Wish me luck!!!! The wife is getting into the plane.

gasfiltered said:
I understand the diner at 26N is excellent and that a trip down the coast to fill beer growlers at Cape May is a damn good way to spend a morning. I hope she loves it and you get to share this with her for a long time to come. I actually have the opposite problem. My wife was a UH-60 medevac pilot; she considers 500' too high to see anything and defines "good vfr" by the number of power poles she can count on a line.
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:yikes:
 
drotto said:
That is actually 100% what I was thinking of. I fly out of Robbinsville (not a very nice airport, but home), possibly down to Millville, then to Cape May then back. In this plane if everything goes as planned that would be under 2 hours. The first leg from Robbinsville to Millville is about 25 minutes. Another fun route is to skip Millville head east out to the coast and fly that south all the way down to Cape May.
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I think two hours is long for a first flight.

I took my wife over the mountains to Half Moon Bay for a $100 burger for her first flight. That's barely 15 minutes each way from Palo Alto, but thoroughly stunning on a nice day. And it's a REAL good $100 burger. Well, $100 fish, I guess.

When my sister and her kids wanted to try it out, I took them on a slightly longer flight -- Half Moon Bay and then completed a Bay Tour (I had planned on landing at Oakland to switch right seaters, but they weren't interested). Total time just over 40 minutes, and the feedback was that it was "just about right."

When my wife's friend and her kids wanted to try it out, weather was iffy, so we crossed San Jose and back. About 30 minutes.

When my wife's other friend did it (and they were REAL enthusiastic), I took them on an hour each way to a $100 burger in the North Bay. Should have been 45 minutes, but it turns out the Asiana crash happened enroute and I had to go around Class C 'cause I couldn't get flight following. The return was the weirdest Class B transition I ever had. There is nothing quite like a comment from the back seat from an 8 year old kid at 5500 feet that he has to pee NOW. It was too long.

She's trying -- and that's extremely helpful. I'll suggest making it as easy as possible for her. As pilots, we all know that the dangerous time is approach to landing, and that altitude is safety. But non pilots don't know that and occasionally freak out enroute.
 
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drotto said:
Weather permitting, my wife has agreed to her first flight this coming Friday. It will be with a CFI in the right seat, as I continue my HP and complex training (in a Saratoga), but she liked the CFI being there for the first trip. Not sure what we will do that day yet. This morning she asked me if she should bring something to do like a book. I said please do because I hope you are comfortable and feel safe enough to read.
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Good luck... We are all depending on you...;)
 
jsstevens said:
Did you folks read what he posted? It's a cross country get used to the avionics flight in a complex airplane and the wife specifically requested the CFI be along.

How did that become stalls and semi-viloent maneuvering and a bad idea to have her ride in back?

(Mind you, if it was a normal instruction flight with say, stalls, turns around a point, steep turns etc, I'd agree. But that's not what he wrote that it is.)

So many ugly exchanges on this board come from people responding without even reading the whole original post, much less the thread.

Sorry. Rant off.

John
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I have't seen ugly comments. These are two separate tasks & should be treated as such. Wife's comfort is more important in the long run and should be thought through carefully. The CFI can be a great help in doing that, but the avionics are irrelevant and unimportant by comparison.

I agree 2 hours way too long for a first flight.

BTDT…
 
acrophile said:
It would be off-topic for me to comment on the propriety of orchestrated lying to a spouse to conceal aspects of the risk you want the spouse to take.

But I will say that that is no way for a pilot to treat a passenger.
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It would also be off topic for me to comment on the need for humor to get through life!

But seriously, all pilots need to improve in some area. A nervous spouse isn't the one who needs to hear the discussion.
 
I plan on asking her how long would she be comfortable with, but today has been too busy, and it did not come up. The other thing she has tentatively agreed to is that if this goes well we will be doing a day trip down to Ocean City, MD (OBX).
 
Well, she won't really have an idea on how long is too long of a flight. Maybe you could make a short 30-60 min flight near the airport and then land, drop her off, and continue on your training flight? First flights with my wife, and two daughters (all done separately) were around 45-60 minutes. Also, keep in mind, first time passengers may feel at least a bit squeamish, even if they don't tell you right away. If she doesn't show much enthusiasm in a follow-up flight, that may be the case. My wife was certainly that way. It was another 5 months before she ventured into the air with me, but then that was an 11 hour round trip. She had decided that it was okay to fly with a specific purpose in mind to save on the driving time! And we are flying to Vegas next week! That should be an adventure.
 
