As your child grows up and begins to explore the world, they may start to throw out ideas of what they want to do "when they grow up." However, when they eventually become focused and fixated on a specific career path, you want to do all you can to encourage their choices and help them achieve their goals. If your child has decided that they want to be a pilot one day, you may be looking for ways that you can help get them started on the path to becoming a pilot. Get to know a few steps that you can and should take to help your child move in the direction of their dreams of becoming a pilot.
Give Them the Gift of a Discovery Flight
When your child wants to be a pilot, the first place you will want to turn is to flight schools and aviation companies for support and options. One of the offerings available from many large and small flight schools and aviation companies is the option of going on a discovery flight.
Discovery flights are basically guided flights in a small airplane such as a four or six passenger plane. The person or people that go on the discovery flight will be with a professional pilot who is usually also a flight instructor. During the discovery flight, the professional pilot will be in charge, of course, but they will show the person in the co-pilot's chair what the various instruments and gauges mean and do. They may even let the person in the co-pilot's chair control and maneuver the plane during the flight.
Basic discovery flights are usually short (about one to two hours). Longer flights generally cost more and involve more instruction. If you purchase a discovery flight as a gift for your child, they will get firsthand knowledge of how to fly an airplane, what it is like to be in control of it, and essentially get a feel for their possible career choice.
Get Your Child Math and Science Tutors
Skilled pilots and aviators have a strong and deep knowledge of science and mathematics. It is important to understand physics, for example, to know how an airplane can take off, fly, and land safely. Physics helps with the understanding of air speeds, wind shear, velocity, and many other concepts that are necessary for a good pilot to understand.
If your child is still young (i.e. in elementary through high school), and they are serious about becoming a professional pilot, you will want to give them extra support in their math and science studies. Getting them a tutor will help them advance faster through their coursework and give them a leg up when they go to college, particularly if they want to be a commercial or military pilot. These flight schools often require a Bachelor's degree before a pilot can be trained and certified.
One of the many benefits of taking this step for your child (in addition to preparing them to become a pilot one day) is that if they change their mind about becoming a pilot, the math and science education they can get from tutoring can help them in many other career paths.
With these ideas in mind, you can be sure that you are doing everything possible to help your child achieve their goal of becoming a pilot.
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