How to make wifey comfortable in the plane

Irish_Armada

Irish_Armada

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Irish Armada
So my lady loves to fly with me even tho I'm a new private pilot. Gotta love it. However, she is concerned about the whole pilot incapacitation issue. Basically she knows next to nothing about planes other than what you would expect from the significant other of an obsessed pilot. So, she asked the other day about taking lessons just long enough to be "competent and knowlegeable enough" to hopefully be able to land the plane if anything should happen to me in flight. She doesn't want her license, just wants to be able to work the radios and land if she needs to. Anyone ever addressed something like this with their significant other? Will flight schools do a limited training for such a thing? Did you just informally teach them yourself? Let's assume we won't be flying a plane with CAPS anytime soon either. Thanks!
 
Yup. My wife is doing the same thing. She has about 10 hours with my (our) CFI and is working on just being able to reliably land the airplane. I am not going to teach her myself, but obviously when she flies with me she does learn a few things.
 
Find an instructor she is comfortable learning from and purchase some "pinch hitter" lessons for her. Provide the chance to understand and acquire basic skills that make her comfortable that she could take care of business should it be needed.
 
More seriously, that is her way of saying : I think I would like to learn how to fly.

Find a CFI compatible with her learning style, doesn't have to be a female but it can help. Have her start with a couple of lessons, if she likes it, send her to the AME to get her student certificate. Next thing you know, you'll only log 1/2 the hours because she will hog the left seat.
 
murphey said:
Check with the local 99s chapter. They may conduct a "pinch hitter" course.

http://www.sacramento99s.org/
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Yup. Apr 19th on the calendar. Flying Companion seminar at the airport.

My GF took a few of the courses years ago and she was somewhat relieved about knowing the important gauges(airspeed, altitude), and the yoke and throttle. After that, I let her fly some and she was quite a bit more comfortable in the air.
 
My wife did the "Mooney Mate" course at our first Mooney owner convention. She really enjoyed it. A few hours of dual would have been good, too, but she wasn't that motivated.
 
My wife was concerned so she got her pilot's license. She's still a bit queasy about IMC though.
 
Aviation Adventures is our local FBO and they offer a right seat course. They cover radio basics, emergency transponder codes and enough air work that a non pilot spouse could get the plane back on the ground in one piece even if the landing wasn't pretty. My wife doesn't want to get her license, but she is much more comfortable with flying after taking that course. She is a more engaged passenger now and actually follows ATC conversations. It was well worthwhile.
 
Irish_Armada said:
So, she asked the other day about taking lessons just long enough to be "competent and knowlegeable enough" to hopefully be able to land the plane
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A big thumbs up for your wife! :yes: I can't get my wife to do something like this. My long time CFI has even offered free lessons up until she can comfortably land the plane, and she won't do it.

It bothers me some, I'd think she'd at least want a chance at survival for her and our daughter should something happen. Oh well. :(
 
Great feedback, thanks everyone. I had not heard of the 99's, we will definitely check that out.
 
Let her ride up front and make your girlfriend ride in the back seat. It's such a subtle, yet defining gesture.
 
Irish_Armada said:
So my lady loves to fly with me even tho I'm a new private pilot. Gotta love it. However, she is concerned about the whole pilot incapacitation issue. Basically she knows next to nothing about planes other than what you would expect from the significant other of an obsessed pilot. So, she asked the other day about taking lessons just long enough to be "competent and knowlegeable enough" to hopefully be able to land the plane if anything should happen to me in flight. She doesn't want her license, just wants to be able to work the radios and land if she needs to. Anyone ever addressed something like this with their significant other? Will flight schools do a limited training for such a thing? Did you just informally teach them yourself? Let's assume we won't be flying a plane with CAPS anytime soon either. Thanks!
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Add up all of the time you and your wife have spent together. Now figure out how many times you have been suddenly incapacitated. Next figure out how much time you spend in the air, as a percentage of total time spent together. Finally, figure out the likely hood of being suddenly incapacitated while flying. While my method is a bit tongue and cheek, my point stands--the likelihood of you been suddenly incapacitated is exceedingly small.

Of course that logic may not sooth your wife. In that case, grab a flight instructor, put him in the left seat, and give a lesson or two on flying the airplane. In a true emergency, the landing doesn't have to be good...she just needs to get it in the vicinity of the runway without being in an unusual attitude.

Sac Arrow said:
Let her ride up front and make your girlfriend ride in the back seat. It's such a subtle, yet defining gesture.
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This will greatly increase your chance of sudden incapacitation, although it will likely happen before you ever take off. :)
 
Your logic is soothing me. I keep telling my wife she should learn enough to contact someone on the radio and land the plane, just in case. She refuses.

I like your statistical analysis. :D

Brad Z said:
Add up all of the time you and your wife have spent together. Now figure out how many times you have been suddenly incapacitated. Next figure out how much time you spend in the air, as a percentage of total time spent together. Finally, figure out the likely hood of being suddenly incapacitated while flying. While my method is a bit tongue and cheek, my point stands--the likelihood of you been suddenly incapacitated is exceedingly small.
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We used to have a frequent lady passenger that had huge anxiety issues whenever she had to fly. In her case, she simply got a prescription for some sedatives. Thanks to the miracle of modern pharmaceuticals the problem was quickly and easily resolved. :goofy:
 
I've been trying to get my wife to take a pinch hitter class for over 10 years. She isn't interested. I sure hope she never lives to regret that. But, she does fly with me, so all is not lost.
 
My CFI friend and his wife flew (about 400 miles) with Hubby and me to an all-day get-together. The guys flew outbound in the front, with the girls in back. With the intercom set up so that we could have separate conversations, we pulled dirty tricks in the back, such as rocking back and forth in unison to make the plane rock. They were only confused for a moment and then we were all laughing and having fun. For the trip back, I climbed into the front along with the other wife. I just simply started explaining what I was doing and why. "I'm pushing the gas in all the way with this knob (It's like the gas pedal.) so we can get up enough speed to take off." "I'm picking a spot near the horizon to aim for and that way I get to look out the window instead of concentrating on the instruments." After a while she was steering the plane and keeping us straight and level. She had always refused to learn anything about flying from her husband.

Moral of the story: Just keep it simple. Tell her what you are doing. More importantly, tell her why. Don't try to impress her with how hard it is to be a precision pilot. Let her realize how easy it really can be. I'd also suggest letting her help with planning trips using the sectional (if you still use paper).
 
As others have recommended upthread I'd second the recommendation to look into the "pinch hitter" course training.
 
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