Originally Posted by
Blackfriar
Let's remember while everyone talks about it that two years without gliding in the ATC means that an entire generation passing though has missed out on the opportunity. At 16 you can fly, at 18 you have probably left for work or University. Two years is a short time for grown ups and a major part of a lifetime for teenagers.
Is this a "new" rule? When I was an air cadet in the 70s you could put down for flying (power or gliding) from the date you officially joined (at a minimum age of 13yrs, 9months IIRC). I've just checked my Form3822 and saw that my first gliding flight was in a T31 at Tangmere two weeks shy of my 14th birthday, and my first powered flight was in a Chipmunk at Abingdon about six weeks after that. I did my PPL via a flying scholarship at Biggen Hill three months after my 18th birthday, in the summer holiday between A-levels and Uni.
When did the 16yr age limit for flying come in?
PDR