Nervous Wife

[Dazzler]

I did an intro flight for someone last weekend and he loved it - he's all fired up and ready to sign up for training.

The catch? His wife. She's very nervous about him taking flying lessons.

The good news is that, after some persuasion, she has agreed to also take an intro flight to see what this "flying in small airplanes thing" is all about.

Apart from the obvious things such as flying on a non-turbulent day, keeping bank angles down to 10 degrees, etc., any other advice on how to handle this delicate situation? Should he fly along in the back? Should she take the controls?

This could make or break whether this guy signs up, and fulfils a life-long dream!

[Moral of the story: Marry someone who loves flying as much as you do!]

[t82]

I would make sure she understands the safety element of the training. My wife liked that was much more intensive than learning to drive a car.

For the flight let her do only what she is comfortable doing. I think the husband should come along (in fact maybe he should be doing the flying so she can see how much he enjoys it.)

good luck

[jrh]

Originally Posted by Dazzler

Apart from the obvious things such as flying on a non-turbulent day, keeping bank angles down to 10 degrees, etc., any other advice on how to handle this delicate situation? Should he fly along in the back? Should she take the controls?

A couple things to remember, and this goes for all new passengers--first, in general, fear comes from things a person doesn't understand. Second, make sure to point out all of the safety backups and crosschecks we have.

When I do intro flights, I offer to have the person preflight the plane with me. Just mention that you're making sure everything is secure, no dents, all the bolts are tightened, etc. Most people are impressed by how thorough the preflight is and it makes them feel better, especially considering how they casually hop in their cars to drive without checking anything.

In the cockpit, I talk about several things. I point out the seatbelts are pretty similar to airline seatbelts and work the same way. For the emergency briefing, I avoid using the word "emergency." I say, "In case we have some sort of a problem where we need to land away from the airport, just make sure to stay calm and listen to whatever I ask you to do." Even if it sounds cheesy and they can tell I'm avoiding calling it an emergency, there's still a subconcious calming effect.

Some other points I make--anything I do with the yoke and rudder pedals will also happen on their side, so be careful to not accidently step on a rudder pedal as we're taking off or something. Not that it will make us crash, but it might make the plane wobble and startle both of us. Changes in the power setting of the engine are also more noticeable, especially compared to passenger jets, so if the engine seems very loud on takeoff or seems like it died as we're coming in to land, that's normal. If you notice any lights, buzzers, chimes, or horns going off for a minute during the flight, don't worry, it's probably normal, but feel free to ask about it. That way they don't freak out when the middle marker starts beeping on short final. Make sure to tell them you expect a calm, smooth ride, and most people do fine, but if they start to feel airsick at all, make sure to let you know right away. That way you can get air vents opened up and make them more comfortable on your way to land. You can also give them a quick overview on how the intercom works, that they'll be able to hear other planes and ATC on the radio, and how the headset is meant to be worn. For the engine runup, I just tell them that I'm going to power up the engine for a minute and make sure all the systems are working correctly before we take off. During the mag check, I mention how the engine has two spark plugs per cylinder, unlike a car's single plug, so if one were to fail, the engine would still run fine.

I know some of these things sound super basic and almost ridiculous, but remember that we've been doing this for hundreds of hours. Flying in a small plane really is an unusual experience for most people and they don't know what to expect.

Most of all, just be friendly and try to make them feel at ease. Make sure they know they can ask anything about anything at any time.

Oh, and as for taking the controls--it can't hurt to offer it to her, but don't push it if she doesn't want to of course. And as for taking her husband along, I'd say let her do whatever she prefers. Let her know that he's welcome to come, but doesn't have to.

Wow, that was a long post. I think that covers everything though.

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by jrh

Some other points I make--anything I do with the yoke and rudder pedals will also happen on their side, so be careful to not accidently step on a rudder pedal as we're taking off or something.

I never thought to mention this before... non-pilots might not know this and thinks it's weird. Thanks!

[jrh]

Originally Posted by ChinookDriver

I never thought to mention this before... non-pilots might not know this and thinks it's weird. Thanks!

Actually, you can thank Greg Brown. He's author of "The Flying Carpet" and "The Savvy Flight Instructor" and writes a lot for AOPA magazines. I went to a seminar he did at Oshkosh a few years ago that focused entirely on how general aviation pilots should deal with passengers. I never thought somebody could speak for an hour about nothing but passengers, but he had stories to go along with all of his points and I learned a ton...very entertaining and informative. I was a student pilot at the time and have used his method of briefing people ever since.

Dealing with passengers is something I try to teach all my private students, but I think it's an area that isn't addressed much by other instructors. Too often student pilots are left to figure out on their own what makes passengers comfortable and what scares them to death. I cringe whenever I hear a brand new private pilot bragging about how they showed their first passenger stalls! Not a very positive first exposure to small planes, IMO.