earl72
Pre-Flight
im thinking about taking my beagle up and was just wondering if anyone else has flown with thier pets? he is great in the car and seems to be fine around my plane
does anybody fly with thier dog
- Thread starter earl72
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ScottM
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EdFred does.
I keep wanting to bring the cats into the plane. I now have one that I will start to drive with to see if she likes the car. If all goes well she will get an airplane ride.
Ted also flies with many other people's dogs.
I keep wanting to bring the cats into the plane. I now have one that I will start to drive with to see if she likes the car. If all goes well she will get an airplane ride.
Ted also flies with many other people's dogs.
earl72
Pre-Flight
i can fit my 25 pound beagle in my cessna 150 but my 110 pound doberman is another story
Baron2PG
Pre-takeoff checklist
I fly with my small dog. Put her in the back in a dog crate though. It isn't that loud back there and as she isn't in the plane all that much; maybe 6 hours per month, I'm not worried about any issues. While I wouldn't say it is her favorite activity, she doesn't seem to mind much.
westslopeco
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I fly with my 80lb greyhound. He loves lying in the back as we cruise. He needs a little help getting in the back of the 182 though, with the main gear in the way and all.
poadeleted20
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My wife and I have flown with eight different dogs of our own over the last 30 years. We find that a dog does in a plane exactly what it does in a car. If that includes barfing, be ready (or don't try it). If that includes barking continuously, be ready for that, too (including some comments from ATC if they hear a dog in the background). If that including racing around the vehicle like a maniac, put the dog in a travel container. If that includes hanging his head out the window and barking, either keep the window/canopy shut or be ready for stares and pointing while you taxi.
We've seen no indication that the noise bothers them, but I suppose that if you flew a lot with them, they could sustain the same type of hearing problems that pilots do without ear protection. I've heard of some folks putting cotton in their dog's ears -- personally, I'd hate to try it on ours (remember the last time you had to give your dog medicine?), and anyway, I think they'd dig it out as fast as they could. I've also seen the "Mutt Muffs" on the internet, but the dog wearing them in the picture looked ready to rip the arm off the person who put those things on his head.
Tranquilizers have never seemed necessary for our beasts, but I'd say that if their behavior in the car is such that you couldn't stand it in the plane, you'd best trank them. But experiment with this - you'd be amazed how those things affect a dog, and how long it takes to a) take effect, and b) wear off. When we shipped two dogs on TWA from England to the U.S., the airline required them to be crated and tranquilized. The vet gave us pills, and suggested half a pill for each dog (and these were both retrievers – not small dogs) a couple of hours before flight. We gave the dogs the pills, and there was no immediate effect. About an hour later, the dogs, well, melted. They just slowly sank into a heap and z'd out. We got to the airport and tried to give them one last walk to drain the sumps before flight. They walked up to this fire plug outside the terminal that had obviously been used by many other dogs for the same purpose, and sniffed it intently. Then they tried to make their final salute to the British Empire – and were unable to get a leg up without collapsing. The poor beasts just stood there, looking sadly at the fire hydrant, and then at us, as if to say, "I really want to, but I just can't do it." It then took two of us to stuff the virtually limp dogs into their crates.
As far as crates/restraints, again – judge by car experience. If the dog moves around too much to stand in a plane, you’d best either crate or restrain them. There are a number of restraints available for automotive use, and they should work fine in the plane, although our Black Lab would immediately set to chewing through such restraints – she was either loose or crated to the day she died. The other point is that an unsecured dog can become a missile hazard. We were cruising along in IMC over BDR with our Chocolate Lab Chewbacca. He was curled up in the back, sound asleep (as he normally did in cruise flight). We hit a downdraft and dropped about 50 feet. I looked back as we dropped, and saw a) daylight between the dog and the floor, b) two big yellow eyes the size of dinner plates, and c) four legs splayed out trying to find something on which to hold. Shortly after the airplane stopped descending, the dog caught up with a thump. Chewie spent the rest of the flight wide awake, trying desperately to dig in and hang on to the floor.
