My First 10 Passengers & Lessons Learned

Sinistar

Sinistar

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Brad
One goal I set for myself after getting my PPL was to give rides to at least 10 passengers over the summer/fall. I managed to reach that number a bit sooner than I thought, due in part to some nice weather and a large group of family visitors. For anyone interested I'll give a quick summary of each and follow up with some lessons learned.

#1,#2: Wife & Daughter (Winter).
Reaching TPA on the climb out my daughter says: "My plane!". She can't reach the pedals but flew for about 30 minutes. Then indicated she was done. First time my wife's been in the
back seat of our plane...at least I hope! Greased that landing but greasing landings after that became illusive. One of my favorite flights of all time. A really big trust thing for me :)

#3: Brother In Law.
There was rain to the west slowing moving east but also dissipating. Nothing convective. So I told him to fly towards the rain. When we hit it, turn left and fly along as it dissipated. Very nice, relaxing flight. Was a nice simple test of ADBS wx preceeded by a much longer chat with the wx briefer before the flight regarding cloud levels, precip type, etc. He flew most of the flight and did good.

#4: Daughter's Friend
I flew my daughter and her friend up to my folks place for he 4th of July. She had never been in a
plane. The two of them sat in back and watched episodes of Gilligan's Island. It was a bit bumpy on the way up and very smooth on the way back 2 days later. We had a decent tailwind on the back and her only comment on landing was a very serious "Are we back already?" I was on FF on both directions (precious cargo onboard!). Both of them hated it :( So, per a previous thread I am working on how to handle that (FWIW - a new audio panel is not a option right now).

#5: My brother.
He loved it! We flew up over the Itasca area. He takes his 5th grade classes camping there each
year at the headwaters of the Mississippi. He was trying to spot the fire tower they all climb. He came to realize that what seems tall on the ground really isn't that tall at all :) He didn't want to fly and was taking pictures and video like crazy. He spends a lot of time portaging up into Canada to go fishing. I am wondering this will spur a float plane interest. But he is color blind - not sure what that means to a PPL?

#6: Wife's Cousin:
This is the sim guy I mentioned in another thread. He flew most of the flight and loved it. Didn't
look out the window much, but I he so wants to be a pilot. I found out after they left that he is
color blind - sucks! He was just having the best time flying. Maybe back in Norway he can find a way to fly more.

#7: Wife's Cousin's Husband
This guy is into machines and was just way into airplanes. The sim guy was in the back for this flight. He just loved being up front. He flew but I think he would have been just as happy to be in front looking. To him it was kinda like going for a ride in someone's cool restored car. Just being part of it was good enough for him! On his flight we got to get up close to a few tiny puffy clouds and he loved the sensation of going near them where you can feel the speed and 3D of it all.

#8: Wife's Cousin
Actually this one (14yo girl) could have flown but it was early and she was tired so she rode in back and the sim guy gotto fly again. This was my first trip dropping off passengers. This was my longest flight so far at about 215miles flown and was a great trip from SW of the Twin Cities to Superior (near Duluth). I was on a schedule to get there so I could get back before
the early afternoon clouds built and would drop. They did not understand the concept of being on time. They had no clue how many contingencies my wife and I had worked out in case the flight didn't work since they were meeting a larger group in Duluth.

#9: Coworker
Okay, very very smart guy (SW Engineeer). His first question was "is one pedal for the gas and one for the brake." So I knew he was very interested and also had no prior experience. Being not very tall, it was a bit hard for him to fly. He would get altitude right, then fix up course but then kinda get the leans. It was hard to get him to use the panel and horizon. I made this one a xc to a small Delta with a very large runway. I thought to myself: "Hey, I'm getting better at this ride thing, I've got 7500x150 of runway so I will let him keep his hands on the yoke and have him rotate us off." DID NOT GO WELL! When I said rotate he pulled back. And he pulled back more. And more. So I put enough pressure to stop the pull. But the deck angle got pretty steep. So I started overriding him and pushed harder and final gave out a confident (but not panicked) "My plane". And I just pushed us right back to level to get some airspeed back. I could just feel his instinct, he was nervous and thought pulling back would equal safety and security. Lessons learned on this flight!!!!

