It has been my observation that both younger and older age groups have specific different advantages, but the main difference I have noted in newbies getting from Start to Solo is that it's all about Focus and Endurance. I trained a friend's 8 year-old who had a lot of other activiites and only came out once a month or so. It took him two years to get the hang of it and not very well at that. Conversely, I trained a 60-something who was just obsessed with getting through training; counting flights and minutes and focused training on "weak points," and counted how many gallons of fuel he burned per weekend. HE soloed his second weekend and after three weeks, I had nothing left to teach him.

I learned slowly. I had a job and lifestyle that kept me from coming out more than once every three weeks or so, and it took me most of a season to feel comfortable flying alone.

Not to date myself, but I think flight simulators (although they are no substitute for the real thing) allow trainees to practice the basic reflexes and solo quicker. I learned to fly before trainer cords existed and that made training slower, too, 'cause pass-the-box instructors couldn't let you take as many risks as we can with cords.


mt