1st passenger

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Seth.A

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Seth.A
I took my first passenger for a flight yesterday. My girlfriend and I flew from Seattle (KBFI) to Orcas Island for lunch at buck bay shellfish farm (totally worth the trip).

Having a non-flying passenger for their first time in a small plane was significantly more disruptive to flows / habits than I expected. It turns out a good deal of focus went to making sure she was comfortable, trying not to miss things when she asks questions in the middle of me running a checklist, etc. This was also my first xc since my checkride. I kind of wish I had done a few solo before taking someone up. I'd be curious if any of you more experienced folks have strategies for dealing with such a passenger.

Anyway, it was a great trip anyway. Here's some pics!

leaving-seattle.jpg
Leaving Seattle
whidby.jpg
passing Whidby NAS
orcas.jpg
Approaching Orcas
lunch.jpg
Lunch!
eastsound.jpg
Leaving Orcas to head home
cascadelake.jpg
Twin lakes and Mountain Lake in Moran state park.
 
Great pics.

Yes, passengers can be a distraction. Just develop the discipline to tell them when it is ok to talk and when not. The pilot ISO switch on the intercom is your friend.
 
Seth.A said:
I took my first passenger for a flight yesterday. My girlfriend and I flew from Seattle (KBFI) to Orcas Island for lunch at buck bay shellfish farm (totally worth the trip).

Having a non-flying passenger for their first time in a small plane was significantly more disruptive to flows / habits than I expected. It turns out a good deal of focus went to making sure she was comfortable, trying not to miss things when she asks questions in the middle of me running a checklist, etc. This was also my first xc since my checkride. I kind of wish I had done a few solo before taking someone up. I'd be curious if any of you more experienced folks have strategies for dealing with such a passenger.

Anyway, it was a great trip anyway. Here's some pics!

View attachment 100316
Leaving Seattle
View attachment 100318
passing Whidby NAS
View attachment 100319
Approaching Orcas
View attachment 100320
Lunch!
View attachment 100321
Leaving Orcas to head home
View attachment 100322
Twin lakes and Mountain Lake in Moran state park.
Click to expand...


Awesome!!
My late friend was the first person to fly with me after my checkride.

My wife wisely waited a few months after I got my certificate. lol
 
i always gave a pre-flight briefing covering the plane and all aspects of the flight. then allowed them to ask any questions. once done i asked them to keep quiet but allowed them to witness the pre-flignt routine. after getting them settled in the plane i allowed a few questions or comments but once I was buckled in in instructed them to remain silent until I gave them permission to speak (usually when were at cruise) but to speak up if an emergency occurs.
 
Seth.A said:
I took my first passenger for a flight yesterday. My girlfriend and I flew from Seattle (KBFI) to Orcas Island for lunch at buck bay shellfish farm (totally worth the trip).

Having a non-flying passenger for their first time in a small plane was significantly more disruptive to flows / habits than I expected. It turns out a good deal of focus went to making sure she was comfortable, trying not to miss things when she asks questions in the middle of me running a checklist, etc. This was also my first xc since my checkride. I kind of wish I had done a few solo before taking someone up. I'd be curious if any of you more experienced folks have strategies for dealing with such a passenger.

Anyway, it was a great trip anyway. Here's some pics!

View attachment 100316
Leaving Seattle
View attachment 100318
passing Whidby NAS
View attachment 100319
Approaching Orcas
View attachment 100320
Lunch!
View attachment 100321
Leaving Orcas to head home
View attachment 100322
Twin lakes and Mountain Lake in Moran state park.
Click to expand...
Explain sterile cockpit to her. Not just shut up when I say sterile cockpit, but the reasons why. She'll appreciate your attention to giving her a safe flight. If not, well, that's a different problem. Great pics, they made me homesick for a trip up North. Just got one other thing to say. Friday Harbor
 
Orcas just got a significant bump up the places to fly to bucket list
 
Gary Ward said:
My wife wisely waited a few months after I got my certificate
Click to expand...
I think she secretly wished she had done the same, but she did say she would fly with me again so there's that!

PaulS said:
I'm calling bs, I didn't see any passenger in those pics!
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ha! Passenger was taking the pics!

luvflyin said:
Explain sterile cockpit to her.
Click to expand...
I did, and she totally got it. Really, she was great, I was the one who was a bit of a mess at first. Once I realized I was allowing myself to be distracted and corrected for it things went pretty smoothly.

luvflyin said:
Just got one other thing to say. Friday Harbor
Click to expand...
Oh yea, I did Friday Harbor on one of my dual XCs. We lived on Orcas for 6 years so its been at the top of the list for our first trip since before I started training.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Orcas just got a significant bump up the places to fly to bucket list
Click to expand...
If you've never been to the San Juan Islands I highly recommend making it a priority. Orcas will even let you park on the grass and throw up a tent next to your plane if your into that sort of thing.
 
Pretty much what folks said above.

Sterile cockpit for me is ground checklists, from take off clearance request to cruise-climb, and about 3-4 miles to landing.

I also explain that when I raise my right hand, to stop talking because I need to listen/respond to ATC. Only medical emergencies and traffic point-outs are exempt.

Cool flight and pics.
 
