Dear Rod:
I provide demo flights in a two-seat airplane. What do you when you have overweight people who want to fly? Sometimes it’s just not safe to put these people in an airplane.
No Name
Greetings Mr. NN:
The first thing you do is honor your weight-and-balance limitations. Period!
Since I’m a big believer in protecting the dignity and humanity of every human being, you want to avoid embarrassing anyone because of their weight. That said, it’s important to understand that overweight people most likely know they’re overweight, but they might not know they’re too heavy to fly in a particular airplane. Explain to them (in private) that the FAA mandates the airplane be flown within certain weight limits and you’re not at liberty to alter these limits. If a person doesn’t believe that his or her weight is an issue, then show him the weight-and-balance information. Most overweight people will understand this.
Ultimately, you have to fit to fly. You’re probably not going to take a 350-pound passenger for a ride in a fully fueled Cessna 150 unless you, the pilot, have been on the Atkins diet for 35 years. Here is where the immortal words of Chief Martin Brody from the movie Jaws apply: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” So find a larger airplane for the demo flight, perhaps one with four seats instead of two. If this airplane costs more to operate, then explain the reason for the additional cost of the flight.
Dear Rod:
Another CFI and I have been working with a student, and for some reason she cannot get the proper timing for the flare down.She has about 35 hours now. She wants to fly the airplane into the runway or pull up near the ground to launch us back into space. Would you have any suggestions on how to help?
W.K.
Greetings W.K.:
Your student’s inconsistency during the landing flare leads me to believe that she lacks the control fidelity necessary to make precise elevator control inputs. Here’s a technique I’ve done over the years that seems to work for this particular problem.
Sometimes flight controls are sticky; sometimes students sit in such a way that they have poor leverage on the flight controls; and sometimes the elevator control feels heavy to a student, particularly female students. In these situations, it’s common for students to apply more physical pressure on the controls, which diminishes their ability to precisely calibrate the pressure they’re using. This often results in over- or under-controlling the airplane during the flare. So here’s a possible solution to this problem.
When your student is ready to begin the power-off landing flare, have her place both hands on the elevator control. You’ll find that she can now make much more precise inputs on the yoke. If the problem is one of control fidelity, it should be revealed here.
Of course, I’m not suggesting that your student continue her landing practice using two hands to flare. I’m only suggesting that you allow this for a few landings until she learns to calibrate her elevator control movements. Once your student gets the idea of how to flare, then allow her to apply several twists of nose-up trim as she approaches the runway threshold. This makes the yoke easier to move using one hand. And do explain the pitch-up tendency if power is applied here, too.
Dear Rod:
I’m having a terrible time with my instructor. She talks all the time and hardly lets me do anything by myself without taking over the controls. Please help!
Michael
Greetings Michael:
Unfortunately, some instructors act as if they’re paid by the word. If you can’t take control of your airplane, then take control of your instructor. Tell her that you deeply appreciate her cockpit inputs, but the constant chatter and touching of the flight controls is distracting, and it’s limiting your ability to learn. I’m betting that she has no idea how irritating and distracting her behavior is. In this way you teach her how to behave toward you. You’ll do yourself and her other students a big favor by being direct about the problem.
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