to worry about DS going for a flight in a light plane?

[crackofdoom]

XP has just texted to say that he has a friend who is a pilot flying down to visit in a light plane in a few days' time, and can he take DS1 (10) up for a flight?

I'm torn. DS would love this. I feel terrified. I'm fairly scared of flying anyway, manage to keep it down when necessary, but to be honest the thought of the DC flying scares me more than the thought of me flying myself! DS was due to fly on a school trip this spring - which was cancelled due to COVID - I was a bit scared for him, but the trip was such an opportunity, and I know that commercial flights are really very safe, so I managed to keep it down.

But this one....? Can anybody talk some sense into me about realistically how safe light amateur flights are?

it depends on the weather

My Mum was a very traditional woman and she let us all go up in light aircraft and be given lifts home on motorbikes when we were that age. I'm glad of it - it was great fun. (Well the motorbikes were - I got sick in the light aircraft as I had a delicate travel tummy and vertigo - I'd be fine now). I paid for the kids and I to go in a helicopter at the Grand Canyon - that was great too!

This is ridiculous. Don't you let your child in a car despite the risk?

This is the kind of totally but irrational fear you need to beat around the bush or you will have a very frustrated son in years to come.

If you forbid him going on slight aircraft, will you also forbid him to walk to school alone, take the train to the next town, cycle to a friend, go to a concert etc... all things that attracts risk.

He will be with his dad on his time so really, he doesn't even have to ask you.

I wouldn't. I have a good friend who's an experienced light aircraft pilot and he won't take his children up. Not because the plane will drop out of the sky but because in uncontrolled airspace (in which most light aircraft fly) its a free for all and the risk of collision in the air is much greater than in the controlled airspace that commercial airliners fly in. You're literally relying on your eyes and other peoples eyes not to crash into another light plane above/below you. I was quite shocked when he told me - I assumed it was all on radar but apparently not

Sure I hear more stories of kids being knocked down than incidents of light airplane crashes?

To be fair, there’s a fair few more kids crossing roads each day than there are going up on a light aircraft.

OP, do you know your husbands friend?

He will be with his dad on his time so really, he doesn't even have to ask you.

Well, good parents communicate about these things.

I haven't read all the replies but I wouldn't allow my ds's to go personally

I would absolutely let my son do this. My dad had a private pilot's licence and I spent most of my childhood having adventures in light aircraft! Despite all the times I went up I still remember the thrill of that first flight.

Light aircraft are very safe, much safer than cars because the laws on training and maintenance are much more stringent. On a short flight he’ll be perfectly safe. DH world in the industry and his rule of thumb is to check how regularly the pilot flies. The more hour someone has then the safer they should be, especially if they aren’t doing acrobatic flying.

Why not ask the ex something’s about the pilot’s experience to set your mind at ease.

DH flies at least a couple of times a week in light aircraft. Almost all accidents are cause by pilots flying in bad weather or attempting acrobatic manoeuvres.

@snowballer

That is bullshit. All airfields have radio controllers. You have no idea what you are talking about. There is no such thing as ‘uncontrolled airspace’. The CAA would want to know if there was. Light aircraft almost never randomly crash into each other in mid air!

You have no idea what you are talking about. There is no such thing as ‘uncontrolled airspace’.

There are wide swathes of uncontrolled airspace at lower altitudes over the UK and not all airfields have radio "controllers".

"Almost all accidents are cause by pilots flying in bad weather or attempting acrobatic manoeuvres."

There's some truth in that - If you look at the General Aviation accident stats, filter out accidents involving small helicopters, businessmen pressing on into bad weather because they think must get from A to B, plus some other outliers like accidents involving parachute dropping the figures start to become much more comforting for those of a nervous nature.

Of course you should let him go. Why as a parent would you want your anxieties stop
Your child from new experiences?