WhiskeyPapa said:
It would also be off topic for me to comment on the need for humor to get through life!
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It did cross my mind that you might be joking. But I've heard pilots advocate similar deception in earnest, so I replied accordingly. (Note that other pilots here commended the "wisdom" of your advice, not the "humor".)

But seriously, all pilots need to improve in some area. A nervous spouse isn't the one who needs to hear the discussion.
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Then you weren't joking after all?

Why not just be honest? "All pilots need to improve in some area. This is a training flight, so don't worry if the instructor points out some mistakes I make."

If a pilot doesn't think their passenger can handle that simple truth, there's still no excuse for lying about it. Just don't take that person along.
 
drotto said:
I plan on asking her how long would she be comfortable with, but today has been too busy, and it did not come up. The other thing she has tentatively agreed to is that if this goes well we will be doing a day trip down to Ocean City, MD (OBX).
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Take her to the beach first. After two hours watching you fly the TV she won't ever want to get in a little plane again. Understand for those not geeking out about it these airplanes deliver a worse traveling experience then an original vw bug. Better make it worth it.
 
I guess I got lucky. My wife is an ex-skydiver. She couldn't wait to get in the plane with me!
 
drotto said:
Weather permitting, my wife has agreed to her first flight this coming Friday. It will be with a CFI in the right seat, as I continue my HP and complex training (in a Saratoga), but she liked the CFI being there for the first trip. Not sure what we will do that day yet. This morning she asked me if she should bring something to do like a book. I said please do because I hope you are comfortable and feel safe enough to read.
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Book + backseat sounds like a bad combination to me unless she is immune to motion sickness. I wouldn't think you doing any training maneuvers would be a good idea either. Doing anything that might require the CFI to have to take control from you would be bad. The only actual traing that should take place is training her to like flying. Having the CFI in the backseat and her in the right seat would be the way to go if that will satisfy her need for the security of a more experienced pilot in the airplane. It shows that he trusts you to fly the airplane.
 
pmanton said:
Then there's a down side. My wife gets miffed if I run around the patch to shoot a landing without asking her.:lol:
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Mine is getting there!

Double edged sword I guess. She supports it enough to demand an upgrade to the airplane to carry kids, but gets upset when I take someone on their first flight alone
 
acrophile said:
It did cross my mind that you might be joking. But I've heard pilots advocate similar deception in earnest, so I replied accordingly. (Note that other pilots here commended the "wisdom" of your advice, not the "humor".)



Then you weren't joking after all?

Why not just be honest? "All pilots need to improve in some area. This is a training flight, so don't worry if the instructor points out some mistakes I make."

If a pilot doesn't think their passenger can handle that simple truth, there's still no excuse for lying about it. Just don't take that person along.
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I am not joking, just trying to make a serious point with humor.

I may be wrong, but I'm guessing you're under 30… and either recently or never married.

I work in finance where I believe total honesty is required. I don't think it is when dealing with a spouse who's frightened of flying. The "honest" truth is that 75% of private pilots should never take passengers. They should fly alone. The reason is because their skills are not up to snuff. I include myself in that category. And I probably haven't been completely honest about the risks to my family.. Are you? Do you really know how good (or bad) you are as a pilot?

Could you be lying to yourself about your skills? Unfortunately, to get through life with all its risks, we sometimes have to economize with the truth. The notion that you tell everything like it is is likely to be the position of someone who is earnest and lacking in experience and young.

I'm not trying to be unkind… I just think you're ignoring that the wife may well have good reasons to be worried. That she let the kids go up means that she's willing to take the risk to make her husband happy. It is an expression of solidarity. Some risks are worth taking, but they are still quite real. So she senses the risks (which are real) but is willing to accept them for the upside of her husband's happiness and the value of going places in a plane. Why rub her nose in the risks which she already senses?

Fewer people would fly with their crazy husbands or dads (and it's usually men who are the pilots) if it were spelled out what their skill levels really are. My wife probably would anyway, but what we're really talking about is permitting someone to get comfortable with a decision they have already made.

When you say "Why not just be honest," I have to shake my head because that would really cut the number of people going up into the air…. Much of flying for private pilots is about being DISHONEST about our level of skills to both ourselves and our families. I'm not sure that's bad. People usually know the truth anyway.

It's just not always necessary to put everything into words, which the young mistakenly conceive as "honesty."

I also believe that taking this sort of risk is one of the things that leads to happy marriages and families. Just a certain percentage are going to lose the bet. It's a risk worth taking, but you won't take it if you're brutally honest about the downside.
 
