My daughter wants to get her PPL..when should she start?

[Flying_Monkey]

My 12 year old daughter told me today that she wants to get her pilot license. We have been flying together for 4 years or so and she always seems a little interested (but sometimes not at all) when we fly...I think now that she is in middle school she is starting to think she wants to work for NASA, be an astronaut or some kind of engineer and thinks it would be a good idea to get her pilot license.

I had shown her one of the King School's videos on aerodynamics a few months ago and she soaked it up easily and can still explain it back to me. We recently built and have been flying an RC plane and talk about aerodynamics, components of lift in turns, etc etc. I had thought that one could get a pilot license at age 15 but searching the internet it looks like Student Pilot Cert at 16 and Private at 17. So I guess at 15 1/2 she can start studying for the written and take it a little after she turns 16? It would be good for a year and then she could do the check ride shortly after her 17th birthday? When can she start logging dual time with a CFI? I don't want to rush it but I also want her to do what she can early on. It would certainly be fun to fly with her as PIC eventually!

 

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