So its OK to let my 14 year old daughter fly the airplane if we want her to? Is that what your saying?

 

I am buying land so my boys can ride next year, they will be 3, 7, and 8. There will be no stopping the 3 year old so he will be tethered. As far as the other 2 they need to be on and riding as soon as possible cause at 7 and 8 they will take in the do's and don'ts alot easier then a 12 year old. I was 12 once and everything I was told not to do, I did it as soon as my parents turned there head. I atleast know with teaching my boys to ride and having there own quads at there ages, will only make me more comfortable when they do turn 12, have 5 years of riding under there belt and go ride with there friends and I am not there.

 

i dont care what your daughter does as long as she isnt going to crash into my house. You can be sure my little brother wont crash into your house either on his quad. He has his own little track out in our front yard to rip around on.

 

If you are confident and comfortible to let your creation fly a plane by herself then I say let her do it. Cause no dad would let there child put there self in harms way.

 

Not caring is a cop-out. Its like admitting your brother is to young to ride the atv but you dont want to admit it.

What are the differences between a parent wanting a under age youth operating a atv vs. an airplane? You pointed out you don't want your personal property damaged - and thats a little myopic.

What about the larger issues?

 

Wait a minute - we have video of 4 dads sitting in lawn chairs drinking beer while the 4 eight year olds are riding 500 cc machines through a mud pit, without helmets - and the dads are not even looking in that direction.

We have dads riding with 3 kids on the rear rack of quad down a two track public trail in the most heavily used riding area, and we have dads giving free access to kids on quads a thousand times a day in our state alone.

To beleive that dads don't put their children in harms way - either from ignorance or lack of common sense - does not hold water.

Thats why the feds came up with minumum age standards - to intervene where parents dont know or dont care about minumum age requirements to operate the atv

The question remains - whats the difference between a parent wishing a child to operate the atv or the airplane.

And are you prepared to answer the judge why - when knowing the federal minumum age requirements - you put your 3 year old on a atv that weighs 185 pounds and half of that is 400 degree metal? This happens. And fathers have lost custody or have supervised visitation because of it.

 

WhoDatInDaMud,

I took your above airplane story as you meant it, that was pretty funny. So heres mine.....


So, if my 15 y/o daughter is a great driver, can I let her drive our other car so we can get all five of us and all our camping gear to the campground? LOL [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

I know how to drive drive a big Tractor/Trailer semi truck very well, but I don't have my CDL license to be able to legally do it. But am moving and need to get all my furniture and household stuff to my new house two states away. Can I do it anyway because I will be safe??????? Why do I need a license??????? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] LOL

Laws are laws, we have to follow them. IF we don't like them, try to change them.

The ATV guidelines are obviously way outdated, and need to be changed. WAY easier said than done.
In our state, they are still just that, guidelines.
But the dealers still can't sell the "wrong" size quad to the "wrong" aged rider.
The answer is to change all the BS so families can play and enjoy themselves.

I think this issue goes way deeper than I want to go into, but hopefully there are those out there working to make them more sensible.

 

ya, what whodat just said to.

The guidelines are there just like laws are.

To protect people (sometimes kids) from other people (or parents) that are to stupid to think or be safe.
And unfortunately the law abiding and safe people have to do things because of those stupid people.

Kinda short and ugly version, but that kinda sums it up.

If everybody was perfect, safe, considerate of others, and we all loved each other, we wouldn't need laws and regulations.........

 

lol Really don't know why I would have to answer a judge, my lawyer would do that. Putting my 3 year old on an atv that weighs 185lbs and half of which is most likely only about 180 degrees plus with me walking behind him with the motor being tethered kinda makes me feel a little more comfortable then strapping him into my 1/4 ton pick up which runs about 260 degrees with no tether. There is a lot of stupid people out there but every child wanting to enjoy the sport of ATVing shouldn't have to be penalized for stupid peoples actions.
With this thread it kinda sheds a little light on the behavior of our teenagers today. I see it on the news every night, teenage drunk driver dies, teenager dies from brutal beating from classmates, 3 students shot and killed because they sat at the wrong lunch table. These things are happening because we have leashed and over done it with limitations to the children of this country. I understand there is "rules" and "laws" but we are starting to over do it here.

And airplane compared to a 50cc quad, hmmmm 50cc's can do a heck of a lot of damage to a rabbit, adult knee cap, tent, car door, & some major bodily damage to a small child. Now airplane..... death, multiple deaths, and major catastrophe.

Not wishing and letting a responsible, well instructed, taught, trained child ride an ATV , fly a plane, drive a race car, play football, climb a tree, and play hockey in the street sounds a heck of allot better then letting them play PS2, game boy, watch Power Rangers, or surf the internet and see bondage, ****, beheadings, perverts , and a bunch of old guys bicker in message boards.

You have your views and points that are meaningful as does others have views and points that are meaningful.

Ride safe, fly safe , and wear a helmet [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I hear all your arguments.. and I know what you are trying to say Whodat.. I just wonder though.. how did the voluntary guidelines that were supposed to control the sales of 3 wheel machines and only apply to dealers, get twisted in such a way that they have made their way into official policy, regulation, and in some states, the law, and applied to a whole different class of machine?

Seems that in addition to that, they were if my adled old mind is correct, they were a direct result of dealing with the aftermath of the craziness brought about by the 3 wheeled craze.. which by the way wasn't an issue with Honda's original ATC.. it wasn't until people started modifying them, and wanting to go much faster, and with the factories trying to out do each other by coming out with faster and more powerful models to claim bragging rights that we got into the situation in the first place. Which is exactly where we are headed today with ever increasing engine sizes, lighter weights, more suspension, louder pipes, more ga-ga that will in the end put us right back where we started from.

No, the whole limitation/restriction deal is a perversion from what it had originally intended to fix. We let it happen then, and we are letting it happen now. If they really want to get serious, then limit the engine sizes period. You don't need anything bigger than a 500.. do you want more, sure you do, but do you "need" it? Probably not.

I feel, and a lot of others agree with me, that the guidelines should be scrapped, and that we as a group should not be singled out just because of the past history of a class of machine that does not even exist today. When you start treating other forms of leisure activity like bicycles or boats with the same scrutiny that ATV's have to endure, then they will gain my attention and respect.

Do I support some form of regulation.. yes, if for no other reason than to make sure that things are on an even keel across the board no matter where my travels take me. But I don't believe to the extent that it takes away decision processes. Conversly, I don't buy into that argument that as a parent, I should not have my rights to raise my child how I see fit either.

We read about bad decisions being made by a parent all the time... and I think education is the key to solving much of the issue. But that education should be made available to anyone who seeks the knowledge, and not limited because of some outdated arbitrary guide that manufacturers were forced to sign to keep from being legislated out of business.

It is time to put things right...and all I ask is that we gain fair treatment that is in line with whatever statistical information available. Numbers wise, bikes represent a significantly higher risk to children.