Cats are a whole ‘nother story. The worst one I heard was a guy ferrying his wife’s cat from NY to Florida in a Bonanza. Somewhere over North Carolina the uncontained cat got spooked and went crazy, tearing all over the cabin, clawing/scratching/biting him. By the time he got on the ground (after declaring an emergency), there was blood everywhere – all his. No way any live cat gets in my plane other than in one of those cat boxes.
As for the pressure changes, yes, I have noticed one effect. Some years back, we had Chewie in the back of the Cheetah as we climbed up to about 11,000 feet or so from sea level (summer day, looking for smooth air). We forgot how much methane gas is trapped in the digestive tract of a Labrador, and that the gas expands in volume as outside air pressure decreases, while the dog's gut is limited in size. Passing about 5000 he began to whimper and look uncomfortable. Passing about 8000 feet the smell hit us (gas only -- no solid waste). We turned around and he settling down, looking very satisfied. Fortunately, a Cheetah has a canopy that can be opened in flight, providing the necessary ventilation for us to survive.
Duke, a Golden Retriever, was my principal pooch passenger for several years in the Cougar. He thoroughly enjoyed going ANYwhere, and was a delight in the plane. When we arrived at the airport, he hopped up on the wing, and went right into the back seat where he sat up watching the world out the window until takeoff, and then sprawled across the back seats, snoozing until he felt the wheels go down. Then it was back up to that beautiful Golden Retriever sitting position for landing, watching out the window until we stopped, then out the door and down to see what there was new at this airport that he hadn’t seen before. But when we went back to the airplane, it was hippity-up onto the wing, and he was ready to fly again.
Of late, we have begun flying rescued Aussies for the Aussie Rescue Placement and Helpline (ARPH), making us the charter members of ARPHAir, of which Bill Greenburg was the second pilot, and others have now joined the effort. In that situation, not knowing the dogs, we mount a crate in the back of the plane (Grumman 4-seaters have flop-down rear seats) and that's where they go. After an hour or so in cruise, if the dog is relaxed, we may open the gate for a bit of reassuring petting, but if any doubts arise, the dog stays locked up. We had one who oozed his way into the front seat, and then wanted to sit in my lap while I was flying -- not cool. He got stuffed back in the crate and left there for the rest of the flight, during which he stared long and hard at the latch, trying to figure out how to open it. As far as sedation, I know that the effects of sedatives are increased with altitude, and without knowing for sure the effect on any given dog or the altitude at which we'll fly, we do not sedate them. We give specific instructions to that effect to the sending ARPH volunteer, and will not accept the dog if sedated (don't want a bad reaction at 7000 feet). We put the dog in the crate before engine start, and then see what happens when we crank. If the dog really freaked, that would be the end of the flight right there, but so far, there hasn't been a significant reaction.
Ron Levy
We've seen no indication that the noise bothers them, but I suppose that if you flew a lot with them, they could sustain the same type of hearing problems that pilots do without ear protection. I've heard of some folks putting cotton in their dog's ears -- personally, I'd hate to try it on ours (remember the last time you had to give your dog medicine?), and anyway, I think they'd dig it out as fast as they could. I've also seen the "Mutt Muffs" on the internet, but the dog wearing them in the picture looked ready to rip the arm off the person who put those things on his head.
Tranquilizers have never seemed necessary for our beasts, but I'd say that if their behavior in the car is such that you couldn't stand it in the plane, you'd best trank them. But experiment with this - you'd be amazed how those things affect a dog, and how long it takes to a) take effect, and b) wear off. When we shipped two dogs on TWA from England to the U.S., the airline required them to be crated and tranquilized. The vet gave us pills, and suggested half a pill for each dog (and these were both retrievers – not small dogs) a couple of hours before flight. We gave the dogs the pills, and there was no immediate effect. About an hour later, the dogs, well, melted. They just slowly sank into a heap and z'd out. We got to the airport and tried to give them one last walk to drain the sumps before flight. They walked up to this fire plug outside the terminal that had obviously been used by many other dogs for the same purpose, and sniffed it intently. Then they tried to make their final salute to the British Empire – and were unable to get a leg up without collapsing. The poor beasts just stood there, looking sadly at the fire hydrant, and then at us, as if to say, "I really want to, but I just can't do it." It then took two of us to stuff the virtually limp dogs into their crates.
