To fly or not to fly

Chrisgoesflying

Chrisgoesflying

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Chrisgoesflying
Hope some of you have been in this situation before and can share your experience. My mom is coming to visit us from overseas. She is flying into one of the larger international airports here in Canada. For me to pick her up, it's either a 7+ hour drive, or a 2.5 hour flight in the Comanche. She is super excited to go flying with me (she hasn't yet, last time I saw her, I wasn't even a pilot) but at the same time is also somewhat worried, for several reasons.

1. I think this is the main reason: my dad is terrified of flying (he's not coming) and the more he talks about flying and how scary it is, the more she gets worried.
2. She has high blood pressure and this would be her first time on a GA airplane.
3. She has some mobility issues. Nothing that would prevent her from getting in or out of the plane but it would neither be fast nor pretty.

I've flown my wife's grandmother in a Rans S6 when she was 80 years old. She had a blast. My mom is way younger. What are your experiences flying with people who are

a) new to GA
b) older (I say that very carefully because I know many of you are her age and in probably better shape than I am lol, but she isn't in the best shape)
c) excited and scared about flying at the same time

W&B works fine for the flight which would be her and our dog in the back and my wife and I in the front. Obviously, I would prefer to fly because driving 7+ hours one way (total 14+ roundtrip) sucks.
 
I would board the dog for the day or 2. That ensures you have a free hand flying and your wife can take care of any questions with your mom. Keep her occupied, keep an eye on her if she begins to have any problems, etc. Besides, the dog would probably appreciate a day of vacation away from you, too. I know mine does.

I took my 82 yr old aunt flying over Niagara Falls, but that was only an hour, total. The airport brought one of the scissor trucks, we put her on a chair on the truck, lifted her to the level of the door (182) so she could just slide over to the seat.
 
As long as she’s game, and you treat her like royalty.

When I flew my mom, who was a little apprehensive but still had a little adventurous streak left, I just remembered stories of when she was younger - she would tell me how she and my dad were fearless because they didn’t know any better.

Maybe chat your mom up about some of the more adventurous things she did in her younger days and see if that doesn’t spark a little “daring” in her.

Love your time with her. 14 hours home with her and back to the airport is still time well spent with her though. It’ll be special. But 4 hrs flying will be a nice memory too.

My 2 cents.
 
I flew one of my wife’s friends’s elderly father one time. He was hard of hearing so he didn’t catch much on the radio and I had to turn his volume way up in his headset to even hear me. The flight was uneventful-for me. Turns out his father and brother were killed in a plane crash and he was proving to himself that he wasn’t afraid of flying. He had a great time and still talks about it to this day and that was four years ago.
 
I had flown with my dad when he was in his early eighties. Needed a cane to get around and had a foot drop. Had to get in a 182 and did fine. Had a blast. Only concern I had was if we had an emergency and needed a fast egress. I practiced it with him and he did great and was well prepared. Checked my log book. Did 5 flights. The shortest 45 minutes. The longest 2 hours. Great memories.
 
If I understand correctly you want to pick her up from the airport after her flight from overseas. After such a long flight it might be best to pick her up in the car as you have no idea what the weather may be like in a light plane for the time of day you would be returning home with her.

For her first flight with you in a small plane you might pick a beautiful and calm morning or a smooth & warm summer evening flight. It would be something that you would have time to discuss with her face to face and she won't be time lagged and weary from the long flight from the other side of the big pond. It would be a planned event and very special. If all goes well you will be able to fly her to the airport for her return flight after her visit. Either way let us know how it goes ...

Just my $00.02 (not adjusted for inflation)
 
I should probably clarify: When I go to Calgary (city where I will pick her up), we won't immediately fly back. We will be in Calgary for three days to explore and then fly back. I guess my personal main concern is her high blood pressure. Does that carry any elevated risk for a flight in a Comanche? I guess if the doctor cleared her to fly for 9 hours in a cramped commercial airliner, 2.5 hours in a Comanche with more personal space than on the airline shouldn't pose a health risk? But I'm no doctor so what do I know? I usually cruise at 7,500 or 9,500 ft. going east, which is around the same as the cabin pressure would be in an airliner at altitude. @Daleandee I totally agree with your advice regarding calm, smooth air. I would make sure to get out early in the morning or in the evening. Luckily, in September, here in this area (Canadian Prairies) we have some of the best, least turbulent flying weather of the year. Even if we have to stay an extra day or two in Calgary due to weather or for a better chance of smooth air, that would be totally fine.
 
