By KEVIN BROOKER
Many comparisons can be drawn between an airplane and a snake. One of the more benign is how getting close to either both fascinates and frightens people all within a heartbeat.
The Ball Python is extremely docile and timid and might be compared to the Piper Cub — you need to go out of your way to get either of them to bite you.
But a Reticulated Python? It’s nastier than a short coupled taildragger in gusty 25 knot 90° crosswinds on asphalt. Get it back in the cage without drawing blood or the conventional geared menace into the hangar unscathed and the outing feels like you got away with something.
I’ve raised snakes and flown airplanes and over the years I’ve learned that there’s just one goal in introducing either to the public: Make people want to have a close-up experience with them again.
Over the past 40 years my passion for airplanes and snakes has allowed me to introduce both hobbies to hundreds of people. Let’s leave snakes out of this discussion for now and focus on some tips on how to take someone flying for the first time and ensure it will be a success.
By removing a lot of the uncertainty, they will be able to — truthfully — tell you after the flight that it was, indeed, a great experience.
1. It’s OK to change your mind
Not feeling trapped allows people to let go of a lot of fears and enjoy the experience. After setting a date and time to fly, have a conversation with your potential passenger and let them know it is 100% okay to back out of the flight at any point before you actually take off.
Assure your passenger how changing their mind with no need for explanation is perfectly acceptable and, if they like, they can try again at another time.
But you also must be clear that once airborne, if they decide they’d rather be on the ground, you can’t just pull over and let them out. Emphasize that safety is the first priority, so if they want to cut the flight short, you’ll move as quickly as possible to return them to the ground.
2. Get them involved
If the chance presents itself, have the passenger help with the pre-flight walkaround inspection. Answer questions without overexplaining anything. Pilots have forgotten more about aviation than non-pilots know and it’s very easy to make someone feel naive, which very often adds to anxiety.
3. Load them up
Small airplanes can be difficult to get in and out of. While we’re used to it, a nervous first-time flyer may balk at the awkwardness that getting into a general aviation aircraft often entails. Let them know it’s difficult to be graceful and that it’s OK.
Then show what they can hold or pull upon while getting into and out of the cockpit. Place seat belts and shoulder harnesses in such a way they do not interfere with getting seated.
4. Passenger Briefing
Speaking of seatbelts, showing your passenger how to buckle and unbuckle the seatbelt and shoulder harness should be part of your preflight passenger briefing.
Another important part of the briefing is to show your passenger how to secure the door, as well as open the door in the case of an emergency. Point out where the fire extinguisher is stored in the unlikely event of an inflight fire.
Also take the time to point out the items in the cockpit that they can touch and what they should leave alone during the flight. The need to hold onto something when we feel unbalanced is very ingrained in the human consciousness. Tell your passenger if they feel the need to hold something, they can place both hands on the shoulder harness. This may help make them feel secure and keeps them relatively compact and away from the flight controls.
Before you takeoff, also brief your passenger on the importance of a sterile cockpit, which means they shouldn’t talk to you during the busiest phases of flight, such as takeoff and climb and approach and landing.
And if you are a pilot who likes to recite checklists out loud, let them know ahead of time. Someone who doesn’t understand may get nervous hearing this, thinking you don’t know what you are doing.
5. Eyes in the Sky
Take advantage of having an extra set of eyes for the flight by briefing your passenger on what to say when they spot another aircraft. For instance, do you want them to say “aircraft on the right” or do you prefer the traditional “aircraft at 2 o’clock.” Whichever you choose, make sure they understand it.
6. Timing is everything
Whenever possible, try to fly in the morning or late afternoon when the air tends to be a bit less rambunctious. Plan a relatively short flight for the first experience.
Remaining in the pattern for the first few moments of the flight can be extremely beneficial if the passenger becomes frightened or airsick.
7. Talk it out
Inform the novice flier of your next action. No great detail is needed, but letting them know that you plan on turning to the left sets expectations and limits unpleasant surprises.
Pilots are used to the sensations of sudden unexpected accelerations. The first time experiencing the banking for a turn tends to bother people who have lived their entire life with the horizon horizontal.