#10: Coworker
Now this guy is really interested in flying! So much so that his first questions months ago were about capabilities and ownership of a SR22T. During the winter I talked him into getting a discovery ride with my first CFI. He did it and enjoyed it. But he wants so bad for this to work for his wife and I just tell him be a pilot because you want to. I can tell (his words) that he wants it to be with others. So this flight he asked for something fun to see, didn't need to fly so much. So I asked for a scenic of MPLS. Didn't quite get what I wanted due to the main airport traffic direction. However, eventually (on FF of course) we were cleared to fly over downtown as long as I kept the IDS tower to my right. WOW!!! That was awesome. I am not a fan of flying that low (1250agl over congested city) so I was always looking for a place to land while he was taking in the sites. On the way back we went right under 3 Passengers jets on final. The closest was +700ft and well under 1 mile. I think I could hear an alarm going off when Approach was vectoring me. Great flight to round out the first 10.
 
And here some of the many lessons learned (not in any particular order):

  • If this will be a trip, people need to be on time. This ain't no car ride. Be on time!
  • Evening flights have been awesome with a few low puffy clouds to look, a full moon, sunset and nice and smooth.
  • I will no longer allow anyone to take any controls during takeoff or landing. First experience was not good. I was not trying to teach, just thought he might like it and I had lots of runway. Nope, that's for you CFI's!!!
  • Try as hard as I can, a good careful pre-flight plus pulling the plane out is 30min. It will never be less. Often it is more.
  • Every minute you are late on taking off, unlike the big airlines...you will not make it during the flight.
  • Only 1 person (#10) offered to pay for fuel. I never asked or expected it, just find it interesting it was only 10%.
  • When flying people on a trip (especially kids) shield them from the pre/post flight. Have mom or someone else bring them at the designated departure time - minus 10min. Bathrooms and go.
  • Lots of different landing experiences with tail being heavier, overall takeoff weight being more, etc.
  • I think my non-greaser landings (as in all landings lately) are worse than the my passengers do (thank goodness).
  • During this high dew point summer weather its just plain hot until you can get up to altitude.
  • I still don't think this is enough experience for something like Young Eagles. I will assist my wife on the ground to learn more first.
  • Being on FF for safety and emergency purposes is awesome! But its also not nice with passengers when you want to chat.
  • Only one passenger (#10) fully realized just how task loaded being a pilot can be. He commented on it as he could tell the low over the city stuff had a lot going on.
  • So far there have been "flyers" and "lookers". I need to get better at determining in advance who is who so I can tailor the flight to them.
  • Make as many of this passenger rides into valid cross country's if possible. I'm flying, might as well earn some time towards IR - within reason of course.
  • A lot of them (5/10) actually seemed to enjoy the pre-flight and really didn't slow it down too much.
  • Have a bathroom nearby. Maybe only 1/10 didn't need to use the bathroom that: "One more time before we go okay."
  • #9 was so quiet during the flight. I noticed well into the flight that his mic was too far away. But even after adjustment, he was quiet (probably nervous). I need to get those types talking a bit more...I think?
  • Prepare them for where to actually park at the airport (its not intuitive!)
  • Prepare them for what to bring (cool clothing, hat, sunglasses, etc)
  • Teach them up front how to control volume on the headsets, kids especially freak if its too loud.
  • If you are going to deliver passengers to another location where they will meet others, you really need to think contingency plans. If the wx, plane or passenger leads to aborting the flight - how will they get there? What will it cost them to not make it? Are you willing to drive them as a backup?
  • The only flight where I sensed a bit of "Get There It is" was the trip to deliver passengers (a longer cross country). Its way easier to scrub a local 1hr flight. However, I had 3 abort points picked out before I allowed myself to takeoff. My wife knew them as well.
...probably many more and they'll come to me later on.
 
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WannFly said:
awesome job!! I bet #9 was scary a little :p
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IT DID!!! The deck angle was getting right to the point of the short field takeoff deck angle and I didn't sense him backing off any and I didn't have flaps out. Thankfully we were going a bit faster. When I finally took it, I leveled off darn fast. He got some partial negative 'g' on that one. I never said anything negative though. I kept it light afterwards and as soon as we hit TPA I let him fly it all the way home. He did much better on the second leg!

The instinct in someone to pull back has never been more obvious than in those few seconds. Thank god we practice short field takeoffs and stalls. This was like a short field takeoff angle and felt a bit like the setup just prior to demonstrating a takeoff stall.
 
The guy pulling until you had to stop him is common unless you brief it correctly to students. They’ll try to kill you.

