Last weekend, I placed my three-year-old son Benjamin in the co-pilot’s seat of a Piper Archer for the first time. We were going to visit my friends George and John Kounis at an airport nearby and meet their new puppy, Radar. I was really excited to take Benjamin up for a flight and, while I made some mistakes, I wasn’t disappointed.
This was also the first time I tried out the FAA-approved CARES child restraint system, which straps onto the backrest of the seat. Previously I have moved Benjamin’s car seat into the airplane and, in addition to it being a hassle to move the big, clunky car seat, its headrests crunched Benjamin’s headsets uncomfortably around his head, so he would promptly remove them. But now there were no space restrictions and Benjamin kept his headset on.
It appeared to be a much better experience for him. He was excited to hear my voice in his headset, and even more excited to hear his own. He kept calling “Hi mommy!” repeatedly. It was cute, but I was glad that the audio panel allowed me to isolate myself from him or I wouldn’t have been able to hear the controllers.
The ability for Benjamin to wear the headsets thanks to the CARES system was great, but I neglected to consider that the car seat gave him several inches of elevation, which gave Benjamin a good view through the windows. Now his view was restricted to the side of the door. Fortunately he didn’t seem too bothered by that, but next time I’ll bring a pillow so that he can see outside.
The Archer’s co-pilot’s seat slid far enough aft that Benjamin was unable to reach the yoke. If that hadn’t been the case I would have put him in the back since I don’t think it would have been safe having him close enough to grab the yoke. Though Benjamin is only three he is quite strong and we could have been in trouble if he decided to forcefully pull back on the yoke during the take off or landing phase.
Once we got up in the air and leveled off in cruise, I slid his seat forward so that he would have an opportunity to control the airplane. The excitement in his eyes told the whole story and put a big grin on my face, too.
Our flight from Santa Monica to El Monte lasted only about 15 minutes, so it wasn’t enough time for Benjamin to get bored or uncomfortable. But if I were planning a longer flight, I would bring along a friend to keep an eye on him or keep him entertained. If my son was acting up, I knew I would be able to ignore him and focus on flying the airplane for the duration of our short flight. Fortunately his behavior was exemplary, but I wouldn’t want to take a chance on a longer flight.
I highly recommend taking your kids flying, but make sure that some safety measures are in place. If the child is large enough to reach the controls, but not mature enough to follow instructions, place him or her safely in the back. And if you’re flying with a chatty toddler, make sure that you can isolate your communications with air traffic control. I can’t wait to continue to teach my son to fly and I hope he’ll continue to love it.
All Comments
Taking my sons up is probably the most enjoyable flying I can do. I try to take my 8 year old as often as possible, but he hates sitting in the back when another passenger comes along, and typically passes on the experience. If he does come along when I take another passenger, I bring the Ipad. When I'm not looking up flight related information, it makes a great entertainment device for him. In the front seat, he likes to take the controls once we're up and he does a great job of maintaining heading and altitude with a little help.
My almost two year old is a bit more of a challenge, as he likes to talk into the headset. When I'm in the newer aircraft with the isolate button its wonderful, it's the older aircraft without this feature that makes flying with children a bit of a challenge.
Thanks for this article, lets keep the future generation of pilots growing.
My only recommendation when taking children flying is keep the flight short. Anything over an hour and they start to get fussy.
For both improved safety (seat belt/shoulder harness placement on the child) and visibility you should use an approved booster seat, not a pillow for your child. Obviously the preferred choice would be to use the car seat combined with a headset with smaller ear cups, as it will provide far more protection for your child. The data on the value of the use of approved car seats for young children is so overwhelming that it is literally "criminal" not to use them in automobiles. Unlike cars, general aviation aircraft have little or no crash protection other than sets, seat belts/shoulder harness.
As a dad of 8 I recognize what a pain in the neck car seats are!
I want to point out that the CARES harness that the author describes is a 4 point, FAA approved restraint for children. I have used the CARES harness on commercial flights and in private aircraft. They provide a comfortable and secure ride for kids, as secure and arguably as safe as a car seat.
A booster bottom does work better than a pillow, provides a handy cup holder, and is a great complement to the CARES.
This is great -- have you flown with children under the age of 3? My son is not quite 1.5 years, and lots of folks have asked if I've gone up with him. I've thought of taking him along, with me in the back with him and someone else flying. Thoughts?
@aeriel - Yes, I flew with Benjamin for the first time in a small airplane when he was about seven months old. I just pulled out the portable car seat and he slept most of the time. And he seemed to enjoy the flight while he was awake, too! I was with another pilot at that time.
I would definitely recommend flying with someone else in the cockpit the first few times. I've never had a problem flying with Benjamin, but you just never know how each child is going to react. The last thing you need while flying is to be distracted by an upset child. So, yes, sit in the back with him for the first flight or two to see how he handles it.
I definitely agree that a booster seat is the way to go once your child is old enough to use CARES. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at pia.bergqvist@bonniercorp.com.