As far as crates/restraints, again – judge by car experience. If the dog moves around too much to stand in a plane, you’d best either crate or restrain them. There are a number of restraints available for automotive use, and they should work fine in the plane, although our Black Lab would immediately set to chewing through such restraints – she was either loose or crated to the day she died. The other point is that an unsecured dog can become a missile hazard. We were cruising along in IMC over BDR with our Chocolate Lab Chewbacca. He was curled up in the back, sound asleep (as he normally did in cruise flight). We hit a downdraft and dropped about 50 feet. I looked back as we dropped, and saw a) daylight between the dog and the floor, b) two big yellow eyes the size of dinner plates, and c) four legs splayed out trying to find something on which to hold. Shortly after the airplane stopped descending, the dog caught up with a thump. Chewie spent the rest of the flight wide awake, trying desperately to dig in and hang on to the floor.
Cats are a whole ‘nother story. The worst one I heard was a guy ferrying his wife’s cat from NY to Florida in a Bonanza. Somewhere over North Carolina the uncontained cat got spooked and went crazy, tearing all over the cabin, clawing/scratching/biting him. By the time he got on the ground (after declaring an emergency), there was blood everywhere – all his. No way any live cat gets in my plane other than in one of those cat boxes.
As for the pressure changes, yes, I have noticed one effect. Some years back, we had Chewie in the back of the Cheetah as we climbed up to about 11,000 feet or so from sea level (summer day, looking for smooth air). We forgot how much methane gas is trapped in the digestive tract of a Labrador, and that the gas expands in volume as outside air pressure decreases, while the dog's gut is limited in size. Passing about 5000 he began to whimper and look uncomfortable. Passing about 8000 feet the smell hit us (gas only -- no solid waste). We turned around and he settling down, looking very satisfied. Fortunately, a Cheetah has a canopy that can be opened in flight, providing the necessary ventilation for us to survive.
Duke, a Golden Retriever, was my principal pooch passenger for several years in the Cougar. He thoroughly enjoyed going ANYwhere, and was a delight in the plane. When we arrived at the airport, he hopped up on the wing, and went right into the back seat where he sat up watching the world out the window until takeoff, and then sprawled across the back seats, snoozing until he felt the wheels go down. Then it was back up to that beautiful Golden Retriever sitting position for landing, watching out the window until we stopped, then out the door and down to see what there was new at this airport that he hadn’t seen before. But when we went back to the airplane, it was hippity-up onto the wing, and he was ready to fly again.
Of late, we have begun flying rescued Aussies for the Aussie Rescue Placement and Helpline (ARPH), making us the charter members of ARPHAir, of which Bill Greenburg was the second pilot, and others have now joined the effort. In that situation, not knowing the dogs, we mount a crate in the back of the plane (Grumman 4-seaters have flop-down rear seats) and that's where they go. After an hour or so in cruise, if the dog is relaxed, we may open the gate for a bit of reassuring petting, but if any doubts arise, the dog stays locked up. We had one who oozed his way into the front seat, and then wanted to sit in my lap while I was flying -- not cool. He got stuffed back in the crate and left there for the rest of the flight, during which he stared long and hard at the latch, trying to figure out how to open it. As far as sedation, I know that the effects of sedatives are increased with altitude, and without knowing for sure the effect on any given dog or the altitude at which we'll fly, we do not sedate them. We give specific instructions to that effect to the sending ARPH volunteer, and will not accept the dog if sedated (don't want a bad reaction at 7000 feet). We put the dog in the crate before engine start, and then see what happens when we crank. If the dog really freaked, that would be the end of the flight right there, but so far, there hasn't been a significant reaction.