If the Canadian smoke pops up and limits your visibility, that will surely increase one’s blood pressure.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
She has some mobility issues. Nothing that would prevent her from getting in or out of the plane but it would neither be fast nor pretty.
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What happens during an urgent/emergency landing where exiting the aircraft rapidly becomes critical?

If this was me, and I had already decided to make the trip, I would make arrangements and leave the dog behind. I would have your wife sit in the rear with your mother. Your wife can then attend to your mother in terms of attention and make sure everything is good and will be able to alert you if an urgent landing is appropriate at any point leaving you to focus on flying the aircraft. In the event of an urgent/emergency landing, you can be out the door first then you and your wife can (between you) assist your mother out rapidly.

I have done first flights with family members in small GA aircraft including with limited mobility and the first flight is just in the pattern at a local airfield. I did have a family member who wanted to skip the local flight and just hop in for a 4 hour flight which I refused.

For me if I was in this particular situation, I think the pressure to make the return flight would be too high even if there were obvious issues during your mother getting on-board. My risk tolerance does not run that far.
 
@Chrisgoesflying - Would it be feasible to charter a 2-pilot Pilatus for the trip to get your Mom?

Based on some of the 1-pilot accidents that I have read about, I would never fly 1-pilot Pilatus but that is just me.
 
Fly, absolutely. I'm sure she is taking meds for the BP, so that shouldn't be an issue. I'm betting as soon as the wheels leave the ground she'll love it. You don't say if the 7+ hours driving is one-way or round trip. Saving 5 hours travel time is a big deal. Plan on doing it, if the weather is bad, then drive, otherwise fly.

Oh, and tell your wife to ride in the back, let mom ride up front. Less motion and more to see.

Edit: Just read your follow up, definitely fly, no question in my mind that's what I would do.
 
Fly, by all means. Make it as enjoyable as possible.

It won’t be hard to give her a nicer flight than the airline, and you should. Maybe a blanket if she gets cool, her favorite snacks (maybe homemade?), favorite drinks on hand (nice bottle of wine? champagne mimosa for a morning flight?), her favorite music in the headset, etc. Fly over some pretty scenery even if it costs a few minutes.

Explain what you’ll be doing, so she doesn’t find it worrisome. Checklists, run-up, weather brief, radio calls, etc.

And make sure she uses the ladies’ room before departure!! ;)
 
Mongoose Aviator said:
@Chrisgoesflying - Would it be feasible to charter a 2-pilot Pilatus for the trip to get your Mom?

Based on some of the 1-pilot accidents that I have read about, I would never fly 1-pilot Pilatus but that is just me.
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On that case, based on some 1-pilot accidents, I’d sell my cherokee and take up sailing.

Where did a Pilatus come into the discussuion?
 
murphey said:
Where did a Pilatus come into the discussuion?
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I believe that came up in my post. I could link to it but I think you saw it. I assume your question was rhetorical and potentially missed the context.

Sailing sounds great. Enjoy !!!
 
Half Fast said:
maybe homemade?
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I really don't want to poison her.

PaulS said:
let mom ride up front
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We thought about this but decided it would be much better to have my mom in the back. First, my wife can help me out flying. She isn't licensed but knows how to hold attitude, heading, some basic radio ops, has her eyes outside for traffic and controls the hot/cold air, etc. Plus, in case of an emergency, she knows how to open the only door the plane has. Sounds stupid, but to open the door efficiently, there is a trick to it, it's not just a simple "unlatch and open". Also, my mom having never flown in a small airplane, I don't know how she would react if there is turbulence. Sure, I'm planning the flight to avoid turbulence but you never know. Would she hold on to the yoke for support? My wife knows she can't do it, but my mom doesn't and even if I tell her, this being her first flight, I'd rather have her far from any controls. Lastly, in case of an emergency, I'd rather have someone sitting by the door who can get out in a hurry, opening the path for everyone else on the plane.

