Young co-pilot- first time flier

[The-sky-captain]

In the 10 months since my son, and first child, was born I've flown the Mooney close to 200 hours. Unfortunately the little guy has not been up with me at all. That being said, we are taking a short 1.5 hour flight here in a few days to visit his great-grandma for the first time and I was wanting some input from those of you that have flown with children sub 1 year. I've talked to his Dr., have a good carseat, ear plugs and muffs and plan on gentle descents. I guess the real question is what kind of altitudes would be comfortable for him? Should I stay low, under 5k? I usually fly 7-9k but am worried the pressure may hurt his ears. Any comments from past experiences or tips to make the trip more comfortable for him will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[carusoam]

Bodie,

 

Fly your regular flight.  Altitude and vibration will have them all sleeping.

 

Your job is smooth, no error, flying.

 

Be mindful if the children have stuffy noses, colds and blockages.  Otherwise no special conditions.

 

Bring extra clothes, expect barf if turbulence is present.  Don't hand barfy covered child to any grandparents until cleaned up.

 

Keep mom happy.....

 

That's what worked for us....

 

Report back what you discover.  No two are alike...

 

Best regards,

 

-a-

 

Best regards,

[jrwilson]

My daughter's pediatrician was an Air Force flight surgeon, just as a coincidence...  He said to wait 3 months before taking her flying, then said keep it under 6000'.   After 6 months he said under 8000' is fine, if you have to go to 9 for a minute, that is good too.  After a year, he said keep it under 10,000.  Headsets wouldn't fit at that age, but said in the backseat shouldn't be too loud.  If you can, use cotton in the ears, though mine would pull it out. But in a car seat, with blankets, it really muffles the noise.  My daughter is fine in the back without headsets, but in the front, she wears her headset (she is 4 now).  If she takes it off in front, she says it is too loud.

[b65cuda]

If I remember correctly, we are taught in the altitude chamber the biggest pressure change on the ears and such happens from about 5k down. My ears are pretty sensitive and that is where I have to valsava.

[mjc]

For the first year or so of my daughter's life we used Peltor kids' ear muffs for hearing protection. She refused to use earplugs, though we did try those as well. After that she was able to wear a child headset. At two, she graduated to the Lightspeed Zulu I had bought for myself. (Lightspeed makes a thick headpad that makes it fit a child's head perfectly.)

A doctor suggested that for the first year, I limit altitude to not more than 10k and preferably lower. He explained that the brain is not fully developed at birth and the lack of oxygen at high altitudes is not ideal.

[The-sky-captain]

Thanks for all of the tips. The flight was great although it was a little bumpy due to going over at 4000' in the middle of the day. He slept like a champ and arrived both destinations well rested and in a good mood. He wore a set of 3M ear muffs and loaded easily through the baggage door Here's to many happy years of happy flying for the both of us.