Very interesting responses - thanks all so far.:ok: We have had a development this very weekend:):)...son asked me to have a go on my X-plane setup:eek:, although he's rejected flying the C172 as "boring" and wanted to me to load up something bigger....so we went for the B-1, which seemed a reasonable choice to me for lesson one......effects of controls!!:E

My Kids prefer Combat Flight Simulator, but in a similar vein prefer using Airwolf, EE Lightning, Tornado or Warthog rather than Spitfire/Mustang et al against the Luftwaffe:}

My niece lives under the approach for Heathrow and has been fascinated since she was 18 months old. Looks avidly at flying magazines and demands aviation videos from You Tube.

She is 5 soon, and she is coming flying whether her mother likes it or not !

I agree you can't force it, but the interesting stuff at that age for me was the fast pointy military aircraft. Wouldn't look twice at an airliner - with the exception of concorde, and GA was just boring. It needed to be loud, fast with flames coming out the back.
Took my nephew to Waddington Airshow a couple of years ago. When the reds came on all he could do was cheer and clap! Other than that the Typhoon, harrier and Tonka is what held his attention, nothing else interested him.

Don't push it but have a family day out at a good airshow. Lots of people on here can recommend some of the better ones. Lot's to do, a lot of fun and aviation themed. Try and get to one where the Vulcan is going to fly again!!

My father was in the RAF for a number of years and then a commercial airline captain. My mother, aunty and grandmother were all cabin crew. Aviation has been a big part of my life from a very young age but it was never forced on me, more something that is just there in the background.

Anyway, I went on a number of jump-seat flights and did a couple of sim rides. I must admit I was vaguely tempted but never really desperately wanted it as a future career. Then all of a sudden one day, at the age of about 16-17, it clicked that I couldn't live without it and it was THE thing I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. Sadly this was the point my father told me that he thought the airline industry was going downhill and that I shouldn't join... that meant I definately had to do it! Typical! I'm now in commercial pilot training and loving every moment of it, without a doubt in my mind that this was what I was destined to do.

My thoughts: that it shouldn't be forced upon t'young ones, but give them the opportunity (if possible) to experience it, because after all it might just not be for them. Having said all that, 5yo is very young, give it a chance, I wasn't that into aviation at that age, all is not lost! You never know, they might just turn around one day and suprise you.

Good luck :ok: