How much of the building process could children participate in?

[nig71]

I am 43 and have four children, two boys that are now ten and six. I am considering building and may start in the next year or two. I have eclectic tastes for either fast and efficient or stol type aircraft. The older I get the less speed seems to matter and a just Superstol would tick a lot of boxes for the farm and everyday flying as it would give me an excuse to fly several times a week. Failing that a composite aircraft like the esqual or super pulsar SP100. My question is how much could my children be involved in the build? It is an important part of life to miss squirreled away in a hangar while my kids grow up without me. Bearing in mind that I am trusting life and limb to their workmanship what could they do under supervision and learning new skills that would benefit them in life. I would like them to learn to fly also and my ten year old is a competent bobcat operator so is showing promise in some practical skills.

 

What do you reckon?

 

 

[rgmwa]

Buy them each one of these and see how they go before you start on the real thing. Not much to lose and you could end with a decent toolbox and part of a wing..

 

http://vansaircraft.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?ident=1432469078-12-195&browse=misc&product=toolbox

 

http://vansaircraft.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?ident=1432469078-12-195&browse=misc&product=training-project

 

rgmwa

 

 

[nig71]

They do look neat; especially the toolbox and useful later on..

 

 

[pylon500]

What can I let them do?

Cut out singular parts.

If they get it wrong, you throw it away.

 

If they join parts and get it wrong, you have to throw away both parts...

 

Avoid letting them drill holes, even the pro's regularly screw that one up, remember, 'Measure three times, cut/drill once'

 

I wouldn't expose them to anything chemical this early in life, (glues, paints, resins, cleaners) or especially any 'small particulate' materials, (glass fibre, carbon fibre, aluminium dust{?}, sanded foams, sanded resins)

 

Pop rivets are fun.....

 

 

[AVOCET]

I started building a largeish wooden glider when nic was borne ,

 

Had two young daughters 15 & 13 ,

 

We used to play with that glider in a large room and glide at low level over the kids in a large room .

 

My oldest daughter went on to solo , and worked for me and started a LAME apprenticeship,and my no 2 flu with me to Avalon from Bundy .

 

When nic was 15 i started the Avocet project and has gone on to be involved and hands on .

 

Getting our kids and young teens into something real and cool to some extent kept em off the streets !

 

They were and still are involved in the hands on side of things .

 

Not all jobs are technically challenging, and i found only needed

 

Gentle guidance, if their patience can handle what can seem to them as boring repartition .

 

Worked for our family.

 

Cheers Mike

 

 

[old man emu]

I think that the fact that the kids are in the shed with Dad is as important as their being 'hands on' in the work. I'd give each his own area of responsibility while they were pre-teeners. Find tasks around the shed that they can take charge of like keeping tools stored neatly, or making sure components and hardware are to hand. Of course they need to be shown how to waltz a broom. They should be taught how to identify each of your tools and how to size nuts, bolts and screws. Read to them each night from OME's Blue Bible.

 

The big "don't forget" is that you can't spend all you time on the plane. Make sure that you spend time with them doing their things, even if it means that you have to re-certify yourself on a skateboard. And be careful that they don't steer billycarts with the front axle. They'll never learn to do cross ind landings if they do.

 

OME

 

 

[Guernsey]

Get them to build a Lego aircraft first..

 

Alan.

 

 

[AVOCET]

You need lots of blocks to get a 4ft wingspan !

 

 

[KRviator]

I've two boys, a couple of months off 3 & 4, and the elder one really got into the build. It helps that he was the first person ever to sit in the QB Fuselage.

 

I wouldn't trust him to cut out parts and the like, but even simple things like getting "the big green screwdriver" or "that little spanner" make them feel a huge part of the build and that they've helped build dad's plane. A year ago we worked late one night, I'd drill and countersink the rudder fairing holes, he'd follow along and put a cleco in every other hole, and the empty ones he'd put a CS4-4 rivet in. Together we'd pull the rivets. That worked a treat. From there, he learnt how to power on the plane, and turn on the fuel pump, they helped polish the plane, and have "helped" in numerous other ways that puts a smile on their face.

 

IF your 10-year-old can drive a bobcat, he'd be more than capable of bucking rivets, drilling and countersinking various holes you point out. You don't need to build a perfect plane, but (for an RV anyway) the result would be a safe plane. As Van says, You're not going to the moon, you're only going to Denver...

 

Building while babysitting. If you plan on doing this, turn off your air compressor. Do not ask me how I know......

 

 

Cheap labour. They charge by the M'n'M!

 

 

 

[facthunter]

IF you muck this all up you may turn them off aeroplanes forever. I think I did that with my last 2 with a notably rough trip back from Wynyard (TAS) in a Beech 76 to Essendon. Nev