16 year old killed in light aircraft

[bundleone]

Do other people agre with me that 16 is far too young to fly a plane solo,

[jno]

no, I don't think so. It's pretty much like driving a car: there are procedures to learn and you have to be thoroughly trained first. Teenagers do have certain drawbacks: over-emotional at times, binge-drinking, a tendency to show off. But none of these really affects your ability to learn how to fly, or to carry it out. Were any of them a factor in this case? It's more a matter of intelligence, quick reactions, and a modest amount of physical strength, and I would have thought most 16-year-olds would be up to it, though perhaps not all.

[Hugh Spencer]

Did I read somewhere that this young pilot was on his final approach? If so, from my time in the RAF, he had the 'right of way' over another aircraft attempting to land. I don't think he was necessarily too young to fly. At least there wasn't a host of other aircraft around him, like it would be in a car on the road, but I am sure more experience would have prepared him for this.

[stokemaveric]

yes

[bigmamma]

My son started his flight training in a glider at 19 and that was early enough for me to panic. Having said that , one of his pals already had his license at 18 and had been solo for some time .

[anotheoldgit]

In the 1940s, At 18 years old, only 2 years older one was not only flying much more powerful aircraft but one also had lumps of lead chucked at you, in an attempt to knock you out of the sky. So no, is not too young providing one has had the correct training, and passed their medical the minimum age for solo flight is 16 and for holding a Pilots Licence it is 17.The young of today are more adapt at taking on technology.

[lovejoy]

Of course it is too young to be flyiing a plane 21 year olds are thicker than ******* never mind children of 16 but if adults cant get there act together how can children?

[lovejoy]

The asterisks are pig dongie

[lovejoy]

JFK was about 39 when he died in a plane crash because he didn't have the skill to avoid it, talking about allowing 16 year olds to fly planes is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

[lovejoy]

sorry forgot link

http://www.answers.com/topic/john-f-kennedy-jr

[jenkingeorge]

No, i completely disagree. Every one is unique, people will be ready when they are ready, it is extremly difficult to put an age on that.

Yesterday I went on my first solo flight, it was only my 16th birthday, I loved evey minute of it, and did (as everyone described it) a "perfect" landing! So it is possible to do it at 16 and be sucessful.

[Hugh Spencer]

Yes, jenkingeorge, you cannot say at what age somebody is ready to learn to fly. In one way flying is safer than car driving because you have more room to manoeuvre and if anything goes wrong there is more room for it to be rectified. But, as I said before, wasn't this young pilot on his final approach where, according to my experience, he had the right of way?