the back seat of a tandem aircraft but when I closed the canopy, I could tell his affect had changed. I could feel through the stick that he was moving more than usual. I was a little worried about his ears with no protection. Engine start was ok, but when I started taxiing, his excitability was eventually just too much. I can't even imagine how distracting it would have been had I attempted a short circuit around the airport. My dog is not my copilot.

[Kooshball]

Originally Posted by SJordan

My son who just turned 6 has been riding in the back of my -4 for years now. I have two blocks of dense foam that a booster seat sits on. Then a soft piece of foam on the back to bring everything forward to keep his head away from the canopy cross bar. All the Hooker seat belts work great and hold him in tight and safe. I found a Bose A20 to be the best for kids. Just teach them how to put it back on! I forgot he was back there one day and pulled up the G's and knocked his headset off and it was not good, no way to reach back there and get it back on. If you want pic's send me your phone number and I will send some over.

Any idea on which booster seat you used? I tried the one I use in other planes today in the back of my -4 and it was too deep and would have interfered with the controls.

Thx

[rv8ch]

I read a story - not sure if it was here or elsewhere - where a guy went flying with his very young son and at rotation the boy grabbed the yoke or stick and pulled as hard as he could. Even a 3 year old has some power in those little arms, and it really caught the pilot off guard as you can imagine. He got them down safely but needed a change of underwear.