The correct way to attempt to stop that (some will do it anyway) is to brief that they should pull until the cowling touches the horizon and no further. Release back pressure until it holds there.

Of course the next thing you’ll get is a opposing force while they chase the nose up and down. Hahaha.

Welcome to every flight as a CFI! LOL. And yes, even high time pilots will try eventually to kill you.

Or as one of my mentors and instructors said, “Never have anything in your hands below 500’ AGL and leave your feet lightly on the rudder pedals. You’ll live longer that way. But try not to let them know you’re ready to grab the airplane, it kills their confidence.” :)

Most instructors don’t cover how the person in the other seat is bound and determined to kill you in Private pilot training or how to avoid it, so be careful letting other folks do stuff, especially at low altitude.
 
denverpilot said:
Or as one of my mentors and instructors said, “Never have anything in your hands below 500’ AGL and leave your feet lightly on the rudder pedals. You’ll live longer that way. But try not to let them know you’re ready to grab the airplane, it kills their confidence.” :)
Click to expand...

that explains why my DPE had his feet touching the paddles as I was getting ready to show him stalls and my current CFI who always have his feet on the paddles when we enter clouds.
 
Great write-up; thanks!

Yesterday, I took my 5th passenger up, well 6th if you count the DPE as my first, so I am not nearly as advanced as you are, but I am reaching similar conclusions. I have yet to let anyone take the controls during takeoff or landing, but I do offer passengers an opportunity to do so while cruising.

Couple of things I found around here (Chicagoland): because of traffic and other factors, people are mindful of time. So I offer them the opportunity to skip the ground stuff. I get to the airport 30-45 minutes early, complete the preflight, get cameras, scout, and headphones ready, and then wait for my guests. I do make it clear that punctuality is critical as there may be other renters using the aircraft after us.

I also found that most people are fine with a short flight and become a bit concerned with longer flights. I am happy to take someone on a shoreline tour. But I would also like to log a 50 NM leg, so I fly from 06C to the northeast through KPWK's Delta, and then chase the shoreline to KGYY and from there to KIKK, and back. I tell prospective passengers to budget 1.5 hours wheels up/down, and that's maybe 45 minutes too long for the average superbusy Chicagoan.

I had one nervous passenger, and I made sure she knew that we could stop at any time, but once we were wheels up we'd have to circle the airport and come back for a landing. At every step, I asked her if she was ok to move on to the next step: start the engine, taxi to runup area, taxi to holding position, and taking the runway. After takeoff, I told her that we were leaving the airport vicinity and if she needed us to land now was the time to say so. She was fine, taking photos, and from that moment on the flight went smoothly.

I always brief the departure, to discuss engine failures. If we have a problem below 1800 we land straight-ahead, if we are above 1800 we may have more options (field elevation is 801). So far no one has asked what I mean by landing "straight-ahead". Who knows? Because we are so close to KORD, they think we can just glide to one of the 10s or 9s.

Everyone wants to know why Kxyz and not just xyz.

FF is very useful, especially around Chicago where I fly, but as you wrote, it is also a limiting factor in communicating with the passengers. I tell my passengers upfront that if I appear to be rude during a chat, it's because I need to focus on ATC and maybe respond to a controller. So far, every single passenger found the ATC part fascinating. I guess most people think that ATC is something the airlines use. When we switch to KMDW tower to get our transition from the shoreline back to the airport, a couple of my passengers went speechless, realizing that the same controller that was directing Southwest jets, had time and patience to help "a little mosquito of an airplane".

No one has offered to share fuel/rent cost -- nor have I asked -- but I got a few gift cards for Pilot Pete's as thank-you tokens. (Dear FAA: none of these cards' face value exceeds the prorated flight cost).
 
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1/2 hour+ preflight? What kind of plane is this? Does anyone else fly it?
 
Half Fast said:
"K" stands for "USA" in ICAO speak.

View attachment 65806
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101692-Mkay.jpg
 
Ryanb said:
It stands for Too Long, Didn’t Read.

It’s like a brief summary of what was said at the bottom of the post. Used a lot over on the red board.
Click to expand...

Oh ok, well, I agree then. Most of them are tooooo long.
 
GreatLakesFlying said:
Great write-up; thanks!

Yesterday, I took my 5th passenger up, well 6th if you count the DPE as my first, so I am not nearly as advanced as you are, but I am reaching similar conclusions. I have yet to let anyone take the controls during takeoff or landing, but I do offer passengers an opportunity to do so while cruising.

