Starting 'em young…

You’ll never beleive this, after replying on this thread I went back into the garage where I’m trying to sort out a myriad of cardboard boxes full of stuff, found a box of slides, took one out at random and found my son fleeing from the VC-10, wierd.
I’ve been a bit unfair on my stepson actually.
We have had a lot of holidays in Norfolk and he really enjoyed going over to Coltishall and watching the landings and take offs of the Jags, more to do with the danger of standing under the landing lights I suspect, not that I approved. His best moment was when they were exercising with the Polish Su-17’s a couple of years ago, I think he just loved the noise though, very reminiscent of the thrash metal he’s into now, bless him.

See the smile on airgage juniors face once he recognises the sound of a merlin at the beginning!

Absolutely priceless!!…

I have to admit, my assistant has great taste… he was amazed at the site of the VWoC Waco Taperwing… something about the polished red and black finish… but best of all, Saturday was his first taste of Merlin Magic as we stood in the prop-wash as the Hurricane fired up.

My son started flying at 3 months old in Russavia’s Rapide in 1983. He was the youngest crew member we had. At 4 he had been in the BBMF Lancaster for a look. He’s flown G-MOTH sitting on my lap at the same age. Now he’s in his 20’s he’s been to USA and Poland looking at planes. I didnt start till i was 4 flying in Rapides.

Beware!!!

Beware!
My son started with model aircraft when he was about 6 or 7, then visits to museums to see the real things, now he ownes a taxiable Jet Provost and a Beagle Pup cockpit, but he is only just turned 16!!!
It gets expensive!!!!!!

Excellent.

My Dad indulged me and my interest in aviation.

I remember well dragging him away from his beloved cricket on the car radio to tour the production lines at what was then DH Harwarden in Cheshire.

Thanks dad – a bit late. (He’s long gone now 🙁 )

Moggy

Nice one, I hope it continous.
My son was 2 when I took him to his first airshow, that was at Wethersfield in the late 80’s.
Great, we got out the car and his favourite Matchbox toy Tornado F-3 was sitting on the runway waiting to go, fortunately matchbox toys don’t make a noise, this one did, big time, didn’t like it one bit. We put up a tent that day and he spent most of the time running into it every time a jet displayed, I have a wonderful picture of him fleeing in panic with the not so noisy RAF VC-10 approaching behind him.
Eventually he got to like it, great moment was at the massive 1990 50th BoB flypast where we got a spot right in front of Buck Palace, he was the same age as your little sprog then. Mind you, he spent most of the time looking through the bins at Princess Dianna, bless ’em both.
He then got to sit in the cockpit of a Spitfire and a Hawk on Horse Guards parade, charming little git.
Things went down hill after that, it had something to do with the funfairs you get at British airshows.
I remember taking him to Mildenhall once and priming him up to see the Red Arrows perform for the first time, they took off and all he wanted to do was go on that awfull, skin removing, snake slide. The owners of that must have made a fortune out of me.
We did have some adventures though, going on a Tornado simulator at Finningley with a crowd of French Mirage pilots, that was brilliant, then getting out and him getting his F117 poster autographed by the pilot.
After that, when he got older, he would only go with pals and they would clear off and leave me alone.
The last airshow he really enjoyed was when he had measles. He was banned from school but was feeling OK so we went to the practice day at North Weald. The bloke on the gate was a client of mine and he let us in, we seemed to be the only members of the public and had the complete run of the place, we had the grandstand all to ourselves, and some of the displays were quite hairy to say the least, and of course there were no barriers to stop us from wandering over to the a/c and chatting to the pilots.
After that, no interest, however the lucky git did fly round Mnt Kilimanjaro in a light a/c last year and loved every minute of it, who wouldn’t.
There you go, kids will be kids, my stepson has no interest whatsoever, he never has and will not go to an airshow, ‘Nah, boring’.
Cest la Vie.