Wife as First Officer?

Greg Bockelman said:
Well, it CAN be done. I started teaching my wife before we got married and finished several months after we got married. Not saying it was easy, but we got it done. :yes::D
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And more impressively, you're still married!

To the OP - having a spouse interested in flying can be a good thing, but only you know the true inside story on your marriage and what does and doesn't work, especially where teaching is concerned.
 
It's a terrible idea for many reasons, but the first reason is you don't know what you don't know and are likely to innocently teach her bad habits which she'll have to unlearn and which will undermine your credibility. Come back with 500 hours including lots of cross country, at night, in weather that challenges you, into busy airports and so forth and then hire a seasoned CFI to instruct anyway.

You can save up enough money for the CFI by switching your family to a medical plan that uses lots of 3rd and 4th year med students to do the diagnosis and treatment with the occasional first year resident to sign off on the prescriptions and no attending physician in sight. Your wife would go along with that, don't you think?
 
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jnmeade said:
It's a terrible idea for many reasons, but the first reason is you don't know what you don't know and are likely to innocently teach her bad habits which she'll have to unlearn and which will undermine your credibility. Come back with 500 hours including lots of cross country, at night, in weather that challenges you, into busy airports and so forth and then hire a seasoned CFI to instruct anyway.

You can save up enough money for the CFI by switching your family to a medical plan that uses lots of 3rd and 4th year med students to do the diagnosis and treatment with the occasional first year resident to sign off on the prescriptions and no attending physician in sight. Your wife would go along with that, don't you think?
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Of course not, but at the same time looking at my med insurance bill - perhaps it will be less painful to be mistreated by a newbie doctor than keep paying insane bills every month! They kill you either way!!!! LOL


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My wife went from being afraid of flying to wanting to learn how to land in case something happened to me to getting her own certificate in the course of a couple of weeks (of course that included a trip to Oshkosh).

We've got another woman on our airpark who did the private pilot course because she wanted to be able to fly if something happened to her husband en route. It turns out that she's way surpassed him both in getting her private and getting checked out in the 182 they subsequently bought.
 
garyb said:
Most of my flying is solo and I prefer it that way.
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I see this all the time, and it's a complete mystery to me. I can't even remember the last time I flew without a passenger. I'll bet it's been over ten years.

One of the greatest joys of flying is sharing the joy of flying!
:D
 
Jay Honeck said:
As someone who once sold his plasma in order to fly, a statement like that seems astoundingly cavalier. I know our money is losing value every day, but $500 still ain't chicken feed.
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Maybe, but I doubt OP is selling plasma to pay for the annuals on his Archer III.

I would much rather see OP save $500 by getting himself dirty during an annual than take it upon himself to become an underqualified flight instructor.
 
Steve Foley said:
Maybe, but I doubt OP is selling plasma to pay for the annuals on his Archer III.

I would much rather see OP save $500 by getting himself dirty during an annual than take it upon himself to become an underqualified flight instructor.
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Ditto.
I "helped" my son learn to fly. I am not a CFI so he didn't log any of the time I spent with him, in hindsight I probably did more harm than good. :mad2: We didn't break the airplane, but I think it's important to have someone other than family teach flying. :rolleyes: I didn't do it to save money, I just wanted to spend time with him and impart my vast knowledge of aviation.:mad2: It turns out he was more nervous with me in the plane than his CFI and he hasn't flown in a couple months. :(
 
Geico266 said:
My wife is terrified to fly now. She is afraid I'm gonna shut the motor off. :dunno:



:rofl:
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I was switching tanks on the 421 and went the wrong way, to off instead of aux!:hairraise: My wife forbid me to switch tanks again!:no: I told that was fine, we would have to stop twice for fuel on the way home, she decided I just need to be more careful switching tanks. :D
 
Listen to Ron. Teaching your wife is so full of fail. Once heard a kayak guy call double kayaks 'divorce boats.' Same idea. If you want your wife to like flying, fly her places she likes to go and make the experience better then other means of transportation. Expecting her to go full dork pilot because you have is a mistake.
 