[quote BelleSausage]@snowballer

That is bullshit. All airfields have radio controllers. You have no idea what you are talking about. There is no such thing as ‘uncontrolled airspace’. The CAA would want to know if there was. Light aircraft almost never randomly crash into each other in mid air![/quote]
It's you that's talking bullshit actually and a very quick google might make you climb off your high horse 🙄

And since you obviously can't use google here you go:

@notimagain

All airfields are required to have someone on the radio- be it a tower or wallow talkie system- to control order of take off and landing.

Having spent the last 15 years going to fly ins and events at small airfields all over the country I can quite confidently say that even the ones that have grass runways and ports cabins have someone on the radio. And although there is no flight controller, most of them are signed up to flight tracking software. You can get it very easily these days.

@snowballer

I don’t need Google. I have actually real life knowledge of light aircraft. Uncontrolled does not mean what you think it does.

[quote BelleSausage]@snowballer

I don’t need Google. I have actually real life knowledge of light aircraft. Uncontrolled does not mean what you think it does.[/quote]
So it means something different from the CAA's definition of it? Ok.

There are no restrictions over the routes taken by the aircraft. I'd say that covers what I said above. No restriction on where aircraft goes means in practice that they can be anywhere, hence the need to rely on either alerting systems which not all planes have or use, and/or the pilot's own eyes

All airfields are required to have someone on the radio

No they don't....most/many do have somebody on the radio (but they may not be a controller, they may just be their to provide altimeter/wind info) and there are uncontrolled airfields.

As for wider airspace in general snowballer is absolutely correct, ask your DH flies ask him about the meaning "Class G" airspace in the UK and get him to show you some on his charts.

(hint - it's uncontrolled, that means it's "open skies", there is no requirement for an air traffic service, pilots rely on "see and avoid" and/or electronic means of traffic awareness such as FLARM.... )

I disagree with those saying it's safer than driving. You can't compare a light aircraft with a jumbo jet. Passenger aircraft can safely land on one engine or no engines. With a light aircraft a simple mechanical failure can cause you to crash, as there's no back up. A friend of mine is a pilot, he took my DH flying a few times. One of the planes they used crashed a few months later killing the occupants, a mechanical failure.

As to whether your son should go, personally I would want to know the pilot and know they were responsible. But I think you would be completely reasonable to refuse if you aren't comfortable.

Friend of mine was killed in a light aircraft crash, so I'm biased, but it would be a hard no from me.

You are so right. They all just fly around up there blind, just smacking into each other at random.

OR- most pilots have these that lets them know everything about the airspace buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/in-the-air/general-aviation/cInTheAir-c582-p0.html

You have to pass the fly by sight parts of the course to get the license but almost everyone has some form of tech flying aid (Garmin being the most popular).

Almost all airfields subscribe to the flight tracking software- because they are plane geeks. And the maintenance guys often use it to see who might be coming in. It is almost impossible to fly around in UK airspace these days untracked.

It's a great experience, you are being very unreasonable.

He has a list of commercial airlines the children wouldn’t be allowed on. He’s very into aircraft.

Garuda?

I wouldn't fancy the flight myself, and I'd be very cautious as I know someone who is living with injuries caused by a light aircraft crash .

I'd want to know more about the person - while they conscientious enough to get their pilots license at one point, are they slapdash now? What is the maintenance like on the plane?

The weather is going to be shocking over the next few days, so I doubt many small aircraft will be going anywhere.

It is almost impossible to fly around in UK airspace these days untracked

Just to avoid confusion is it worth pointing out tracked , as in being visible to interested parties on an app or device is of course not the same thing as being controlled.

HotPenguin

With a light aircraft a simple mechanical failure can cause you to crash, as there's no back up.

Something like an engine failure on a single engined light aircraft doesn't inevitably mean doom.. but you'll have to glide to a forced landing, possibly off the airfield..and private pilots are routinely trained and tested on how to do that.

And sadly a simple mechanical failure in a critical component can bring down any flying machine...