You have really caught my attention with this project of yours. I thought about this all night last night. How to really catch the attention of a 6 year old.

Sims are fun. They really help teach stick function, but somehow I find them boaring. I have a lot of trouble "seeing" the plane and knowing where it is relative to the ground. But that is me. I probably have the attention span of a 5 year old. But he may really take to them.

Having a real plane that he can touch without having to worry about breaking it will be a blast. And, if you can involve his "best friend" it would really make this a big deal. It will be something they can talk about when you are not there. Hang it from his ceiling. I had planes hanging from my ceiling when I was a kid. My Dad had them on wires so I could pull them across the "sky" with a wire. There was some monofilimet tied to the front and back of the plane that would pull it along the wire. Tons of fun.

How about this? You might be able to suspend the plane from a couple of wires or a clothes line in the yard, if there is a yard, and fly it across the yard on the wire or a clothes line to give him the idea of controling the throttle. That might really turn him on and would allow the two of you to play with the plane even when you can't go to the field. Even Mom could set this up for him when you are not there. Mount the plane high enough that he can't touch it directly. Have a string hang down so he can pull it back to the start so he can fly it again. Keep the antenna short, one or two sections up, and you won't interfere with anyone flying somewhere nearby.

One of the nice things about the Easy Star is that there are no fragile parts. No built up balsa or lite ply. No Monokote to get ripped. No thin fiberglass that can crack or break on a bad take-off or landing. Heck, he could stand on the wing and it would not matter. For a child, the constant "no, don't touch that" to avoid breakage is too frustrating to tollerate.

Also, with just a little help, once you have the electroncis fitted out, he can really put it together. If you do some color coding of the wires/plugs he can learn to put them together. The wings just slide in and "click" together. Then the two of you could go through a preflight check list, like pilot/co-pilot and make sure it is all connected properly. Great way to teach proper procedure right from the begining. Build a range check into it. He can walk away with the trans and wiggle the sticks. He should love that.

I am sure you will have to do the inital hand launches but he may be strong enough, soon, if not now, that he will be able to do the hand launch while you fly it up. Having him personally involved is what will make it exciting. Watching you is dull. Again, the prop is high and in the back, so it is a pretty safe set-up. And, if the launch goes badly, no harm/no foul. It is unlikely that anything will be damaged. This thing really bounces. Even adults can learn to fly on this one.


Just a few ideas/thoughts on how this can work for a six year old.


And, after a flight or two, hang some streamers off the wings. He should love that.

Sorry for going on, but I think this could be wonderful thing and very rewarding for both of you.