First Impressions

To take up their first passenger, likely someone who’s been waiting for months for that privilege. And what’s the least-likely skill to have been covered in flight training? You guessed it. How to care for those first passengers.

The freedom of unfettered flight enjoyed by earning a pilot’s certificate is also shackled with responsibility for the care and welfare of those individuals now flying with us. That goes double for first-time fliers, who may very well be among those early passengers you’re taking up. Yes, you know how to perform a passenger safety briefing per FAR 91.107. But the tending and handling of your passengers requires more than showing them how to work the belts and door latches.

You’ve got company

Starting on the ground, pay careful attention to your preflight inspection if you’re going to have passengers at your elbow. They can be a distraction, so make sure you’re not skipping anything when answering their whatcha doin’? questions. Stress that everything you’re doing is in the interest of safety, just normal preparation for flight. To them, using a checklist may be taken as a lack of competency; counter this by saying, “I’m making sure I don’t miss anything.”

Exude confidence. Don’t look at the fuel level and say, “that ought to be enough” or “I think we’ll be OK.” Passengers want to know that you’re sure the airplane is sound and ready. Keep thoughts like “that tire’s a little soft” or “there’s that squeak in the aileron again” to yourself.

Never be afraid to disappoint just because you have a schedule to take someone up. If there’s any doubt about the weather, reschedule. Don’t let the pressure to perform cause you to accept a defective airplane; it’s either airworthy or it isn’t. The eager passengers can get their ride on another day.

Normal pilot-speak must be simplified when conversing with lay people. Avoid foreign-sounding terms like “strut” and “prop.” Instead of saying, “Step up onto the wingwalk, but stay off the flap,” point out or demonstrate where you want them to go. Remember how it was when you were a neophyte, struggling with deciphering new terms.

Take charge of loading, boarding in the correct order, and being aware of your airplane’s limits. You may need to keep heavy individuals up front, or limit the passenger load to one or two instead of three. Show them where they can and can’t grab a hand-hold when settling in or adjusting seats. Assist with the seatbelts and shoulder harness, which are probably unlike automotive equivalents.

Never be afraid to disappoint just because you have a schedule to take someone up. If there’s any doubt, reschedule.Timing is everything

Try to take your passengers up during the calmest parts of the day. You, as an experienced aviator, can handle some wind, heat, and bumps, but first-time passengers will be better off in the smooth air of morning or evening, rather than bouncing around in midday turbulence. Keep the pre-takeoff briefing light and positive; don’t bring up everything that could go wrong, such as a door popping open, a midair collision, or engine failure. Instead of addressing airsickness concerns with, “If you feel like you’re going to throw up, I’ll give you one of these bags,” just say, “If you feel the least bit uneasy, let me know and I’ll head back and land.”

Explain to your passengers the importance of the no-talk signal you’ll be giving, for those times when they are not to speak while you’re listening to the radio. A vertically extended forefinger means “I’m busy with communications, keep quiet.” You can solicit their help with spotting other aircraft, asking them to point out the traffic. Make a last-minute seatbelt check before taking the runway.

Handle them like eggs

You’ve been accustomed to flying alone or with a CFI, with crisp, positive control movements. Tone it down a little when you have passengers onboard, and always let your riders know what’s coming. Takeoff, you explain, will be accompanied by a big increase in noise. On the roll, bring the nose up gently to a liftoff attitude, letting the airplane roll until it floats away from the runway, instead of yanking the nose up to break ground. Passengers should feel nothing more than an elevator rising. Prepare them for the turn out of the traffic pattern by saying, “I’m going to bank to the left to make a turn now.” Keep the roll rate gentle and limit the bank angle to 15 degrees or so.

When leveling off at cruise altitude, slowly transition out of the climb during the last 50 feet of altitude, so that no one feels a sinking sensation as the nose comes down. Tell your passengers “I’m reducing power to cruising flight,” so they won’t be surprised by the sudden change in noise level. Be smooth with your use of the controls; slowly increase bank angle and ease the airplane around to a new heading. Keep up a running commentary on where you are, pointing out familiar landmarks they may enjoy from a new perspective.

Do not, under any circumstances, succumb to the temptation to indulge in even pseudo-aerobatic flight. Yes, you’ve been practicing steep turns and stalls during your practical test prep, but those maneuvers are not a spectator sport. No wingovers, no zero-G, no zoomies. Your intent should be to create boosters for general aviation, not provide a never-again experience. Besides, inducing airsickness could mean a messy clean-up before putting the airplane away.

Passengers, particularly those in the back seats, have varying levels of tolerance to the sensation of flight. Despite your own best efforts, nausea can begin from apprehension and stress, or maybe the bag of Cheetos slammed down before flying. Light turbulence to you might be frightening “air pockets” to the uninitiated. Keep an eye on your stoic, silent riders; disinterest, sweating, and continual swallowing are warning signs. If someone expresses discomfort, maintain straight-and-level flight, focus fresh air on them, and reassure them you’re proceeding back to base. Pull out a sick-sack for them to hold, saying “just in case,” and nod comfortingly. Sometimes the reassurance of having a receptacle at the ready deters an eruption. Make the subsequent traffic pattern gentle and wide, even flying a straight-in if called for.

Where do you live?

Everybody wants to see their house from aloft, and that can sometimes tax your navigation skills. Just try to get your passengers close to their neighborhood and let them enjoy the search. If someone yells, “It’s right there!” don’t wrap the airplane into a tight bank; use your best manners by maintaining a shallow bank with no perceptible G-load, and maybe deploy a surreptitious bit of flap to reduce speed for loitering on target. Just be sure to keep a safe airspeed, and don’t let the altitude dwindle while circling. Stay properly above regulatory and neighborly minimums and don’t prolong the turning. The other passengers might not appreciate extended maneuvering.

Keep introductory flights short. You might be ready for a 90-minute excursion, but most new riders need to be back on the ground in a half-hour, chock to chock. Build up their tolerance before taking them on a three-hour trip to grandma’s. When heading back to the airport for landing, explain that there will be a reduction in engine noise for the descent; passengers equate the steady drone of power with security, so don’t take it away without warning.

Naturally, you’ll try for your smoothest touchdown, even at the cost of a missed turn-off, but don’t worry, most new passengers aren’t very discriminating. You may have made a sloppy pattern entry and a marginally stabilized approach, but all they know is the tires made contact without spinal stress. Accept your passengers’ accolades; you’re now the ace of the base in their eyes. FTKeep introductory flights short. You might be ready for a 90-minute excursion, but most new riders need to be back on the ground in a half-hour, chock to chock.