How can an eleven year old who wants to learn to fly and join the United States Air Force start his flying lessons and is he even old enough to learn to fly and how can he persuade his Quaker parents?

You could start your ground lessons, but to take the FAA's Knowledge Exam you've got to be 15, to solo an airplane you must be at least 16.

If you want to join the Air Force as a pilot you must attend the Air Force's flight school, so your best bet is to study very hard in school so you can graduate with a 4.0-or-above grade point average--and make sure you take science and math every year--because the USAF looks at that. I would try to get an appointment to the Air Force Academy if I was you.

As for your parents, they might like to know there was at least one Quaker veteran of World War II, but since it was Richard Nixon (who was not a high quality individual) they might NOT like to know this.