Hello everyone,
I am new to this hobby (well new in that i havent flown since i started learning choppers 15 odd years ago)..
But am now back in thanks to my wife buying me a H9 P-51 PTS for Xmas....

However now i have my 8 y/o son coming to live with me full time (from a previous relationship)... as well as a daughter due in april.

The question is what age do you start them at?
I belong to a club, which has lots of instructors and a few club trainers...


Thanks,
Rob from OZ

Birth

You can start your 8 yr old with a 3 channel electric... preferablly with a buddy box setup.

That's what I did with my daughter.

She practically had no interest in RC until I put her hands on the controls...
That day at the field changed everything.

My sons were 6 and 8 when they learned to fly. They both soloed and then didn't want to fly anymore. There is only one piece of advice that I will give here, and I stand behind it 100%. Teach your kid ONLY if they want to do it. Do not force them, and try to make sure that they're not doing it because it's what they think you want them to do. Too many parents these days push their kids into sports or activities that the parents think the kids should be in, but the kid doesn't have any interest in. All this does is breed a hatred for that activity in the kids mind.

If the kid wants to do fly, then there is no age too young. I have see a 5 year old doing full out 3D flying better than most adults can do.

Hope this helps

Ken

Ditto...

with the dawn of XBox 360, WII etc kids now a days could fly the pants off most adults if encouranged properly.

Was it Chip hyde?? that entered competition at 8 years old? (what am I thinking here? )

I have two boys... 11 and 12.
I watched very closely at thier interest levels. I started with plastic models at birthdays and such and watched. They see all my models in the shop and have never seen me build... this is a huge curiosity for them. now at thier ages they are begging ME to build a model with them, take them flying etc... my oldest just worked his butt off earning $$ to spend at an RC swap meet... I just knew he would spend it on trucks and cars but... we came home with a car full of planes, radios and motors... even a helicopter.

Just watch them and tease a little to peak the curiosity. no age it to young to start modeling.

Bill

Thanks Ken and Bill,
The only reason I ask, is that last time he was visiting during the school holidays (when i get him).
He said he wanted to learn to fly them, its not the first time he has mentioned this either.
And now that I will have him living with me permanently, I will take him to the club and let him see what its like.
if he looses interest, or doesnt want to keep going, i wont force him to.

I plan to start building a topflite p-47 over winter, might also look into a small 40 size trainer kit that he can build with me.

To start him out, i was thinking about and ARTF electric glider or similar. Just to he can practice between lessons..


Regards,
Rob in OZ

shoot i started my daughter at age 5 and now she is 17 still flying and working in the local hobby store in the plane dept the only girl working in that dept and now my son who is 5 has been flying for 6 month and has two planes you can stat them at any age but only if THEY want to do it

my daughter started going to the field very young she is 9 now and loves it,i built her a pt60 she fly's very good.like ken said dont force/discourage them let them do it at their pace.

Dontcha wonder what age pappa Hyde's ( an R/Cer himself and maker of a vibrationless motor mount) started Chip out at? I have said before If my daddy was Pa Hyde I'd be able to fly like Chip. But he weren't and I can't.

In High Flight a couple years ago was a picture of some four year old and his 1/4 scale gas Skywalker model.

It all depends on the kid. Force 'em and they'll rebel and do something awful like R/C cars or electric ARF's. [:@] Wait until they ask and then give it a full court press and you'll have an R/Cer for life (hopefully).

You might want to invest in a sim. Kind of a crossover thing, something that they are familiar with already, and the skills directly translate at the field.

both my boys go to the field with me when they feel like it, there 4 and 8 and they love it my youngest calls my P-40 warhawk the sharkmouth plane.
there are many times when I ask them if they want to come with me when they decline the invite they want to play with something else or just don't want to go I never push it, other times when I want to go by myself I can't get rid of em!
they love the shop also helping me with my kits.
the key like previously stated if you keep the door open they will come in if they want to join you, nothing better than sharing a hobby with your kids.

I wish i had a dad that was interested in RC and could afford to get me started. My interest started at age 9 or so when i got a esta rocket kit and had to go the the hobby shop to pick up some engines, i saw all the RC planes and was hooked (I still contribute that day as being the resin I'm studying aerospace engineering). Never got into the sport untill i came to Mississippi state and joined the RC club, now i have 2 planes and loving every moment of it.

The moral of this, same as above start them when they express interest.

I have a grand daughter who is 2 1/2. He sees me building my Corsair and jumps right up on my lap and takes some scrap balsa and glue and builds her own 'airpwane" So, I know she has the interest.
I showed her my NexStar sim and she watched as I flew it. I gave her the radio, explained what the 'right' stick did "only that stick for now" and I took off and let he go for it. Believe it or not she did good until it was flying away towards her (how many of us had that problem in the beginning too). I would help her when needed, but she did pretty good for only being 2 1/2.

The one thing about the younguns - their attention span is short. She only flew for about a minute and a half and then she went to go color in her coloring book. But like rorrock said, don't push them into it.

well dont push em.. brainwash em.. i was pushed into playing hockey.. i still hate that stupid game.. anyway.. who pushes her son that's the smallest kid in class into playing hockey?
by the way. im just 21:P so i remember the "old" days

you could allways buy one off those silverlit toys.. dont know if they really give you any skill.. but they fly

bipeever - your daughter is lucky.. i were sooo close getting a job at a hobbyshop.. but.. well another guy with alot off experiance got it instead

We recently solo'ed a 9 year old boy. He flys just fine, and is interested in the hobby. He just finished one of the 'sticks' and maidened it with his grandpa two weekends ago.

DS.

I come from a Motorcycle background, My Father and his 4 brothers raced and rode them from the 1940's When I was only a few months old I got my first ride sitting on the gas tank of my Dads 45 inch Harley. By the time I was 6 years old I was racing rough scrambles and short track, by the age of 9 I was a Regional Black plate (Expert) and had a half dozen championships under my belt. I do not remember being forced to ride or even being asked to. I do remember begging to go ride about a thousand times however.

Today at the crusty age of 47 i still ride, of cours the racing days are long behind me but the memories of spending time with my dad doing something he loved are still as rich in my mind today as the day they were made. My dad has been gone for many years now. I wish he knew how much I loved those times.

If you truly love a hobbie your child will see this and in most cases will find the magic that attracted you. Your children are just a minature and younger version of yourself.

8 years old is a great age to start flight training. Just remember that anything your dad is passionate about can't really be all that cool.

As your son gets older, hanging out with dad might not seem so great, but he'll come around again once he hits 30 or so!

Thanks everyone for the great advice...
He arrives up here this Sunday, fairly late..
I'll have been to the club that morning, and will talk to the club secretary or CFI about letting him learn
on one of the club traininers...
My wife and I talked about it, and if he gets good marks for the first 6 months of school, we will buy him his own trainer...

Regards,
Rob from OZ