I took a friend of a friend's grand-nephew for his first flight in my RV-6.
Connor, age 9 (almost 10).
He's been obsessed with airplanes for as long as his parents can remember. They've kitted out a PC with all the bits for MS Flight Sim, and he's been all over that like a beaver on wood for the last two and a half years. Knows what all the buttons and dials do, knows the difference between pitch mode and altitude hold mode on an autopilot.
I arranged to meet his family at Camden (YSCN) near Sydney. Connor, his brother, his parents, his grandmother, and his great grandmother. A minivan full of spectators! Good lord.
I gave him a safety briefing, helped him board and strap-in, and we launched.
With small kids it's easy for a little bit to be too much, and I'd rather leave him wanting more from a good experience than wanting no reminder of a bad one. We had a 20 minute flight around the Sydney area, returning to Camden from Wedderburn via Picton. Squeaked-on a gentle wheel landing and taxied back to the family.
I left him with an expired sectional as a memento (one of the pandemic era ones I never used), and a link to the flightradar24 trace of his flight. Explained to him that the deal is that he gets his flight for free, but he has to return the favor when he gets his pilot license. So I guess I'll get email in about six years
"After you left, Connor said today was the best day of his life." Can't get much better than that.
- mark