Well, that's the plan for this coming Sunday. She's not gone up with me yet, and she's never flown in small GA aircraft before. So this is the test. Is she going to scream murder and demand me to land? Is she going to be okay with flying? Or, will she actually enjoy it? We'll see. This answer will affect future flying and aircraft ownership!

Unsolicited advice:

Make sure the air is calm.

Before the flight, explain to her that she is in charge, if she wants to come back and land, she has only to say so.

Shallow bank turns and gentle pitch changes, unless she indicates otherwise - - some passengers are more adventuresome!

Enjoy!

bumper

bumper wrote:Unsolicited advice:

Make sure the air is calm.

Before the flight, explain to her that she is in charge, if she wants to come back and land, she has only to say so.

Shallow bank turns and gentle pitch changes, unless she indicates otherwise - - some passengers are more adventuresome!

Enjoy!

bumper

All in the books already. Booked for about as early morning as I can get her out of bed (17 month old keeps her awake lots). We've already gone over the rules that she can tell me when she's done, just give me the time to get back in the pattern to land...hehe.

I'm sure she'll love it! I'm lucky enough to have a wife and kids that like to go on flying adventures with me, and it's just the best.

Here are some quick do's and don'ts on taking up passengers for their first "little plane" ride from personal experience:

Explain as much as you can about what you're doing during all phases (pre-flight, before engine start, all the way through landing)

Explain what all the "blinking and beeping things" are -- Things like the blinking light on the Transponder, the beep/wail of the stall horn, any beeps or warnings on your GPS. Try to make sure she knows that those are all normal indications before they happen. We're so used to these things we hardly notice them, but a sudden "TERRAIN" warning on the GPS, for example can be pretty disconcerting to someone who's new to it.

Oh, and don't throw in an unannounced slip on final, especially if your passenger is in the back of a tandem plane. I did this without thinking once to a good friend who was already afraid of flying. Not a smart move...

Relax, have fun, and I'm sure she will too!

Everything has pretty much been covered by the fellow members here. The comment on briefing about warning buzzers is a very good idea. Scares the beejeesuzs out of non-flyers if they don't know about them.
My wife is somewhat scared of flying. The longest flight she has been on (172) was a 4 four flight to southern Iowa. 8 hours round trip and she did pretty good. Funny thing was that I finally gave her a ride in the Champ on floats....low and slow....she absolutely loved it. I think the lower altitude and going slower made her much more at ease. Plus she loved being able to see so much more while flying down low.
Good Luck and you might even get a partner that wants to get her license.
Keith

WWhunter wrote:Good Luck and you might even get a partner that wants to get her license.
Keith

That'd be nice.

Tadpole wrote:

WWhunter wrote:Good Luck and you might even get a partner that wants to get her license.
Keith

That'd be nice.

Hey it worked for me! My lovely wife has just soloed in the Maule and now I gotta fight for time to fly!

My wife really loves flying but she HATES landing. She was fine till I let out a "Oh Shit!" during a touchdown that I knew was going to be a wild ride. So if you have a bad landing pretend like it was fine and dandy

Back when I had the RV-8, wifey said she'd smack me upside the head if I tried anything "crazy". On a trip home from Vegas, I rolled it. She said, "That was COOL! Do another one!"

Go figure.

They're all wired differently. Your mileage may vary.

Well my wife hated flying commercial until she went with me once. She's still not a fan, but then again, neither am I. She said she felt better then because she knew I was there and knew what all the noises and such were.

Her thoughts are that she'll be okay since she can SEE what's going on, and know that I'm the one flying it and she trusts me and knows I'm a safe pilot. I'll be content with just that. That means I can take her and the baby up so she can keep an eye on the baby, and we can go somewhere to see family or something some time. That way she can see the uses of aviation a bit more first hand. The hope is she'll like it and start asking, "when are we going flying again?"

I like to let my first time passengers fly the airplane as soon as they are ready, it seems to quickly let them understand that the plane goes where you point it, and it usually makes them forget that they might be scared. Like everyone else has said, be gentle, and tell them when you are going to turn or decend or whatever, and what to expect. And take lots of pictures.

