Introducing GA to kids

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 24, 2005
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14,866
Location
Montgomery County PA
Display Name
Display name:
Adam Zucker
Well, Wednesday evening was my Aviation presentation at Wings field to my daughters Brownie Troop. First don't ever believe that a eleven 9 year old girls have less energy than boys! WOW! I offer these comments incase anyone is interested in making a presentation to a group of kids about aviation and does not have the benefit of a young eagles type program.
First I ordered a packet from AOPA that had a Presenters guide. Aviation activity books with connect the dots,word searches etc Aviation fact books that have an exploded view of a plane showing the different parts. It also has a section on the forces involved in flying ie lift thrust etc. and Future Pilot Wings pins. Angel Flight East also gave me some good booty for the girls such as pens on a rope, note pads and balsa wood airplanes.
I started with " What is General Aviation"? We talked about Traffic reporting, Business travel, Traveling to out of the way places, Angel Flights, Med-Evac.
I asked them what skills they learn in school are needed for aviation. They were pretty good. They all got math, communication and map reading. When I asked why math was important they even responded with things like " you have to know how long it will take you to get there" and you have to know how much gas the plane will need.
I showed them a sectional ( stayed away from the low alt charts). One girl asked when discussing communications how people in the tower or on the ground can hear you in the air. A perfect segway to pull out my transceiver so they could listen to traffic at Wings. We discussed what the pilots in the pattern were telling us when they reported their position.
We discussed weather and Safety especially on the ramp. I was going to show them the weather and flight planning programs but I would have lost them I think.
My daughter said it was the best meeting the troop ever had. The kids were funny. They all insisted on telling me stories about their experiences flying. Like the time Suzy flew to Seattle or the little girl who flew in a small plane in Vermont that went about 100 mile high". Its amazing what we take for granted. I'm sure we all can sit at an airport and not notice a plane taking off or landing. EVERY time a plane took off the girls shot up from the table and pointed at it screaming that high shrill that only a 9yo girl can manage. Out of eleven girls only two (2) girls including my daughter had ever been in a GA aircraft.
The highlight of the presentation was when we went out to the ramp and the girls got to see and sit in a 172. Once again Montgomery County Aviation was great. The pulled the 172 to the top of the ramp and gave me the keys to the plane and a place to have the meeting. While we were out there I went over all the control surfaces and how the yoke and rudders made them move. We got a photo of each girl sitting in the pilots seat. At the end I gave the girls all the booty. They absolutely love it.
Here is the kicker. Usually a parent drops their daughter off at the brownie meeting and picks them up an hour and a half later. This time a good number of the parents stayed some girls had both parents there along with brothers and sisters. They ALL wanted to hear about airplanes. At the end I asked who wanted to learn to be a pilot after hearing my talk. Guess who raised their hands? The girls of course but also all of the dads and a few of the moms as well. I was happy to help the girls but I really felt good that I was able to do some positive PR for General Aviation.

Below are some of the Photos from the Presentation. As you can see the grill from the Fly-B-Q did not infact get vaporized.
 
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I never did see what all the fuss was about that grill. They are supposed to be on fire... a little bit shooting out the sides, even with the top closed, isn't all that big a deal!! :rofl:


Good job, Adam! Gotta get 'em hooked young. Looks like the girls had a good time, and with luck some of them will look back on your talk and getting to sit in a really for real plane as the day the bug first bit them.
 
sounds like you had a great time!! I am sure they will remember this for a long long time.

thank you for posting - this is a good reminder I need to contact Joe and also Elizabeth about their experiences too.
 
Adam,

That is so great. Thanks for sharing your story and photos.
 
You, sir, are a steely eyed missile man.

Can you share a little about how you organized the whole event? Its something I'd love to get more involved in myself!
 
Greebo said:
You, sir, are a steely eyed missile man.

Can you share a little about how you organized the whole event? Its something I'd love to get more involved in myself!
Click to expand...

Wow! Chuck,Never been called that before! Thanks I think.
Any way as for organizing it, will I love doing stuff like this.

