It's such a shame that Cockpit visits have stopped. I have to say i have learned lots from my cockpit visits. Pilots were nice and took time to explain things and i enjoyed that.
I was talking recently with a guy who fly's for SN, he told me he got hooked on flying when he had his first cockpit visit at 14. He said its was that sort of great opportunity that would make tomorrows pilots.
We also commented on Airports which closed observation decks. As a kid I was lucky, me and my mates would always go out to Edinburgh Airport on Sunday afternoons to watch the planes, we got hooked! In fact we were not the only ones, Mums and Dad's would bring the kids out for ice cream, even well-wishers would stay extra time watching aircraft. 2 of my fellow watchers got hooked and now they fly around in B737 aircraft. They closed the Edinburgh observation deck back in the late 90's and I believe most other airport's around the UK have semi-closed or closed decks. A shame again for tomorrows pilots but hey! we can always make our kids watch Discovery Wings! How things have changed...