Should a student take a dog aloft?
I am a presolo student. One of my many motivations for flying is to be able to include our dog on the short getaways my wife and I like to take.
We have a 55-pound Chow Chow who loves to travel in the car. He generally sits quietly in his seat in the car.
How soon into my flying should I consider adding the dog to the airplane? The whole process of flying the airplane is still new to me and I know I don't need any distractions just yet. Once I'm approved to solo and have more hours under my belt, do you think it would be safe to add the dog? Would you recommend waiting until after I've passed my checkride and have my certificate? Or even longer, when I have more hours of experience?
Would you even consider letting the dog ride in the right seat, or do you think he should remain in back? On the one hand, it would seem safer to keep him away from the controls, but it would also be easier to keep an eye on him in the front seat.
Sincerely,
Pat
Greetings Pat:
Great question. I've known rated pilots who fly with dogs, but I've never had a student who wanted to fly with his dog. Is it a guide dog? I suspect they're quite useful in complex airspace.
My first inclination is to say that you should wait until you obtain your pilot certificate if for no other reason than that dogs can be distracting. But if the student was mature and the dog calm of disposition and not too big, I don't think I'd have a problem with this.
This is one of those questions that's entirely up to you and your CFI. On the other hand, guys like me dream of questions like this because there's so much room for mischief here. For instance, if your dog barks during a call to ATC you can say to the controller, "Hold on, my instructor is barking at me."
Chat with your CFI about it. Personally, I'm pretty liberal on these issues and don't think it's a problem in the latter stages of your training. As far as where the dog should sit, well, if it's a big dog, then sitting right seat could present a problem, especially since some control yokes look like dog biscuits. I'm thinking back seat is a good choice for larger dogs, at least until you become a private pilot.
On the other hand, you should definitely consider some sort of dog-type restraining device that would serve two purposes. First, turbulence can make it difficult to keep your Chow Chow down (and your chow down, too). It can also turn your dog into a projectile, easily exposing it and/or you to injury. Second, if your dog sees a cloud that looks like a cat, all bets are off. Therefore, it's wise to have some way to restrain a larger dog.
Additionally, consider that your dog's ears are extra-sensitive to noise, so you should consider some type of mutt earmuffs. There are two Web sites I found that might help. Visit ruffrider.com and flypatchfly.com--type "Dog" in the search window. Finally, don't assume that all dogs react to airplanes as comfortably as you probably did on your first flight. Introduce your pooch to flying as you would a reluctant passenger. First take a short hop, then gradually extend the exposure. For more information on flying with your pet, see the aviation subject report on AOPA Online.
As an aside, I did know someone who was reluctant to fly alone after getting his pilot certificate, so he always took his dog along to keep him company. His dog, of course, loved it. Perhaps it was a bird dog.
Advice for a new CFI
Dear Rod,
I'm working on my CFI ticket and wonder what advice could you give me as a fledgling certificated flight instructor? I chose to become a CFI because I knew that was the best way to increase my aviation knowledge. I know that if I teach, I learn. Any advice is welcome.
Thank you,
Barry
Greetings Barry:
Hmm, what advice would I give a new CFI? Have you got a few weeks?
I think the most important thing to recognize as a new instructor is that you're dealing with individuals, each with his strengths and weaknesses. No two students will be the same, so you have to approach teaching each student individually, and not assume that all students learn the same way.
How do you go about doing this? Ask a lot of questions about how your student learns, what he or she likes or dislikes, what he expects flight training will be like, how he thinks he'll cope with the inevitable "learning plateaus" that accompanies all flight training, whether he likes to see several demonstrations followed by practice or just one demonstration and then practice, and so on. Listen, learn, and modify your training based on what you hear. Your success in teaching is linked directly to how well you know your student. Re-member, students know a lot more about how they learn than you do, so make use of this knowledge.
The second thing I'd say is to never assume that just because you're talking that you're also teaching. As a general rule, flight instructors talk too much. So, say what you need to say, then let your student experiment and learn.
The third thing to do is never end a lesson without your student experiencing some form of success, even if this means pointing out that she exited the airplane without choking herself on the seatbelt. Success is a very important part of flight training--in fact, that's true of all teaching.
Finally, teach your students to trust you. By this I mean help your students learn that you have their best interests at heart and that you won't let anything happen to them during flight training. That means they can feel free to experiment with flying techniques, stalls, and landings without worrying that they'll do something you can't control. And make sure you never let a student get into a situation where you can't control the outcome.
There's so much more to recommend but that should get you started.
Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author, educator, and speaker. A pilot since 1970 and a CFI since 1973, he has flown more than 8,000 hours and is part owner of a Cessna P210. Visit his Web site.
Related Articles
