Why doesn't Scootaloo attend flight school?

[Leonard Smix 421]

-Well, I am pretty sure most to all of us have seen flight to the finish, you know, where Diamond Tiara decides to tease about how Scootaloo has yet the ability to fly. After this insult, there are many scenes of Scootaloo being down and constantly trying to fly, yet she is unable to.  

 

-We have seen The Cutie Mark Chronicles right? Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were both in flight school as fillies. Why didn't the idea of flight school ever spark up inside Scootaloo's head before and after Flight to the Finish?

[Darker 1,352]

Another cartoon inconsistency. It's been five this month. We discover more and more errors in Friendship is Magic every day.

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

Because as far as we know she always lived amongst earth ponies and unicorns, meaning that as she never lived in cloudsdale she never had the idea or opportunity.

[Christmasy Britty 2,553]

it might be because she has wing problems? stunted growth perhaps in the wings which would be the reason why she needs a scooter to drive around fast in the first place idk i'm just popping up with ideas here

[ponylaces 1,870]

It's not that she doesn't know how to fly, she can't fly. Her wings are too small. If they were bigger, she wouldn't have a problem. Even if she did attend flight school, it still wouldn't help.

[DaReaper 1,945]

Just a thought but maybe cause the flight school is in Cloudsdale and she resides in Ponyville. That might be an issue

[Gatekeeper Giggle 2,902]

It's not that she doesn't know how to fly, she can't fly. Her wings are too small. If they were bigger, she wouldn't have a problem. Even if she did attend flight school, it still wouldn't help.

Is that so? Then explain this!

[ponylaces 1,870]

Is that so? Then explain this!

Scootaloo is sometimes seen hovering in the air for a few seconds. I'm guessing Bulk Biceps does the same thing, but since he's stronger, he can do it longer.

 

Nice comic.

[Gatekeeper Giggle 2,902]

 

 

I'm guessing Bulk Biceps does the same thing, but since he's stronger, he can do it longer.

Nope, he is a fully capable flier. He was accepted on the ponyville equestria games flight teem and tried out as a Wonderbolt.  

[A Black Circle 1,586]

because plot.

the most reasonable i see.

[Gatekeeper Giggle 2,902]

Here's my two cents: Pegasi don't fly using their wings, but their magic. It honestly doesn't matter how big or small their wings are. Don't worry, I have proof! When Tirek stole all the pegasi magic they were no longer able to fly. They still had wings, but no magic. I further theorize that whatever is wrong with Scootalo is not a physical malady, but a magical one; there is something wrong with her innate pegasis magic. So all the flight school in the world won't do her a bit of good.    

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Here's my two cents: Pegasi don't fly using their wings, but their magic. It honestly doesn't matter how big or small their wings are. Don't worry, I have proof! When Tirek stole all the pegasi magic they were no longer able to fly. They still had wings, but no magic. I further theorize that whatever is wrong with Scootalo is not a physical malady, but a magical one; there is something wrong with her innate pegasis magic. So all the flight school in the world won't do her a bit of good.    

 

Yep, I've thought this for a long time too. Flight is part magic, part wingpower. Scoots' wings are pretty dang strong, and you can see it when she's doing what she does best.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3jMFSQ_HvQ

 

I have a tough time seeing somepony like Fluttershy zipping around like that using just her wings, even if she can fly just fine. Scoots' problems are on the magic end of things, I'm almost positive.

 

As for the thread's question, big flight schools are probably only around in cities filled with mainly pegasi. While Ponyville's has a decent amount of them, it's still a teeny town that was settled by earth ponies. I'm assuming that unicorns and pegasi who want to master their race-specific talents have had to learn from their relatives, and there's no saying whether Scootaloo has family that knows how to fly either. Whatever's going on with her could be genetic.

[Lost Profile 644]

I think the original idea for scoots what to have her disabled, but because that might be too dark of a tone for kids, so it was left unsaid

[Visual Spectrum 1,932]

This is pure headcanon as the reason she can't fly hasn't been discussed in the show yet. 