Half Fast said:
And make sure she uses the ladies’ room before departure!!
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Absolutely.

Mongoose Aviator said:
Would it be feasible to charter a 2-pilot Pilatus for the trip to get your Mom?
Click to expand...

Nope.

mandm said:
If the Canadian smoke pops up and limits your visibility, that will surely increase one’s blood pressure.
Click to expand...

For sure, but probably mine more than hers lol.
 
For a first flight in a small aircraft make sure the stars are all aligned. Weather will be your biggest problem ,if it’s not perfect don’t fly.
 
Tomorrow's the day and I already made the no go decision. The forecast for tomorrow is super shaky and keeps changing from light rain to thunderstorms to cloudy to nothing at all. So, in a nutshell, they don't know. I was going to just keep an eye on it and make a last minute decision but then I also checked the smoke forecast (firesmoke.ca) and they are forecasting a big plume of dark brown smoke to enter the area tomorrow so driving it is. Hopefully things look better in two weeks when bringing her back to Calgary for her flight back home to Europe.
 
Here is the latest update. TL;DR: My mom went on her first flight in a small aircraft today and loved it!

Last Thursday I had to go to Calgary to pick her up from the international airport. It was either a 7+ hour drive or a 2.5 hour flight. I ended up driving because the smoke forecast simply looked terrible. We ended up driving over 8 hours but as we drove, the smoke wasn't actually that bad. There was one 20 mile wide area of bad smoke with visibility under 5 miles but we probably could have gone around it if we flew. Friday, I picked her up at the international airport and Monday we made our way back home with her and that's when I was really happy we ended up driving. The entire way, visibility was 2 miles or less. It looked (and smelled) terrible. But then, this morning, all the smoke was gone so I took her up for a flight. Just a short one hour flight in the local area, overflying our house and showing her some lakes in the area. At first she was a bit scared but that went away after five minutes of flying. She was just so happy that she was able to do something like this at her age with her son being the pilot and owner of the plane. So, in summary, it was a total success. Just entering and exiting the plane did not look pretty at all lol.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
Just a short one hour flight in the local area, overflying our house and showing her some lakes in the area. At first she was a bit scared but that went away after five minutes of flying. She was just so happy that she was able to do something like this at her age with her son being the pilot and owner of the plane. So, in summary, it was a total success. Just entering and exiting the plane did not look pretty at all lol.
Click to expand...

Great story sir! Now you both have a memory for life ...
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
Here is the latest update. TL;DR: My mom went on her first flight in a small aircraft today and loved it!

Last Thursday I had to go to Calgary to pick her up from the international airport. It was either a 7+ hour drive or a 2.5 hour flight. I ended up driving because the smoke forecast simply looked terrible. We ended up driving over 8 hours but as we drove, the smoke wasn't actually that bad. There was one 20 mile wide area of bad smoke with visibility under 5 miles but we probably could have gone around it if we flew. Friday, I picked her up at the international airport and Monday we made our way back home with her and that's when I was really happy we ended up driving. The entire way, visibility was 2 miles or less. It looked (and smelled) terrible. But then, this morning, all the smoke was gone so I took her up for a flight. Just a short one hour flight in the local area, overflying our house and showing her some lakes in the area. At first she was a bit scared but that went away after five minutes of flying. She was just so happy that she was able to do something like this at her age with her son being the pilot and owner of the plane. So, in summary, it was a total success. Just entering and exiting the plane did not look pretty at all lol.
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Prima! Ausgezeichnet!
 
Thanks for coming back and sharing. Great memory for you two.

And “feeling good” about a no-go decision always reinforces more confidence in my decision making logic. Good job!
 
And finally, I was able to take my mom on a long cross country. Her visit to Canada is coming to an end and I had to take her back to Calgary for her flight home to Europe. The weather and smoke cooperated and since she did well on the short local flight last week, I decided to fly back to Calgary. 3.7 hours (stiff headwind). She took photos of the landscape, way too many selfies and dozed off for half of the flight. Despite the turbulences en route and rather rough landing, she still thought getting in and out of the plane was the worst part. DA5B219D-D9A7-42B7-AC34-65D4FA73F757.jpeg
 
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