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I didn't read any of the thread but let me get this straight...
You are going to take your wife up on her first plane ride ever in a plane you know nothing about and go through commercial checkride maneuvers in 12G45 conditions over open water in an aircraft with the worst record in aviation that you purchased with a kickstarter campaign, in IMC, under the influence of alcohol and quaaludes?

I really don't think this is a good idea.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I didn't read any of the thread but let me get this straight...
You are going to take your wife up on her first plane ride ever in a plane you know nothing about and go through commercial checkride maneuvers in 12G45 conditions over open water in an aircraft with the worst record in aviation that you purchased with a kickstarter campaign, in IMC, under the influence of alcohol and quaaludes?

I really don't think this is a good idea.
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I knew a gal who would mix those..... She would take on any guy/guys that were within 100 miles.....:rolleyes:;)..

Ps... Are 714's still made ??:dunno::dunno:
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I didn't read any of the thread but let me get this straight...
You are going to take your wife up on her first plane ride ever in a plane you know nothing about and go through commercial checkride maneuvers in 12G45 conditions over open water in an aircraft with the worst record in aviation that you purchased with a kickstarter campaign, in IMC, under the influence of alcohol and quaaludes?

I really don't think this is a good idea.
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NO. If you are being sarcastic which I hope you are, sorry. :p

It is the family plane which my dad has owned for about 2 1/2 years. I personally have 6 hours in it (I have my PPL), and he has about 250 hours in the plane. He is PPL and IFR rated. The CFI is a commercial charter pilot (who flies mainly Senecas and a Pilatus PC12), who I have been using for about 1 year now. There will be no maneuvers. It will either be a local flight or a short point A to point B flight, mainly for her. I will use it to polish the complex and HP stuff I have been doing for the last few weeks, but this flight for me will be mainly learning the avionics systems (garmin GPS, glass panel etc). Fresh annual 2 months ago. I have already done a weight and balance. So there. :p
 
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OP, you will have to forgive sixpack or is that Gustave, he is mainly into jocularity here.
 
I didn't really read your response there but I think intentionally spinning the aircraft w/ no CFI on board is a bad idea.


Yes I was being completely sarcastic. I was reading the thread and saw all the responses from those that didn't quite read about your plan of action.

Take her up! Have fun and Report back.
 
WhiskeyPapa said:
Take a CFI with you who has been pre-briefed to praise you to the skies no matter what you do. Later, outside of you wife's hearing, he/she can communicate the bitter truth.



Don't confuse these two issues: wife's first ride & training. They are totally separate. Even if it's being called a "check out" make sure the CFI knows the real purpose is to introduce your wife to the experience of flying with her Bozo husband, and to reassure her into thinking it's actually safe!
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But if you have a CFI with a sense of humor, he might scream "Oh my God, we're all gonna die!" and then start fumbling with the door handle. :D
 
N801BH said:
I knew a gal who would mix those..... She would take on any guy/guys that were within 100 miles.....:rolleyes:;)..

Ps... Are 714's still made ??:dunno::dunno:
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There was one like that when I was stationed at Pt. Mugu. I was never able to meet up with her luckily. It turned out she was underage--a lot of guys got busted. ( It was a LONG time ago when I was young and wild)

Paul
Salome, AZ
 
Apprehensive wife + training flight = you'll be flying alone a lot when you buy your plane.

You need to give her like the most perfect pleasure flight in the history of aviation. Smooth at all times. Confident. Don't talk out loud either.

I made the mistake of muttering 'damn!' out loud when I overshot final with a first timer on board and they literally almost puked. I learned then every word you say these kind of people are hanging on your every word like life or death....
 
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I used to pride myself in not having to add power back in while landing. One time I pulled too uch power and didn't have enough energy to make the runway without adding a touch of power. I mumbled to myself "I'm not gonna make it" but my pax heard me. Big mistake
 
tmyers said:
I used to pride myself in not having to add power back in while landing.
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Tapatalk showed only the thread title and this line of the "last post" as the thread summary and I about fell out of my chair laughing.

My wife has been flying with me since we were both 19. She pretty much knows the drill so well at this point, she amuses herself by giving the standard pre-flight briefing for me...

"Sit up, shut up, buckle up, and don't throw up."

:)
 
Well the ceilings never lifted today, even once the Sun started getting through. Scratch attempt number one.
 
My wife doesn't particularly like flying for no reason. She went with me on a time building XC. She didn't get scared or sick, but did get bored. If we had an actual destination with a purpose, I don't think she'd mind.
 
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