WHO TO TALK TO : The most difficult thing is to get a group . I was lucky. My daughter loves to fly with me and she belongs to the Browine troop. When the troop had career day they asked me to talk about being a pilot. I felt funny b/c I'm not a professional pilot so I spoke about being a lawyer Oh yea the kids really loved that talk, dryer than the heat in Arizona Heh heh!
I told the troop leader I'd love to do a meeting on aviation and give them a tour of the airport. I think you will find that most Scouting groups ( Browines, Girl Scouts, Cub scouts and Boy Scouts)will jump at the chance to have a presentation done. Boy Scouts have a merit badge for Aviation. You can contact your local Boy Scout Counsel or go to www.scouting.org and ask for the requirements to be a merit badge counselor. Schools are a bit tougher. Every School district has rules about field trips and number of field trips a class can take a year. I think having the presentation at an airport with the ability to see a plane up close and personal is a huge part of such a presentation. Here is another Idea for a group. Senior Citizens. Want to watch an 70 yo guy light up like he is 18 again put him in the front seat of an airplane ( Note although I am a low winger, Cessnas work best for demos with kids and Seniors) Better yet do a talk and demo for Seniors and invite them to bring their grand kids. Present to the Seniors as much as to the kids. There are tons of senior groups around like S.C.O.R.E. even groups like Lions clubs or Kawanis. An ATP who works for a major cargo carrier belongs to my Synagogue did a presentation to our Mens group with video from the cockpit. The room was packed.

WHERE TO DO IT: I think the Airport is best for obvious reasons. If you can't do it there try to show a video that YOU made.

WHAT TO SAY: The group you talk to will set the tone: I like to first define GA and tell why it is so important. I also like to explain how important small local airports are to the local economy and health and safety ( med-evac ) I think its very important to talk about angel flight and give some real life stories. Many folks think we are all bon vivant rich people buzzing around for fun. I talk about safety. I talk about how the average GA plane is no threat to anyone. AOPA will send you materials for free that are directed to the type and age group that you speak to. Talk about control surfaces, weather and not just if its rainy or cloudy. People are amazed at how else weather reports can tell you such as icing conditions and why it is important. For school age kids I like to talk about the importance of their class work as it relates to aviation. As a kid I hated math it absolutely terrified me. If I had aviation as a kid I would have had a whole different outlook on the subject and no doubt struggled a lot less. I think aviation could be an awesome tool to help troubled youth gain confidence, self respect and a sense of responsibility ( but I digress sorry about the rant).
Folks are fascinated that you can navigate by radio beacon. I also found that most people think that an IR allows you to fly at night. Also bring a transceiver and let them listen to traffic. Tell them what they are listening to. Bring a pair of head sets let folks put them on. They go nuts when you activate the ANR if you have it. Also they love it when you do comparisons, ie. The engine of a Warrior vs. a Porsche or even a Maxima. A 150 holds about 25 gal of gas and can carry X pounds but a Chevy Suburban holds 32 gallons and carries over eight people. All this helps bust myths. Also don't be timid about discussing accidents. They happen and its a good way to squash misinformation. I love to talk about JFK Jr. and the recent jet in the Bay at Atlantic City. People need to know how these accidents were just bad decision making and not because planes fall out of the sky. Like I said before when up close to the plane let them touch the control surfaces and demonstrate how the yoke moves the ailerons etc and how you steer on the ground with your feet.
Don't just talk ask them questions ie how high do you think an average GA plane such as a Warrior can fly, how long how fast. How do you think you steer a plane on the ground.

WHO TO ASK FOR HELP: Your local FBO. Hey every kid or adult you speak to is a potential customer who may spend thousands at the FBO. Even if not they are one less person who be trying to shut down or restrict the local airport. Your local Angel Flight Chapter may also be glad to assist. Get your FBO to free up a plane for an hour to do a static demonstration. Let them sit in the plane and see what its like. explain the instruments

EXTRAS: Get the give giveaways pins etc. From AOPA or Angel Flight. If not go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of balsa wood airplanes for 25 cents each an give them away. Dress like a pilot, wear the AOPA hat. The Shades and Flight jacket. Folks don't want to see a schmo lawyer in a suit or programer with a knit tie talk about planes, they want to see Tom Cruise in his nomex flight jacket ( So would my wife for that matter) Show them our tools, Knee boards, Fuel testers, Transceivers, headsets etc. Also, and this is big, Take a photo of them sitting in the pilots seat of a plane they will show it to all their friends. At the end offer your phone number in case they have any other questions or if they may be interested in taking a flying lesson so you can turn them on to your CFI or flight school.

The presentation can easily take 1 1/2 hours. Belive me they will have a zillion questions. It is a lot of fun give it a shot
 
Adam, that is fabulous!

I also would like to see Tom Cruise in his flight jacket. hubba hubba. :D
 
Tsk tsk tsk! One hand on the yoke, one on the throttle!

