Boy aged EIGHT learns how to fly a plane after dad began giving him lessons as a very young boy

Published: 06:09, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 06:09, 21 April 2026 An eight-year-old boy in California is already able to fly an airplane after his father began teaching him just two years ago. Maverick Foletta began learning how to fly from his father, Mike, at the Salinas Airport, starting when he was only six years old, said the Mission Park Elementary School student told KSBW. Maverick has already logged 10 hours in the air, and his instructor, Enoch Weichers, told the outlet that the young boy is nearly at the skill level to fly on his own. 'If Maverick could, he'd probably be ready to solo pretty soon, maybe in the next couple of flight lessons,' Weichers said. The instructor noted that most students need around 60 hours of flight time before being ready to take to the air on their own, with at least 40 hours of flight on the lower end. However, Maverick's age has many advantages added Weichers: 'I think kids really tend to learn really quickly because they don't have any preconceived notions of how to do things. He's very humble and a very quick learner.' The young flyer described to the outlet how flying takes focus and the checking of instruments inside the aircraft, as well as conditions on the outside. Many of his strong habits could be attributed to his father building his skills in the cockpit. Maverick Foletta, 8, is a Mission Park Elementary School student who has already logged 10 hours in the air He began flying learning flying at the age of six from his father, Mike who is also pilot  Mike also told KSBW that flying with his boy has been something he always wished for. 'I've been flying a long time. I got my license a long time ago, then took a break, then started flying again,' Mike said. 'It's always been my dream to fly with Maverick, and that was a dream come true.' He added that flying with his son has made their relationship even stronger. Maverick said that he is inspired by the main character of the 1986 classic, Top Gun, who shares his name. In 2021, a boy became one of the youngest pilots in Britain after completing his first-ever flying lesson at 7 years old. Mike told KSBW that he has already dreamed of flying with his son and the experience has brought them closer together Jacob Newson, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, had his first flying lesson at White Waitham Airfield, in Maidenhead, under the watchful eye of his father, Andrew, 53, who is an advanced emergency medical technician, and instructor Mark Green. After tragically losing his mother, Andrea, 49, to breast cancer, Jacob decided he wanted to go on his first flying lesson with his father, who had conquered his fear of flying to help his son achieve his dream. Jacob, who has loved planes and flying since he was a toddler and has previously fundraised for charities including the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, bravely took the controls of a Piper PA-28 Cherokee during his exciting first lesson. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.