What everybody else said. And… that food looks delicious.
 
You did good. Nice photos too ...
 
so my girlfriend took lots of photos and a few short video clips. She shared them with her father, including some clips of our approach into Orcas. Her father flew Mig 29s (maybe 25s, but who cares he was a Russian fighter pilot) out of East Berlin before the wall fell and fall of the Soviet Union. He is now critiquing my approach into KORS in a C172 one week after getting my cert.

I'm just glad I asked her not to share the clip of me bouncing the landing....
 
I recommend NOT taking her Type A father along if he asks. Sounds like my father; a retired commercial pilot. He tried to start an argument with me when I was lined up and had just advanced the throttle about setting the DG more accurately as plate values are given in tenths of degrees. How about no? Critical phase of flight and all. I wanted to fly with him once. And that was enough. He flew bush in Canada, missionary flying in Africa and a bunch of other stuff. He was a good stick. But a HORRIBLE passenger :eek:

Cool pics for sure. Passengers in general? Really, you just don’t want them talking over ATC which has never been an issue for me.

I also think that flying with passengers helps make me a better pilot. You want them talking and expressing delight in what’s going on. You also still have to remember to do your pilot schizz. You will get used to it.

I took my wife up on a short hop the day after getting my ticket. She has since flown with me on several lunch hops as well as extended trips. It’s a blast.
 
Seth.A said:
At first she didn't know about the PTT, and asked me if everyone could here what we were saying.
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yeah. I’ve gotten that question also. Probably better to be truthful or she may not talk again!
 
woodchucker said:
I recommend NOT taking her Type A father along if he asks
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We've been together nearly 15 years, in that time her parents have come from Russia to visit us once. If they come again and he wants to go flying I'll take him, but I'm likely to have a few hundred more hours by then.
 
My first passenger was my wife, who asked pretty much all through my PPC training if she could fly with me yet exactly 1 week after punching my ticket. Went for a $100 hamburger (burrito actually) at KAOO. Next time we went, there was a presidential TFR about 24NM from the field, so we dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's and flew right in (VFR flight plan, transponder code, ATC, etc.) Needless to say, those first couple of flights were a little stressful. Glad to have a wife who is super supportive and excited about it though.
 
Congrats…my first passenger was my future wife and then took a break for years as I was flying for the Army…I told her about this post and basically took almost 30 years before I flew her again…she still can tell you I nailed something…just not sure if it was just the landing…
 
My first flight with passengers the day after earning my ticket was into the San Juans too, though we didn't land in the islands. I did land at Orcas a few weeks back to chat with a buddy. Where is the oyster farm? Did y'all walk into town?

My wife didn't fly with me for a year. When we got back from our first flight, I asked her why.
She said, "I thought you'd fly like you drive."
 
Domenick said:
Where is the oyster farm? Did y'all walk into town?
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South east part of the island. If you make the left instead of continuing straight into Olga you can't miss it. Too far to walk. There's a car rental place that keeps a couple vehicles parked at the airport with lock boxes. Call them, they give you the code, you drive away. Rumor has it there's also a crew car, but I didn't investigate.
 
Newly minted PPL here, took my first passenger. No big deal right?

But the first time flying with a passenger who is a long time pilot and not your instructor? That was different, for me at least.. knowing they’re secretly judging my every mistake :D
 
Seth.A said:
South east part of the island. If you make the left instead of continuing straight into Olga you can't miss it. Too far to walk. There's a car rental place that keeps a couple vehicles parked at the airport with lock boxes. Call them, they give you the code, you drive away. Rumor has it there's also a crew car, but I didn't investigate.
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Thanks. Found it. Yep, much too far to walk. 117 E J. Young Rd, Olga, WA
Their rafts are visible on Google Earth.
 
Gary Ward said:
Awesome!!

My wife wisely waited a few months after I got my certificate. lol
Click to expand...

My wife wanted to be my first passenger after I got my ticket, she had flown with myself and an instructor prior to that.
She is the quietest passenger you could ever want, just likes to look out the window. I asked here the only thing I really want her to do is let me know if any other planes are getting close. In the beginning that was a mistake because she would point out planes miles away and once scared the hell out of me. We have corrected the distance thing since that.
 
Seth.A said:
so my girlfriend took lots of photos and a few short video clips. She shared them with her father, including some clips of our approach into Orcas. Her father flew Mig 29s (maybe 25s, but who cares he was a Russian fighter pilot) out of East Berlin before the wall fell and fall of the Soviet Union. He is now critiquing my approach into KORS in a C172 one week after getting my cert.

I'm just glad I asked her not to share the clip of me bouncing the landing....
Click to expand...

Don't know about Russia, but most foreign nationals I have taken flying are amazed that we can takeoff without anyone's permission.
 
My kind of lunch. This was last night's dinner at home:
245360697_10219727795976415_1624345024809086734_n.jpg
 
AggieMike88 said:
Orcas just got a significant bump up the places to fly to bucket list
Click to expand...

Spent 88-96 flying from NAS Whidbey - In the spring the Skagit Valley tulip fields are spectacular (and under the GCA Pattern so call approach!) miss it all the time!

Great pics and nice job.
 
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