Excellent work! Hopefully they'll be begging their parents for the money for training when they hit 16 :)
 
Nice write up. In the group shot I could tell which one was your daughter, she's the one looking all casual with her arm propped up on the wind strut looking like a real pilot in the making. And that was before I viewed the picture of you and her.
 
Great Job Adam. Maybe you should get some AOPA project pilot kits for some of the parents.

Oh and "a steely eyed missile man" is a good thing. Ever see Apollo 13?
 
Yayy for you, Adam! As an ex-GS assistant troop leader, I DO know how those girls can be! :hairraise:

But they can also be a lot of fun. And they won't forget you.

Terry
 
Richard said:
Nice write up. In the group shot I could tell which one was your daughter, she's the one looking all casual with her arm propped up on the wind strut looking like a real pilot in the making. And that was before I viewed the picture of you and her.
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You are so right Richard. Her look in that photo cracks me up. She's like "yeah been there done that and Yeah I've held the yoke at 6000'. I know how to read a VOR freq on a Low Alt chart, don't you"? She is a true future pilot. I was trying to describe lift in nine year old terms and she starts in on the curvature of the wing creating lower pressure above the wing than below. Mean while the other girls are looking at her like deer in the headlights.
 
Greebo said:
You, sir, are a steely eyed missile man.

Can you share a little about how you organized the whole event? Its something I'd love to get more involved in myself!
Click to expand...

Another opportunity is the Boy Scouts via their Aviation merit badge. You can find a list of the activities they must do for the merit badge at this link:

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/boy-scouts/meritbadges/Aviation.asp

One local BS troop leader (work associate) found me and asked if I would help the boys earn the merit badge. If you look at the list you will see that requirements from section (1) lend themselves nicely to a couple of ~20 minute presentation/discussions with the troop followed by a take home assignment for (1)(f). I did one short Q&A presentation on aeronautics & aircraft, and another on what it takes to be a pilot, types of aviation jobs, etc. Dave Gaiskey helped me accomplish (2)(a) for the boys (take a flight), and the troop leader took them to Air&Space Museum to accomplish (2)(d), thereby completing that section. Since I'm a CFI we knocked off (3)(c) during one of the presentation's discussion portion, and Dave G & I had the boys help us with the pre-flight (3)(d).

I donated about 3 hours of my time and the boys had a great time. My experience pretty much mirrored Adams in that parents were as present as boys during both the presentation and the flight day. I took two rides up with just parents on the flight day.

If you want to help via the BS Aviation merit badge you could either contacts Boy Scouts to find the local troop leaders or simply stop in at the local church--seems as if most of the troops use a church as their meeting place.
 
AdamZ said:
You are so right Richard. Her look in that photo cracks me up. She's like "yeah been there done that and Yeah I've held the yoke at 6000'. I know how to read a VOR freq on a Low Alt chart, don't you"? She is a true future pilot. I was trying to describe lift in nine year old terms and she starts in on the curvature of the wing creating lower pressure above the wing than below. Mean while the other girls are looking at her like deer in the headlights.
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That's funny. Sounds like you love your kid.

So, ask her if the air above the wing sucks the plane up off the ground or does the air beneath exert an upward force.
 
Adam:


Nice write up and a very good way to spend an hour or two. Did something similar for my daughter's class, they loved it. Never know, maybe a future pilot in there somewhere!

Gary
 
Ed Guthrie said:
Another opportunity is the Boy Scouts via their Aviation merit badge. .
Click to expand...

I earned that badge when I was a scout. I had more fun with it than with all the others combined. At the end of the class the councilor took us all for up for rides. That was my first time in a small plane and the experience fueled a love of aviation that has never faded.
 
Great write up...one of my nephews has been talking about going flying to work on his aviation badge. Thanks for all the information on what he needs to do. Now I just need to decide if I can handle a troop full of boys. Question for ya'll, I always insist on there being an adult that the kids listen too in the front seat. Does that work best for all of you or do kids generally behave themselves without another adult on board? (can you tell I don't have kids?)
 
On the Young Eagles flights I've done, the child rides in the right seat, the parent in back. That gives them the best view, keeps them focused on the flying, and gives them a chance to put their hands on the controls.
One was such a natural that if the parents had let him, he'd of gotten his first solo on his 16th birthday.
I walk them around the plane so they can understand what the controls move and why it is important to be careful in the front. Thus far, it's only been my adult passengers that have given me control problems. The children seem to understand quite well (probably a bit intimidated at first).
 
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