Do your best to coordinate the rudder and ailerons when leveling the wings. Smooth is good.
8. Look for landmarks
Knowing where the passenger lives or focusing on another prominent landmark is a great next step. Seeing your home from the air is always a great thrill.
Trying to read the earth like a full-scale satellite map is fun and a bit of a distraction, which helps people become comfortable with the flight.
Taking a photo of your house from the air is another form of distraction away from watching the horizon begin to slant across the windscreen.
Keeping turns relatively shallow and with low G-load helps reduce the chance of airsickness.
9. Preparation is key
It sounds a bit fatalistic, but prepare both yourself and the passenger for the potential of getting motion sickness. Make sure you have a gallon — or, even better, a two-gallon — zip-lock bag on hand. It’s a big target with a secure and leak-proof closure.
If the aircraft is a tandem seat ship, whenever safely possible, put the passenger in the front seat. First off they are less likely to become airsick and secondly, if they do suddenly vomit, you are less likely to get puked on!
If someone does get airsick, ask if they’d like you land long so they have a chance to put themselves together before facing family and friends. A little compassion goes a long way.
Of course, that option depends on the airport you are landing at, how busy it is, and other factors. Again: Safety first.
10. Commemorate the event
After the flight is over, take the time to snap a photo of the passenger with the airplane. Propellers make me nervous and we avoid any shots with my ride touching or being anywhere near the prop. The nicest photos tend to have them sitting in the cockpit or leaning against the fuselage.
One of the best compliments I’ve received after giving someone their first flight is finding out they chose to take flying lessons. There are those who became less afraid of air travel.
For the most part, the feedback I’ve received on my introductions to aviation has been positive. Alas, I have yet to hear about anyone taking up herpetology.
Kevin Brooker is a long-time pilot who has given more than 50 introductory flights.
Thoughtful article. Those of us who love flying general aviation sometimes forget there are people who are skittish of smaller airplanes. However, with a positive, thoughtful discovery flight, more people might be won over to the world of aviation. Someone who might otherwise been turned away from their dream of becoming a pilot, due to a “scary flight”, is more likely to continue on with their training if that first flight in a smaller airplane is a planned, positive event.
I’ve been flying for over 40 years everything this article is right on
Start with a little personal introduction both ways. Let the client know about yourself and find out what they want.
Explain how they interpret the visual and controls. Use a grease pencil to make a simple heads up display to visualize the attitude, not the nose position.
Walk the through your preflight as you explain in simple term in English not aviation lingo.
Explain as you taxi what your doing. When at 1000 feet let them fly under your direction and coaching. Take control at 1000 feet and 3 miles out and land and taxi back. Log the lesson in their log ( at least on a notebook)
Ask how they enjoyed it. Take their picture and give them the picture with an email and post it on your school bulletin board. Ask when they want to fly again. Explain Cost, licenses, and time last unless earlier asked.
This is an excellent summary which we have chosen to highlight to our EAA chapter’s Young Eagles pilots.
One note that I’ll add is that it is very important to set expectations with loved ones who remain on the ground. They need to know that we’ll be gone flying for about XX minutes, that we’ll taxi out toward the runway then we’ll stop and they will hear us doing the “run up” so we can check the aircraft’s systems prior to flight. Also set the expectation that we may come in to land and reject the landing, go around and try again. They need to know this is perfectly appropriate and expected behavior and a big part of assuring a safe outcome.
Passengers should also know the “I have control – you have control” routine if they are to be given the opportunity to fly the aircraft.
On this last point, I make it a point to let people know they will have the opportunity to fly the airplane if the conditions permit. This has led to some incredible experiences – all very positive – and more than a little excitement when back on the ground. Parents often don’t believe their child actually flew the aircraft until I show them a selfie where my hands clearly are holding the phone to take the picture rather than flying the airplane. Sharing a photo like this makes for terrific memories.
I’m very proud to have been our EAA chapter’s Young Eagles Coordinator for a number of years and equally proud to have had the opportunity to introduce so many young people to the joy of flight. It is more rewarding than one can ever believe… especially when one of your Young Eagles sends you a photo of their new “office” in the cockpit of the airplane they now fly for a living. Talk about the ultimate reward!