 

I think that sometimes, ponies can have magic displacement, or their magic varies to several places of their body. Some examples would be Rarity and Fluttershy from the Mane Six. Rarity has proven to be very strong, and Fluttershy has proven to be intelligent (At least in the comics.) Unicorn magic exists in the head, pegasi magic is in the back, and earth pony magic is in the legs. Rarity's magic is split between her head and legs, and Fluttershy's magic is split between her back and head. The appearance of a pony is often, but not always, reflective of the species. 

 

It would be possible for a pony to have wings, but their magic exists mainly in their legs. Sure, there may be magic on their back, but they wouldn't be able to fly. Perhaps Scootaloo is actually a winged earth pony, meaning even though she has wings, her magic is in her legs rendering her wings useless. 

 

Take this with a grain of salt, it is pure headcanon. 

 

To actually answer why she doesn't attend flight school: Cloudsdale is in the sky. She can't fly, so she has no way of getting there. 

Edited September 27, 2014 by Visual Spectrum

[Red Cedar 1,408]

There's no point in sending her to flight school if you have every reason to believe that she will plunge to her doom the second she steps off a cloud. If even being friends with Rainbow Dash gets you nowhere in the flight department (because you can just bet she's probably tried to help Scootaloo off-camera), then she is probably genuinely incapable.

 

Still if Bulk Biceps can get his bulk off the ground, there's hope for Scootaloo yet.

[ponylaces 1,870]

Here's my two cents: Pegasi don't fly using their wings, but their magic. It honestly doesn't matter how big or small their wings are. Don't worry, I have proof! When Tirek stole all the pegasi magic they were no longer able to fly. They still had wings, but no magic. I further theorize that whatever is wrong with Scootalo is not a physical malady, but a magical one; there is something wrong with her innate pegasis magic. So all the flight school in the world won't do her a bit of good.

 

So it's not her wings, it's the magic. Wow, I never thought of it that way. It all makes sense.

[Fawkes The Phoenix 737]

She has flying problems, and she doesn't live in Cloudsdale

[Jadusstone 52]

I know nobody said but what the hell...Rainbow Factory lol yea not cannon but still fun to think about 

[Countess Noodle 607]

Cause' she's a chicken. Chickens can't fly.

Edited September 27, 2014 by NoobyBrony

[Chaypell13 5]

I agree. One reason could be that's she's handicapped and she can't ever learn to get more than a couple feet off. But she can't go to Flight School at all right now because she can't fly up to Cloudsdale where Flight School is held. If she's not handicapped, she probably could learn to fly regularly because she does seem strong enough. However, it seems more evident of her disability. In addition to only getting a couple feet off the ground, in the Baby Cakes episode, Twilight and Rainbow Dash address to Mr. Cake about surges of Unicorn/Pegasus magic. Maybe Scootaloo never had those, affecting her later on in life. It causes her to be one step behind, making it seem like she's the only one.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

There's definitely room for speculation here. She's either disabled, which has never been said outright, or she's still growing. Sure, there are characters like Pound Cake and Bulk Biceps, but as they were initially introduced as one off gag characters, I doubt their effect on what is a secondary plot thread at best, was taken into consideration. Besides, in the Cutie Mark Chronicles episode in season 1, Fluttershy didn't seem to have a good grasp on flying at a young age either. Whatever the reason, as long as this plot point doesn't resolve itself, we'll never truly know the answer why. On the other hand, if it does get resolved, we can be sure that it was just a growth thing, and if it is outright said that Scootaloo is handicapped, then that would likewise put an end to this debate.

[sweetolebob18 728]

I'm guessing here, but IMO you need a certain degree of proficiency just to get in.  I also have the minor Head Canon that after Fluttershy's little mishap they tightened up for safety reasons & you anyways have to fly well enough they think you won't die if you fall off a cloud

[cider float 2,539]

Well who knows why. Pound Cake can fly and he's just a baby between two earth ponies. :x

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UjHSn9joo4

Edited July 27, 2015 by cider float

[Pastel 7,630]

Maybe she can't afford to go to one.

 

I can't think of any other reason, because she really should go to one, that would be interesting.

Edited July 27, 2015 by Blobulle

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

I think she'll never fly and there's gonna be an episode about accepting what you can and can't do