Young Private Pilots
 

How many pilots do you think are out there, with their full private licence, but are too young to even get their drivers licence? Do older pilots feel comfortable with this?
Happy to hear your opinion!
TMP

How many pilots do you think are out there, with their full private licence, but are too old and senile to even get their medicals renewed? Do younger pilots feel comfortable with this?
Happy to hear your opinion!

SnS
(who is young enough to not remember the 'very very late 80s' but old enough to hold a PPL AND a full driver's licence)

They have passed the required exams and flt test so have met at least met the minimum standard required to hold a PPL. I would rather fly with some teenager with a PPL than a 65 - 70 year old who has just decided to take up flying in his retirement.
Mind you I'm biased - I still haven't actually passed a full drivers licence test!

I sent quite a few guys and girls first solo on, or shortly after their 16th birthday back in the AIRTC days. Also did a few "private" ones at my regular training organisation.:ok:

And I felt perfectly comfortable with that. Otherwise I wouldn't have sent them off in the first place:}

NEXT!

Nothing wrong with ANYONE with a new PPL. GA needs more consumers.

The truth of the matter is, that from a Controller's point of view there are pilots in all age brackets that range from Crap to Perfect. I don't think age is a problem at all. If you can pass the PPL test and pass the medical, then what more can we ask for?

P*** YSBK

Young PPL and CPL holders are like young drivers…. They have all passed the exams to get the licence but it all boils down to their attitude…

Would you rent a $60,000 car to a young driver? What about a $60,000 aeroplane? The answer ATTITUDE…

I seen plenty of pilots with good attitudes who live within their limitations and are perfectly safe and meet plenty of pilots with heaps of ability and a bad attitude and guess what heir DEAD……

when i achieved my PPL i was below the legal driving age, as were quite a few other students!

though it does make for some interesting convo's at parties! "yeah i had to beg mum to drive me to the airport so i could fly up the coast!"

Or prehaps relevant to many more people would be the case of being able to rent an aircraft (say $250k worth) to fly away for the weekend only to find that when renting a car at the other end (say 20k worth) you wont be touched with a 40ft pole cos your not 25? :confused: :confused: :confused:

My Dad drove me to the airport as I was not old enough to hold a drivers licence. It was par for the course in those days. The young lads that I mixed with used to coop the assistance of a lady flyer who was able to get around the hire car problem. It was 21 then. As said, pass the medical and the tests etc. The weakness is in the training, more now than 30 or 40 years ago when the standards were much higher. As for the oldies, we will will all be one someday. I just hope that I can pick when to give it away and not be a problem to others, as some are now!!
:ok:

I think the driving age in NZ was 15 when I did my licence so there was no problem with not being able to get my driving licence. However, I was slack with my driving licence and didn't get a full drivers licence till after I'd been flying commercially for half a year.

Had to keep that a bit quiet though because taking customers from town to the airport in a courtesy van was part of the job.

Yep, I used to catch a bus to the flying school.

I certainly wasn't the only one.

Also sent my fair share of people solo prior to them obtaining a drivers licence.

Used to be common, not sure these days as I haven't visited an aero club / flyig school for many years.

I seem to remember that a certain Capt. Bill W (TN?) got his licence at 16 and the goss was that he flew the chippie better than his instructor.

Sunfish, are we talking about the late Bill Snr, or Bill Jnr.

tipsy

It is sad to say that I think it is now impossible to go solo on your 16th birthday thanks to the new licencing system...
As for aeroclubs nowdays, I am very sure that there are still 16 year old pilots going solo, however with the growing expenses involved I doubt there would be as many young ones even considering flying...