Old man Rimmer exposed me to commiting aviation when about eight or nine - J3 Cub within one or two flights it was effect of controls...turns the circuit and then landings (rollers and three pointers) Later he got me doing flight planning for cross-countries he had a 310 in those days - nav, fuel planning the lot - I loved it couldn't get enough (bear in mind this was a kid who hated doing maths at school and was always late with homewortk - if done at all). Of course in doing so the bastard did infect me with aviation-itis. On balance I'd say it's a good thing to expose kids to it early (depending on the kid - there is a certain Rimmer niece that is staying firmly on the ground no matter how many time sister-in-law hints)
On the other hand there was the time I took one of Mrs R's brothers for a fly. I should have known (he has the personality that the word to$$er was invented for) he noticed that the departure from 21 at Shoreham takes you a bit over the water Quick as a flash he says " We're over water - do we have lifejakets?" seeking to reassure I say "No we don't if we lost the engine - I'd aim to land either on the beach or possibly in one of those fields there". "No" says he "if we are over water we really should have life jackets" I go on to explain that if I planned any longer over water flying that not only would we have life jackets in the aircraft we'd be wearing them. But surprise, surprise that's not good enough "Well I think if you are over water at all you should have them... if the engine stops..."
By this time we are over Littlehampton (from whence the Mrs Rimmers come).. And he still won't stop crapping on about lifejackets (obviously the river Arun is playing on his mind).
So I decide to demonstrate a PFL - in a effort to allay his fears that we will plummet to earth if the the engine were indeed to cease... set up for Ford no worries at all (in fact I'm rather pleased with it) break off at 500' while explaining to B-I-L that you see all would be well - we'd just have a bit of a walk back to Shoreham blah blah.
"That's all very well but what if the wings fall off what then"?
"Well" says I "the only thing then would be to have a word with your boss" (he's a priest)
Long pause.....then "You mean there are no parachutes? We should have parachutes"
And so on and so forth - in fact he dosent stop going on about parachutes and lifejakets for the remainder of his stay (another three days!).
