Continuing Ed: Talking It Up

I think I've heard all the reasons for being fearful as a passenger in a small airplane. Leading the list is fear of stalling. The uninitiated think that an airplane stalls the same as a car -- the engine quits, which must mean that the airplane immediately plunges to the ground. The fearful are wrong on both counts, of course, but they certainly don't have a lock on baseless fears. I've had front-seat passengers implore me not to bank, especially to the right, for fear of falling out. Another common fear is that the pilot will suffer a fatal heart attack, thereby committing the helpless passenger to a horrible fate. Nervous passengers fear that turbulence will rip the wings off, that another airplane will crash into them, that a distant thunderstorm will direct a killer bolt of lightning their way, that -- well, you get the picture. Doom and gloom spring eternal in the pessimistic mind of the fearful passenger.

Not all fearful passengers are created equal. A few have legitimate phobias that require professional treatment. One woman whom I met recently recounted a horrific story of being aboard a hijacked airliner where she was held at gunpoint for several days. She certainly can?t be faulted for being afraid to get back into an airplane.

Most passengers' fears, however, are the result of ignorance. Many non-flyers simply don't understand the mechanics of aircraft, especially light aircraft, and the fundamental concepts of flying.

All of us are used to having information, to knowing what's going on. When we don't have information to help us understand something that, on its face, can appear risky -- something such as flying in a small aircraft -- our latent fears rise to the surface and sometimes take control.

There's a simple technique that pilots can use to take the fear out of fearful passengers. Try talking your way through the experience. Give first-time or nervous passengers a running commentary. Before the flight, tell them what to expect. During the flight, tell them what you're going to do before you do it, and tell them how the airplane will respond to your actions. And after the flight, tell them what they've just done.

The explanations start with the preflight inspection. Few people preflight their cars before they get in and start the engine. There's little apparent need because cars rarely break down on the road. You can imagine, then, how upsetting it can be for a first-time passenger to watch a pilot draining fuel from the tanks, flapping the elevator and ailerons, peering into openings, and examining seemingly every nut, bolt, and hinge. You can't blame a fearful passenger who watches a preflight inspection for the first time for concluding that a small airplane must be fragile and unreliable.

Intervene before your passenger has a chance to reach that conclusion. First, spend a few minutes explaining the concept of light aircraft. Unlike cars, a lightweight structure is necessary for a small aircraft to achieve an acceptable balance between performance and weight-carrying capability on the one hand, and fuel efficiency and slow-speed handling on the other. Also light aircraft must meet rigid federal safety and performance certification standards, and undergo regular, extensive inspections. As for that preflight inspection, it helps to note that all pilots -- civilian, military, and airline -- inspect their aircraft before flying. The preflight inspection is simply one component of a comprehensive, universally accepted, safety-first approach. Who can get nervous over that?

The preflight is also an opportunity to give a nervous passenger some facts about the mechanical workings of an airplane and the concepts of flight. For example, when I check the engine oil I compare and contrast the aircraft engine and propeller with the engine and drivetrain in a car. It's also an opportunity to explain the difference between an aerodynamic stall and an engine stall. Comparing the aircraft to a car gives first-timers a frame of reference. It helps them to understand aviation concepts.

By relating control surface movement to movement of the control yoke, I can demonstrate how I maneuver the airplane in flight. I explain why I drain a bit of fuel from each tank and examine it for contaminants.

Instead of fueling their fears, the preflight commentary gives them confidence in the airplane, and, more importantly, in their pilot. It shows them that the pilot is knowledgeable and conscientious -- two qualities that are all-important to fearful passengers about to place their fate in the hands of someone whose flying abilities they may not know much about.

Being conscientious is the key to winning the confidence of passengers. The goal is to make your first-time passengers feel good about flying in a small airplane. That calls for a conservative approach to every aspect of the flight. Take extra time to explain, to be thorough, to act deliberately, and to fly smoothly.

Once you're in the airplane, the most important thing that you can do to calm a nervous passenger is explain what's going to happen before it happens. Two events tend to send blood pressure soaring -- movement in the form of a change in the aircraft's attitude or the effects of turbulence, and changes in sound, especially the sounds of the engine and propeller. If you give the passenger a heads-up by explaining that you?re going to bank right, reduce power, or possibly encounter a few bumps, you've removed the unknown that is the foundation of fear.

When you're back on the ground and reviewing the flight, try to recall the events or times when your passenger seemed especially nervous, and talk about what was going on with the airplane at that moment. After-the-fact knowledge is a lot better than no knowledge at all.

I've made it a point to be vocal when I have novice, nervous passengers aboard. I talk about the airplane and how I fly it. I'm convinced that the discourse helps them be more comfortable in the airplane. Not that they stretch out and relax during the flight -- most still wear that deer-in-the-headlights look the entire time. The payoff comes later, when they comment to me and others that they enjoyed flying and understand much better what small airplanes are all about.