Ron Levy
COFlyBoy
Line Up and Wait
Yeah, we fly with a 10lb poodle. She stays in the crate as long as the fan is turning. She loves the adventures and doesn't seem fazed at all by the flying.
We had a neighbor growing up who would fly his Skybolt with his Boston Terrier sitting on his lap looking out the front of the canopy.
We had a neighbor growing up who would fly his Skybolt with his Boston Terrier sitting on his lap looking out the front of the canopy.
(chuckle)
We sometimes bring our cat. Used to always box him up, but then we noticed that, when he is in the car, if out of the box, he is fully-chilled, no issues, so we tried it in the plane. MUCH better. He is very calm, just finds a comfy spot and curls up for the duration.
Both animals have harnesses on (try using a mere collar on a terrier...), and are fully-restrained at any time the door or any window is open.
Zero stress.
We sometimes bring our cat. Used to always box him up, but then we noticed that, when he is in the car, if out of the box, he is fully-chilled, no issues, so we tried it in the plane. MUCH better. He is very calm, just finds a comfy spot and curls up for the duration.
Both animals have harnesses on (try using a mere collar on a terrier...), and are fully-restrained at any time the door or any window is open.
Zero stress.
earl72
Pre-Flight
thanks for all the info now i cant wait to take joey (beagle) up in the plane! long flights get a little boaring
SkyHog
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Everything Offends Me
Fearless Tower
Touchdown! Greaser!
This cat seemed to do fine flying:
But, I suspect that Roscoe's balls were a bit larger than mine.
But, I suspect that Roscoe's balls were a bit larger than mine.
bsdunek
Pre-takeoff checklist
My Corgi likes to ride in anything that moves. I use a car harness to keep him in place. The first time I took him up, he started in the back seat. By downwind he was in front with me, and on final he deceided he wanted to be in my lap. It's difficult to flare with a dog in your lap. I've thought about MuttMuffs, but not sure he would keep them on.
He's not very good at navigation but he is still a good co-pilot.
He's not very good at navigation but he is still a good co-pilot.
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Ted
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iFlyNothing
I've flown with 1000 animals (dogs and cats) over the past two years. It's typically a non-issue. Yes, some get airsick.
I typically believe it's best to have the dog in a harness or crate, at least the first couple of times. You don't want him or her getting up front and causing problems. BTDT, it's not fun.
Dogs fly well for the most part.
I typically believe it's best to have the dog in a harness or crate, at least the first couple of times. You don't want him or her getting up front and causing problems. BTDT, it's not fun.
Dogs fly well for the most part.
PittsDriver
Cleared for Takeoff
Dang. A lot of dudes on here with full on, man code violating, dust mop dogs, or cats. Interesting. My 80 lbs lab hunting dog tolerates flying and will willingly hop in the back of the plane but I wouldn't say she's diggin' it. She's logged about 100 hours or so of pax time. I brought her home from the breeder in W.Va. in a crate on the backseat when she was 7 weeks old so she's been around airplanes and the airport all her life.
Chip Sylverne
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Quit with the negative waves, man.
I do a fair number of rescue flights, and 99% of the time they just go to sleep after takeoff, wake up on final descent. Had one puke, but no big deal, I always put a moving blanket down over a tarp.
Except for my own standard poodle. Rides fine in the car, loves the jeep, but shakes uncontrollably in the plane. If you have something to distract or keep her busy, like a tub of liver bites, she gets more relaxed. We have a couple standards, tHe other one is fine, but goes for the liver bites in a big way too, just on principle!
Except for my own standard poodle. Rides fine in the car, loves the jeep, but shakes uncontrollably in the plane. If you have something to distract or keep her busy, like a tub of liver bites, she gets more relaxed. We have a couple standards, tHe other one is fine, but goes for the liver bites in a big way too, just on principle!
