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Flying your family

There was a recent post on the forum we care not to mention where the OP was looking to purchase a six seater, to fly him, his wife, and four kids around Europe. A poster suggested that this may not be such a great idea, which I seconded, and then waded in morbidly, about the amount of 2014 incidents, where kids and family have all bought the proverbial farm. That was a thread show stopper.
I am interested though in others views on this, and if they feel hauling their wife and kids around Europe, sometimes under duress, is acceptable. I have/do it, but recently it has been much less, more from their point than mine, they highlight 20 quid Easyjet flights, in comfort, and relative safety!!!!, rather than bouncing about in the Bo..

The question then is would you purchase a six seater, with the mission to transport your young family around?

Fly safe. I want this thing to land l...
EGPF Glasgow

Unless you’re Catholic, I think a 4-seater might be enough to haul your family around Europe…

I would say it’s totally a matter of choice.

Sure flying yourself is riskier than EasyJet, but it is more fun, at least for some of us.

If they WANT to come with you, then you bring them. But if they don’t, then duress should never enter it, for many reasons.

There is also a danger that you feel under pressure to be EasyJet, and feel under pressure to depart when you might not if it was just you or you and other pilots.

EIWT Weston, Ireland

That’s my idea, but then never under duress (well i really only need 4 seats).

Duress means extra stress for everyone, not something you like in a cockpit…

So far, in airclub planes i’ve done only a 1h trip with my whole family.
but with a proper plane and an IR rating i’d certainly try to convince and go for w/e see friends and family initially, and then extend to w/e around Europe

ELLX (Luxembourg), Luxembourg

PP, that is an interesting point, re the proper plane. A number of incidents in the States in particular, have involved a proper plane. These have been high flying Malibu/Meridian types, where a variety of things have gone wrong. Oxygen/loss of control at high altitude, weather mishaps etc. These have been serious pieces of kit..

In these types, the family will feel safe and secure (should), I appreciate it may be a perception issue, but the flights ended badly.

Fly safe. I want this thing to land l...
EGPF Glasgow

There are many posts on forums from someone who has just started doing their PPL and wants to learn to fly so they can fly around Europe with their family.

I think that is admirable! I myself learnt to fly to see Europe, go to nice places, and meet nice people.

I didn’t plan to fly with a “family” because I had then recently got divorced (had I not got divorced I would not have been able to learn to fly, prob99) and the ex did not allow me to fly with the kid(s) unless there was another pilot on board, which was a hassle finding the pilot and extra expense paying for his hotel room, food, etc.

The problem, as “we” all know, is that one doesn’t have a great despatch rate with just a PPL, and an IR makes it only slightly better. So the applicability of this type of travel is somewhat limited, unless the whole family just happens to love flying, which does happen but is not very common.

I think it is nice for someone to have such an ambition – too many PPL students are learning to fly just to tick the lifestyle achievements box, etc, etc which seems a stupid way to blow away 10k or so – but they need to be aware that it is going to be a long haul…

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter entirely agree that every new PPL should have ambitions to be all they can be, in the world of aviation, and if possible, aircraft ownership. I bought my current plane to expand the world of personal travel to my family, and it has worked, but at a pretty high financial cost, a realisation that the mission despatch rate has to be ultra conservative and flexible, and filling me with an additional drive to get as much experience/rating, in order that each flight was a safe for them as possible. For me, it has been tremendous fun and achievement.

That said, I do wonder that with the benefit of hindsight, would I have gone the same route? Perhaps is the answer, but there were many things I would have done differently. That’s life though.

Fly safe. I want this thing to land l...
EGPF Glasgow

I do wonder that with the benefit of hindsight, would I have gone the same route?

I think almost nobody would do a PPL if they knew up front what they will be in for, and I mean that seriously.

Well, apart from those (the majority, maybe?) who have no intention to fly afterwards.

And those who may have the intention but have no possible means of funding any significant post-PPL flying (the majority of teenagers doing a PPL) are never going to find out anyway…

As for me, yes I would do it all again, but would do it differently, to cut out a lot of the crap I had to go through. But we are all wiser afterwards

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I think almost nobody would do a PPL if they knew up front what they will be in for, and I mean that seriously.

Why? There was a moment in my life where I had both discretionary income and time and I always thought being able to fly an aircraft was something desirable. The PPL was a module that would allow me to grow it up to the professional level. So far everything was as expected. Initially I thought I would never get used to the 1950s technology that a PPL brings with it but I no longer have to vomit when I see a mixture lever

What I would not have done had I known upfront what it would be like is the old style EASA IR. That was an incredible amount of wasted time studying for a pointless exam.

As for me, yes I would do it all again, but would do it differently, to cut out a lot of the crap I had to go through. But we are all wiser afterwards

Same applies for me … E.g. I would avoid being involved in attempt of running PPL training facility which costed me time & money.

LDZA LDVA, Croatia
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