Omega232Devils

Omega232Devils

Well Known Member
Hey RVr's,
I have a question for those of you who have flown kids before. I am very excited to fly to Phoenix and pick up my niece this weekend and fly her back to San Diego for Thanksgiving. (Assuming the proseal on my tank cures by then!) She will turn 8 years old next week and is very smart and is very excited about the flight.
What advice do you guys who routinely fly kids have for a first timer? How much do you get them involved? Are there any special tricks to prevent them from getting nervous or scared?

It is important that she enjoys the flight, because if she does it means more flight time for me! :D

Thanks,

Dan
 
I've flown my rascals A LOT!!!

The fact that she is excited about it already leans the odds of a successful experience in your favor.
I had my children flying the plane from the first time they were in the cockpit. Under your watchful eye allow them to take the stick and turn the airplane and go up and down. If you can, fly over their home or someplace they would recognize. Keep all maneuvering to IFR standards...standard rate turns, slow climbs and descents. Keep it as smooth as possible. Most of all, lay the groundwork for the rules and then keep it fun and keep them involved. Good luck!
By the way, just in case, have a puke bag on the plane...you never know if you'll need it!
 
Omega232Devils said:
Hey RVr's,
I have a question for those of you who have flown kids before. I am very excited to fly to Phoenix and pick up my niece this weekend and fly her back to San Diego for Thanksgiving. (Assuming the proseal on my tank cures by then!) She will turn 8 years old next week and is very smart and is very excited about the flight.
What advice do you guys who routinely fly kids have for a first timer? How much do you get them involved? Are there any special tricks to prevent them from getting nervous or scared?

It is important that she enjoys the flight, because if she does it means more flight time for me! :D

Thanks,

Dan
Click to expand...

I've done probably 50 or more young eagle flights in an RV-6A... Only kid that ever got sick challenged me to try and make him sick.

Crawl walk run. Keep it smooth, the vents open, and keep her engaged and she'll have a blast. Make sure she can see too. Just make it clear to her that it's ok to speak up if she's nervous, feels funny, or wants to ramp it up and try flying. Keep a bag handy but don't use the word "sick" at all, or else that's all she'll think of.
 
Kids

Take a good cushion for her to sit on. A good view outside the plane seems to help prevent motion sickness.
 
In addition to the above great ideas, I'd also have a spare/old paper sectional(s) handy. Keep her engaged by tracking your (her) progress on it; recognising landmarks; calculating time/distance, etc. Let her know that there are other technologies other than moving maps and GPS's. :)

Let her listen in on the radio but also let her know that if she asks a question you may be able to answer just then because you're busy doing something. Perhaps some kind of a hand gesture just to say "I hear you but I'm a bit busy at the moment. I'll be right with you." I'd do this before departure.

I don't know what her experience level is, so, I'd also suggest setting expectations on what your actions are going to be from takeoff, cruise, and landing; what the sight picture is going to look like on takeoff/landing; what noises/sounds to expect; what to grab onto if she gets scared/startled (when you hit that first bit of turbulence); what your actions are going to be in case of an emergency.

Can you deviate a bit from your course to see some landscapes that you wouldn't normally see from a car?

Consider also her sensitivity to temperature and light. Might carry an extra blanket, sweater, fleece jacket, sun glasses, etc. A camera/smart-phone, etc.

Have a great flight and remind her to have fun!

/\/elson
 
Children's headset

I bought a child's headset for those small heads. The noise of an RV without good headset protection can be painful on young ears. If teens, then no problem as their music is already louder than an RV! ;)
 
motion sickness

I think I would have her mother give her something for motion sickness several hours before she flew. It won't hurt her and it will insure that she won't be sick from such a long flight. I'd want her first cross country experience to be a good one. She may become a flying buddy for you if all goes well.
 
I let them know about any major change before it happens. On take-off "it's going to get really noisy for a little while". I pre-announce turns and the direction of the turn to lessen the feeling that they will "fall out" of a turn towards their side. I especially pre announce the first power reduction, especially in fixed pitch planes so they don't think there's something wrong with the engine. After doing this for the maneuvering exiting the pattern I've noticed they're a lot less nervous.

I'm very interested in the other responses...anything to make that first impression the best it can be:)

Jeremy Constant
 
Logbook

If she does any of the flying, how about an honorary 'logbook'? Not sure how that would get logged, though. If this matures into something greater, I think this would be something neat to look back on.
 
Chewing gum

As all ready noted, knowing what to expect helps a lot with the nervousness. My son was afraid to fly at age three. So I explained to him how being a little afraid feels a little like being excited, the fear is because you don't know whats going to happen. So for our first (with dad) take of run I coached him. Hear the wing getting ready? Feel the power speeding up?? BIG SMILES from Dad, the whole time, and he followed along. "Can't wait until we tip up and ZOOM to the sky!! Getting emotional ques from you, AND her parents when they drop her off with you, can really set the tone for the whole experience.
The biggest concern was ears. Letting him know that ears pop on the way up and down, and putting him in charge of the gum to hand out to the family gave him the control to cope with the discomfort.
I imagine nothing but good times for you and your niece.
 
