David Ishmael (Aviator Dave) 🇺🇸 🇧🇧

Since many will be traveling soon: Yes, we LOVE to have kids visit the cockpit! Adults are welcome, too! Here’s how it works: 1) Has to be at the gate, engines off, either pre or post-flight. 2) If we are delayed or the pilots show up as boarding is already winding down, we are probably pressed for time & may not be able to do it. Doesn’t hurt to ask, though. 3) You have to ask. Most of us find it awkward to go around finding random kids to invite up. Ask the Flight attendants as you board. 4) Be ready. Pictures are fine, questions are fine & most of us will let the kids sit in the seats, but it varies. What doesn’t vary is that we maybe have 10-20 minutes of spare time in the pre-flight, and we need to be quick about visitors. Plan on a couple minutes at most. 5) We’ll keep an eye on the buttons they push & stuff. They won’t screw things up, so don’t be overly worried about that. For adults, ask before pushing buttons. 6) Most of us carry little plastic wings for the kids, but we sometimes run out. We’re also happy to sign their “Log Books” (I don’t see many of those now, but occasionally). 7) Many airlines now also issue trading cards of the airplane, which are given only to the pilots. We’re happy to give these out, but they are hot items & we run out quickly…there is no guidance on how to handle these, but the consensus seems to be “you have to ask”. I can get more from the office, but only if office staff are there at the beginning of my trip…unlike the wings, the cards are locked up. Since most of my trips start with redeyes, I’m often unable to restock the cards…sorry! Doesn’t hurt to ask, though! 8) If Mom & Dad are carrying a ridiculous amount of stuff like car seats & such, we may let the kids up & tell the parents we’ll bring the kids back to them after they’ve settled. We don’t want to block the door & delay boarding. It’s OK, the Flight Attendants will escort them back when we’re done. If you want a picture, we can take it & airdrop it to you, but you’ll have to ask for that. I personally like to have the kids say “welcome aboard” on the PA system to let Mom & Dad know the kids are doing fine. 9) If you’ve followed the rules & get denied, it’s not because you did anything wrong. Sometimes things are more complicated than usual (weather, ATC, etc.) & we might not be able to do it. Just keep asking on each flight, you’ll eventually hear “yes”. Most airlines encourage us to do this as much as we can…they know it’s a goodwill gesture. Most pilots are happy to do it…many of us had a similar moment in our childhood & know it was meaningful. Besides, we get to talk about airplanes & act cool. Alright, I probably left some things out, but hopefully that’s a good guideline. These rules are not “official”, they are just my thoughts on how this works, but I think the majority of pilots will agree with them. If I remember correctly, these rules only apply in the U.S…I think the EU has cracked down on this, but don’t quote me on that.