Pa28-140
Pre-takeoff checklist
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Gordon Shumway
My Golden Retriever has flown with me since she was a 12-week-old puppy. One thing to watch for is to monitor your pet for any sign of ear infection. Ear infection could cause intense discomfort for your furry family member. Also, really have some fun and feel good by flying rescues for Pilots N Paws. Be careful, it is addictive! I flew half of a rescue last week. It was half a rescue because that 9-year-old Basset Hound just joined our family forever.
SkyHog
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Everything Offends Me
Adult Pit Bull and St. Bernard Puppy here....unfortunately, the GSD/Lab mix that I referred to in my earlier post is no longer mine.
I go for the big dogs.
Chip Sylverne
Final Approach
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Quit with the negative waves, man.
Agreed! It's the best when delivering a pup to a forever home.you got a twofer!
OffCenter
Pre-takeoff checklist
How about Art Scholl who used to have his little dog Aileron who road on
his shoulder while he did aerobatics?
I used to have a dog, Terry, who did not like riding in the tractor trailer I drove
at all. But she absolutely LOVED riding on my motorcycle with me.
his shoulder while he did aerobatics?
I used to have a dog, Terry, who did not like riding in the tractor trailer I drove
at all. But she absolutely LOVED riding on my motorcycle with me.
kimberlyanne546
Final Approach
Man code violations? How many pounds does a dog have to weigh to pass your man code?
kimberlyanne546
Final Approach
timwinters
Ejection Handle Pulled
My shepherd has flown over 200 hours with me over the last two years. His instrument check ride is scheduled for nest week.
On a related topic...MUTT MUFFS SUCK!!!
There's a new kid on the block, 4paws aviation, their product appears to be far superior but they're having some start up issues with suppliers and haven't been able to ship the large headset that I've ordered. I'll report when (if?) I get them.
On a related topic...MUTT MUFFS SUCK!!!
There's a new kid on the block, 4paws aviation, their product appears to be far superior but they're having some start up issues with suppliers and haven't been able to ship the large headset that I've ordered. I'll report when (if?) I get them.
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
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Anthony
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Anthony
I would say Coyote size, around 55 lbs. Anything less, and it better me your wife's.
EdFred
Taxi to Parking
If it goes "yip yip yip" or "yap yap yap" it's too small, turn in your man card.
If you can kick it and it becomes airborne, it's too small, turn in your man card.
If it's ever been dressed up to go outside, it's too small, turn in your man card.
If it's ever worn a bow, it's too small, turn in your man card.
If a small child can't ride it, it's too small, turn in your man card. (Bulldogs excluded)
PittsDriver
Cleared for Takeoff
It's against the man code to explain it to a woman.
bsdunek
Pre-takeoff checklist
Good looking Cardi!! Great dogs.Cute. Here is my Cardigan (corgi) who has never been in a plane:
kimberlyanne546
Final Approach
At least you're honest.
Satchmo10th
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I'm usually fly with no doors so no. My 2 year old choc lab only recently mastered not trying to get up front in the car while I drive.
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
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SWMBO informed me that I am not taking the dog for an airplane ride.
I have had her (the dog, not the wife) with me just taxiing around - she kept trying to climb into my lap. A harness to hold her into the right seat (or baggage area) would be in order.
I have had her (the dog, not the wife) with me just taxiing around - she kept trying to climb into my lap. A harness to hold her into the right seat (or baggage area) would be in order.
timwinters
Ejection Handle Pulled
To summarize...
If it can't drink out of the toilet, it's too small, turn in your man card.
Chip Sylverne
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Quit with the negative waves, man.
Oh I dunno. I've seen a Jack Russell terrier get a German shepherd cowering in the corner...those are badass little dogs
EdFred
Taxi to Parking
That German shepherd needs to turn in its man card.
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AggieMike88
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
Kinda like the dog's philosophy on life...
"If you can't eat or hump it, just pee on it and walk away."
Brad Z
Final Approach
Badass is right...mine actually does the flying...
He may only be 19lbs, but he'll put a dog five times his size in his place and drinks from the toilet. Do I get to keep my man card?
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