Omega232Devils said:
What advice do you guys who routinely fly kids have for a first timer?
Click to expand...
NEVER have a kid's first flight be a long flight. If you have to, go over a day early to give her an introductory flight. That way, if she is prone to fear or motion sickness you'll find out ahead of time before she is committed to a long, uncomfortable trip from which there is no escape.

Also, dramamine doesn't work for everyone, so don't count on that. And having a barf bag might make you feel better, but it won't do anything to make her feel better.

Actually I'd give this same advice for anyone taking an adult for the first ride.

Good luck and hope she has fun!
 
I've flown a bunch of kids. They've never gotten sick. I keep all the maneuvers gentle, and always offer to let them fly. I keep the flights under an hour, and check their headset and voice on the intercom before taking off.

They have difficulty interpreting the ground view and it's usually not worth the time to show them their house or school. After about 12 they're better at that sort of thing.

They can get scared, so keep an eye on them. And don't go too far from the airport, so if they do become uneasy you can head back.

For explaining how to fly, I tell them that it's a lot like a bicycle. Pull back is like going up a hill, it'll slow down. Push forward is like a hill, it'll get faster and noisier. The plane can fly itself just fine, and here I'll let go and they can see that the plane knows how to fly all by itself.

Turns are more complicated. There's the wheel left or right and the pedal left or right, but they've got to pull back a bit, too.

Usually they rest their feet on the pedals but don't do anything with them. The good ones will pick up the back pressure quickly.

In general, they won't want to fly for long, and they'll fly gently. I do ask them not to do anything abrupt of sudden but to take it easy.

They do better than adults - and kids who use a flight simulator already know how to fly. But I've got to remind them to focus outside and not on the instruments.

Some kids are at first apprehensive about taking the controls. I explain about the plane being able to fly itself, and that I won't let anything bad happen; I'll be keeping an eye on things. Also, and this usually makes an impression, I'll tell them that this is an opportunity that doesn't happen often and that they should take advantage of it.

Finally, if a kid is six or younger, they're probably too young for a one-time good deal. They might not understand it. I line them up by the baggage door and tell them that they have to be taller than the top of the door to fly the plane - they understand that and there's no hard feelings.

Dave
Cessna 180
 
alpinelakespilot2000 said:
NEVER have a kid's first flight be a long flight....Actually I'd give this same advice for anyone taking an adult for the first ride.
Click to expand...

I'll second this. I've flown 70-80 kids over 15 years as Young Eagles, and I just cannot imagine having anyone's first flight, or first flight in a small plane, be over 1 hour...and preferably no more than 30 mins. You just don't know how they will react to everything: the noise, the view, the lumpy air. Sure, most like it, but some don't, and the lumpy air can get to anybody.

For example, I had a teenage nephew years ago who came down from near the Canada border to visit us in Sacramento, Calif by airline...I returned him by C-172. My first really long X-C too! Anyway I paid an instructor in his home town to give him a couple of flight lessons a couple weeks prior, ostensibly to learn a little navigation but really to get him exposed to small airplane flight. In the end he did good and fell asleep part way.

I'm not suggesting you go to that length, but the idea of a short flight the day before is a good one. Finally, try to read the kid's feelings and wishes, disregarding yours. Occasionally I've seen YE pilots try to do too much teaching, showing, training etc. when really the kids just want a simple flight and back on the ground.
 
Thanks guys!

Man, you guys never let me down! Thanks for all the replies and great advice. I am very excited for the flight and just don't want my excitement to press the flight. I know she does very well with commercial airlines and has made the several trips from 1 hour to 5 hours. I know this is nothing like an RV, but at least she has the basics and hopefully that will set her mind at ease a little.

I haven't thought about going a day early for an intro flight, but that is a great idea.

Just finished sealing up my tank tonight, so hoping it is ready for pressure and leak check on Friday and test flight on Saturday. If all goes well, I may just fly up Saturday and get an intro flight in and stay the night before we press back on Sunday. Worse case, I can always hang out in the PGA Superstore there in Phoenix. Can you say 'Grown man Chucky Cheese'?

Thanks again guys and keep the suggestions coming. I will update you on the status, how the flight went and any lessons learned along the way.

Dan
 
She's excited .... She is family... She'll most likely be just fine and have a wonderful time. Let her fly the flight if she wants. I've flown a lot of gals ... Most are naturals. I'm betting she'll be a natural. Just look for some smooth air.

Most all of the kids we've had up that were really nervous were that way because it was the parents that were nervous.

Isn't it a 15-20 hour drive? Nearly certain she'll do just fine and have a blast.
 
Much success!

Hello RVrs,
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who replied and gave some great advice. The flight from San Diego to Phoenix was wonderful (minus the rainy IFR departure). Landed in Casa Grande, AZ (If you ever fly in to there, watch the nose gear on the parallel taxiway), quick gas and grabbed the best co-pilot ever!
She did great the whole 2 hours back to San Diego, including the IFR recovery. In fact she flew a little and wanted to 'yank and bank' some more! I think she was more excited about the pink headset that matched her outfit 'perfectly'!
Linked below is a picture from the flight. I am not sure who was happier. haha

IMG_5493.jpg


Thanks again guys!

Dan
 
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