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I have a nephew who is about to turn 11, and who is utterly obsessed with flying. He has asked for aviation related gifts, but I’m struggling a bit for ideas, beyond models, pictures, books, etc, which is already has in abundance.
Any ideas of anything slightly more niche or unusual that won’t break the bank?
Do he do much actual flying? If not, what about using avios to book a short flight somewhere for him and a parent/older sibling, e.g. LHR-MAN or LCY-EDI return, if getting to and from an airport doesn’t cause practical difficulties?
Or you can get flight simulator experiences which he might enjoy as well.
My son and his cousin were mad about all forms of transport at that age and we visited some fantastic aviation museums, which might be another option. A really good one was the RAF Museum Midlands, Cosford, but there are a few around the country.
I imagine @strickers might have some good suggestions as well!
Thank you! He does fly quite a bit with his parents, but taking him somewhere is actually a great idea. They’re not far from Gatwick, so I’ll have a look at destinations. I had thought perhaps Madrid, on one of the flights that uses a wide body plane as he’d love going in business, but that’s from Heathrow.
I’ll have a look at simulator experiences too.
Good idea NL!
https://www.headforpoints.com/2024/04/01/the-day-i-flew-to-barra-and-landed-on-the-beach/
This can be an exciting flight, even for an old person. You can actually feel Rob’s excitement!
My son’s now too cool to travel with his parents, but I’m looking forward to doing something like this with my little great-nieces when they’re a bit older.
Check out eBay for old aircraft instruments. The standard T would be an altimeter, attitude indicator, air speed indicator and finally a compass or horizontal situation indicator. You should be able to pick one up for £20-£30. Then give him a project to find out how it works. You can then repeat this every year to add one of the other 4 until he has the set.
That’s Christmas sorted as well now!
@lula – possibly one to mention to your nephew’s parents – if they ever decide to fly to Washing DC, the Air and Space Museum at Dulles is utterly unmissable. Among the vast and jaw-dropping collection of exhibits is a Concorde, a space shuttle, a Blackbird (the “invisible” stealth) and the Enola Gay. Even in the land of outstanding museums that was one of the most impressive we’ve visited.
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/sr-71-blackbird-spy-plane-design/index.html
The other day I was looking for inspiration, and a quick google of where you can see Concorde here in the UK could be of interest to you.
If he’s not far from Gatwick you could take him to the Brooklands museum near Weybridge where he could see a Concorde amongst other things.
There is also the Concorde Lego set which should keep him occupied for a while.
Not sure if there’s any age restrictions but a flight in a glider or small plane is affordable and immense fun.
We bought OH a flying lesson at Biggin Hill which isn’t too far away. Not sure what the minimum age is. A friend’s 12 year old grandson had a flying lesson, I think from Redhill Aerodrome, or somewhere close by. Have you looked at Virgin experiences? I have a feeling you can buy flying lessons from website. There are also small Aeródromes in Surrey/Kent which fly gliders and offer lessons, so definitely worth checking around the area.
Would definitely recommend a visit to Brooklands too.
A trip to the Bristol aerospace museum?
We have a same-ager hoping to do the Papa Westray flight in 2025!Lots of great ideas – thank you all!
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