My wife very seldom flies with me but she does not keep me from flying. She does not like bumpy air or cross wind landings...especially when from the back seat ball she can see is grass, no runway!
A lot of pilots I know don't have wives who fly but they see that we enjoy it so they don't put up a fuss.
I believe my wife loves me to fly because she says that I always have a better attitude when I come back from a little time in the air.
Hurray for the wife that loves flying or better yet the wife is also a pilot. I tried to get my wife to take lessons to at least solo so she would know what to do in an emergency, but I could not get her to do that.
My wife will fly commercial but she hates landings....says it feels like the plane speeds up when it hits the runway.

Bring cushions for the right seat so she can see above the instrument panel.
Also a camera so she can take pictures.
Go somewhere and buy her breakfast or Lunch and make this first flight FUN!!!

My wife was a stewardess for TWA back in the day when they were all young and hot. I did not know her then. But when she found out I was a pilot it sealed the deal. I have her completely fooled, she really thinks I am a great pilot and would not fly GA with anyone else.

She will fly with me just about anywhere.

The advice on slips is good. About the only time I seemed to have lost her was making a landing at Johnson Creek, I was a little high and put the plane in a slip on her side. She quit breathing. She reminds me of that on a regular basis. No more unannounced slips, especially on her side.

She loves wildlife and the back country, so she knows the airplane is a great way to see things few people get to see.

She is my 2nd wife and was a big upgrade from the first.

Confidence in you and your aircraft and going someplace interesting for her, not necessarily for you will win her. Flying in circles around the patch or touch and go demonstrations might not be her idea of flying. Ask her what she thinks flying is. She may think it's a means of getting somewhere pleasurable faster, or she likes new scenery, maybe it's supposed to get to a vacation at some later date. You will get enough time on your own to explore your dreams of flying but when a significant other is with you it should be mostly there flight. After awhile it will melt into "our flight". As I posted somewhere before I have 25 years of flying with my wife and she stills says "get the airplane out and lets go somewhere" or "where did you go and why didn't you take me". She actually got her pilot license 24 years ago cause she knew I was in this for the long haul. Good luck and it doesn't hurt to have fun. That's what I tell the family "we are going on an adventure get in the plane"

Whole different dynamic than husband and wife, but I was remembering the first time I took my mom for a glider ride. She refused to fly with me when I got my power rating (maybe it's a mom and daughter thing, I don't know...), but when I got into gliders she decided to go for a short flight with me. She dosed up on Dramamine (she gets reallllly airsick), and I was absolutely petrified that she would hate it, but it was a calm day (bad for other gliding, but good for rides) and we decided to give it a try. She loved the tow and the landing (go figure), and was fairly calm about the rest, so it was a win-win situation! She still says that I was too chicken and she could have stayed up longer, so I should have thermalled more, but I think I'm glad we did it just like we did.

Good luck flying with your wife, and I agree that even if you can't hook her into flying, at least you can make a good impression (everything in moderation...)

x

Tadpole, It helps if she has a headset so she is in the loop and there is less confusion, and noise. Also explain to her what you are doing. First timers don't need much to spook them. I had a sister in law that went goofy one time when I pulled back the throttle to glide down to take a closer look at something with my brother. She thought the engine quit. As someone already mentioned keep the banks shallow and please don't introduce her to stalls or buzz her folks place.

For people that have never been in a light GA plane I always give them the "vessel in water" rundown... because unless the air is dead flat you always get a little "invisible" bump here or push there that just doesn't compute to someone who has never flown before. Understanding that an airplane in the air is no different than a canoe in a stream goes a long way to helping ease the tension when you fly through a little "ripple" in the air that they couldn't see...

It also does wonders for those pilot induced "ripples" they didn't know you induced

Good luck, and Take care,
Rob

You've gotten some great advise and as the "wife" of a PP let me add a little more. The first time I flew was in an ultralight with hubby. Every muscle was tense and I was petrified after all I had just lost all my security. About the 3rd flight I began to relax and enjoy. Fast forward 5 years later he gets his PP and I was his first passenger. Long story short, within 1 year of him getting his ticket I now have mine and love flying more than he does. Just bought my own J5 and am having a blast. Don't be discouraged if she is not blown away immediately. Some things you have to warm up to.