flyingJ

I started fly 5 years ago, just before my son was born. He has gone to the flying field with me since he was a month old, and now knows most of the pilots and their planes. He has been on the simulator alot and has been asking to fly my old trainer. The instructor that taught me has agread to put him up on my buddy box. He will have control of the primary radio while I help my son with the buddy box. Basiclly the instructor and I will be flying while his fingers move with mine to get the feel of how this differs from the simulator. This will be a proud moment for me to help the next generation move slowly into this great hobby.

Mr67Stang

Great! Best of luck to you and your son. Who knows? You may have the next Bill Hempel on your hands and you can say you trained him

TedMo

Way to go nothing like starting young. Good example is an old friend of mine, Leon Schulman. He and I grew up together and competed against each other for years. His son Donald learned to fly with us and now as you probably know Don's kids Jason and David are 2 of the best in this country.

ChuckW

I wish I'd had that opportunity at 5. Who knows, maybe you'll create the Tiger Woods of the RC world.

Minnreefer

I have a friend that has a 6 year old that is learning to fly, I think his father wants him to fly more then he does, the father says whenever he is on the buddy box, he just wants to do rolls and such. I would say just enjoy and let him enjoy the hobby.

Becarefull, he could start eating into your airplane budget

TZflyer

Hi,

my son is 8 and he has been coming to the field with me for the past year. He loves watching and fueling my planes.
A couple of months ago he asked me to teach him and so I built him a Kadet LT 25, bought a little Evo .36 for it and took it up nice and high for his first flight.
He can now take off, fly the basic pattern, loop and roll his plane (don't ask, YES an LT can roll ). We are practicing his landing approach and soon he will land.

Now going to the flying field has taken on a new meaning. I have just as much fun watching and helping him and sharing his excitement as i do flying myself. That LT 25 sure has given me value for money, probably the most fun I have had with any plane to date.

One tip I have learned: make sure your son understands that if he crashes the plane you wont be angry. It took me a while to understand that fear of failure, and my disappointment, was actually retarding his learning process. After all, I am the adult, I gave him the aircraft, I am responsible

I think its fantastic that you are starting your son so young. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Ray

flyingJ

Just a quick update. We did not get the plane in the air. The motor ran perfect in the pits, but when I got it to the flight line the engine would cut out and die. Restarted several times and always the same result. I suspect the fuel lines in the tank, and will pull the tank tommorrow and check. If it wasn't for the 15 mile per hour winds I would have atleast let him try the U-can do. He put on his brave face and said " We'll do it next time dad". I was so PROUD of him that I had tears in my eyes. I see so many children have complete melt downs over smaller events that I felt he understands that if things don't go right on the ground there is no sence forcing a plane in to the air. When the day was over we went for ice cream and he told me how much fun it was to see everyone and watch them fly.

grimgard

What a great post! Sounds like you got a great kid. I have recently picked up RC'ing again and me and my step-son are having a blast with it. We are in the RC car phase but I have an old boat that I want to rebuild and some old Micro servos waiting for a new home in a new airplane.

Stouttrouttoo

I started flying at that age. It has been hobby I have stuck with for more than 30 years. I learned with a Proline single stick radio and flew a Cloud King. Man things have changed. Over the years I have learned the most from building the planes. It is a great Hobby for families. Let us know how it goes.