I am not even questioning that CFI needs to ultimately train my wife to become a fully pledged pilot; its understood. But to train her how to do basic things and operation of level flight, headings, GPS, and radios??? Really???

I guess I speak from experience and no, I am not a CFI, however I taught my wife to drive, ride motorcycle, slalom skiing, and other very active activities. I honestly think teaching her how to do basic operations in aircraft - will be cake.

P.S. i once was offered a job at MSF as instructor, so I guess I can teach a little bit.


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EdFred said:
So you must really like it when she tells you how you are taking the wrong way while driving the car.
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Or when she reaches over from the right side and starts tapping on the altimeter to remind you that you're 50ft off of your assigned/requested altitude.
 
N747JB said:
I was switching tanks on the 421 and went the wrong way, to off instead of aux!:hairraise: My wife forbid me to switch tanks again!:no: I told that was fine, we would have to stop twice for fuel on the way home, she decided I just need to be more careful switching tanks. :D
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:rofl:

My wife likes to fly commercial now. :rofl:
 
N521MA said:
Hi everyone. As I am on "final approach" for my PPL check ride (if weather doesn't screw me again) I am seriously considering having my wife do the PPL this summer (she doesn't know this yet, but has a slight idea that its coming), while I will be working on IFR.

My reasoning: one PP in the cockpit is good, but having another pilot next to me that I can trust to watch me, help me and/or just really share the fun time would be priceless, I think.

On the other hand, I can teach her myself, at least all the basic stuff and ground, save a ton of money and only send her to my CFI when she is near her first solo time.

We own Archer III and I really wish and hope that in time (3/4 years) we'll be flying a bigger bird and a first officer in HP plane, possibly twin - would definitely make the trips easier and more fun. (Of course this this is wishful thinking at this point)

What do you think?
(My biggest concern is associated PPL cost vs benefit), since I am already there.


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Is it her idea? or yours. Thats important. Relationship dynamics can complicate things in the air and on the ground, and you have to be able to separate the two. Are you the husband or the instructor? You cant be both at the same time.

I got my PPL license in 43 hours. I would not have saved any money getting unofficial instruction, and she might be a good stick and pick it up quickly too. I was an enthusiastic student and novice, and an overachiever, and was studying instrument and commercial knowledge issues while finishing PPL.

As a novice pilot, you are not in a good position to instruct other novice pilots. While flying from the right seat isn't rocket science, I'm guessing you have little experience with it, all the while knowing how far to let a novice student mess up without messing up too far.

I will readily admit that I've given instruction to others (as a non instructor), and that its not loggable.... but I also had several hundred hours experience when I did so, with lots in the right seat in all phases of flight, day and night. I also had all 3 ground instructor ratings.. that means nothing in the air but it means something for teaching the knowledge component.

If you want to teach her, and she wants to learn from you, then set some easily attainable goals and work on them... go fly together and have fun... but get an instructor in the mix early, so that good habits rather than bad, are established early... Know your limitations... and dont put yourself in the right seat unless and until you can maneuver and land from the right. Every time. And that includes being able to make a right seat 180 degree instrument turn in inadverdent IMC too....
 
DutchessFlier said:
Or when she reaches over from the right side and starts tapping on the altimeter to remind you that you're 50ft off of your assigned/requested altitude.
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I did that yesterday. Followed by "where are you going?!" When he went off our general course to look at some farm. I wish I could just fly both legs! :lol:
 
My wife is a good navigator, can handle the radios and has had a few hours to cover any inflight incapacitation on my part, but she has no desire to get a certificate. Her take on the subject: "We spent a lot of tax dollars teaching you how to do this stuff, just tell me when we are gonna get there"
 
N521MA said:
She laughs when I bring it up and still not 100% comfortable with GA altogether. She flew with me 5 times so far, back seat only (CFI up front) and each flight she has been better and better for her, as she says.

But I also know her too well and 100% sure she will love flying an airplane, once she is ready. Question is does she need PPL or simply jut fly with me and learn a little on every flight that we do.


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Back seats leave a lot to be desired in most training aircraft. She'll like it a lot more in the right front seat.

AOPA used to have a "Pitch Hitters" course to cover what you are looking for.
 
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