Kevin flies

My youngest son has become interested in glider flying.  He's just joined our junior program and has taken instruction in 8 or so flights so far.

Kevin's first flight lesson

I haven't either encouraged or discouraged him to fly.  Becoming a pilot is a lengthy and challenging process.  It requires persistence and will to make it from student pilot to licensed private pilot.  You have to not only learn how to fly, you have to pass your written test and a flight test with a designated examiner.  In short, to be a pilot, you really need to WANT to be a pilot.

No amount of encouragement will make someone who doesn't want to become a pilot suddenly love it.  For that reason, while I've encouraged him to fly with me from time to time, I haven't done anything beyond explain how the program works.  I did have him accompany me to our winter ground school this year but that was more to expose him to the book work that is involved and to let him see how much you have to know to become a pilot.

Last year when I flew with him, he liked it but would get dizzy when we circled in a thermal.  This year, he doesn't have nearly the problem with it he used to.  I think he was a bit frightened during the flights and that made him feel poorly because now that he's the one doing the flying, he has gained a lot more confidence.  When you learn how it is done, you become familiar with it and usually less afraid.

Yesterday he begged me to go to Harris Hill to get some instruction.  I obliged and Tim Welles flew three flights instructing him on the basics.  Everything seems to be going well and he's learning how to fly behind the tow plane, how to set up for the landing and they even got some thermalling in.  When he landed, he was pretty excited about managing to go higher than the tow plane took them.

I'm glad he understands my passion for flight and I'm hoping he'll stick with it and see his training through to his private pilot glider license.  That would make us a three generation aviation family!