Couple of things I found around here (Chicagoland): because of traffic and other factors, people are mindful of time. So I offer them the opportunity to skip the ground stuff. I get to the airport 30-45 minutes early, complete the preflight, get cameras, scout, and headphones ready, and then wait for my guests. I do make it clear that punctuality is critical as there may be other renters using the aircraft after us.

I also found that most people are fine with a short flight and become a bit concerned with longer flights. I am happy to take someone on a shoreline tour. But I would also like to log a KIKK, so I fly from 06C to the northeast through KPWK's Delta, and then chase the shoreline to KGYY and from there to KIKK, and back. I tell prospective passengers to budget 1.5 hours wheels up/down, and that's maybe 45 minutes too long for the average superbusy Chicagoan.

I had one nervous passenger, and I made sure she knew that we could stop at any time, but once we were wheels up we'd have to circle the airport and come back for a landing. At every step, I asked her if she was ok to move on to the next step: start the engine, taxi to runup area, taxi to holding position, and taking the runway. Once airport, I told her that we were leaving the airport vicinity and if she needed us to land now was the time to say so. She was fine, taking photos, and from that moment on the flight went smoothly.

I always brief the departure, to discuss engine failures. If we have a problem below 1800 we land straight-ahead, if we are above 1800 we may have more options (field elevation is 801). So far no one has asked what I mean by landing "straight-ahead". Who knows? Because we are so close to KORD, they think we can just glide to one of the 10s or 9s.

Everyone wants to know why Kxyz and not just xyz.

FF is very useful, especially around Chicago where I fly, but as you wrote, it is also a limiting factor in communicating with the passengers. I tell my passengers upfront that if I appear to be rude during a chat, it's because I need to focus on ATC and maybe respond to a controller. So far, every single passenger found the ATC part fascinating. I guess most people think that ATC is something the airlines use. When we switch to KMDW tower to get our transition from the shoreline back to the airport, a couple of my passengers went speechless, realizing that the same controller that was directing Southwest jets, had time and patience to help "a little mosquito of an airplane".

No one has offered to share fuel/rent cost -- nor have I asked -- but I got a few gift cards for Pilot Pete's as thank-you tokens. (Dear FAA: none of these cards' face value exceeds the prorated flight cost).
Click to expand...

TLDR

Yippee! Used it @Ryanb :rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
denverpilot said:
The guy pulling until you had to stop him is common unless you brief it correctly to students. They’ll try to kill you.

The correct way to attempt to stop that (some will do it anyway) is to brief that they should pull until the cowling touches the horizon and no further. Release back pressure until it holds there.

Of course the next thing you’ll get is a opposing force while they chase the nose up and down. Hahaha.

Welcome to every flight as a CFI! LOL. And yes, even high time pilots will try eventually to kill you.

Or as one of my mentors and instructors said, “Never have anything in your hands below 500’ AGL and leave your feet lightly on the rudder pedals. You’ll live longer that way. But try not to let them know you’re ready to grab the airplane, it kills their confidence.” :)

Most instructors don’t cover how the person in the other seat is bound and determined to kill you in Private pilot training or how to avoid it, so be careful letting other folks do stuff, especially at low altitude.
Click to expand...
Thanks Nate! I think your last words are the most important..."especially at low altitude". For all of the other flights I usually take it over when we are about to start descending. And I always make sure we are at TPA (or higher) before they fly on the way out. Since I have it trimmed up for climb they usually don't have to do much and then they get the fun of trying to level off at some altitude and figure out trimming. But now you have me thinking maybe I should just have rule of like no one else on the controls until we're at least 1500agl or maybe even a bit higher.

And I did a terrible job briefing him on that take off. I probably just said something like "slowly pull back now" and never followed up with anything like you said. I bow to your CFI skills guys :)
 
Best nonpilot I ever took flying was an old friend of my brother's I've known for decades. Me, Mrs. Steingar, him and his wife (known forever, 100 lbs sopping wet). We were in rural Vermont headed up to Burlington. I took us off, circled to gain altitude, and handed the airplane over to him. He knew right where he was, flew us on altitude and on course to Burlington using only the landmarks out the window, I didn't have to tell him anything. Indeed I didn't even take control of the aircraft back until short final.

I wasn't even tempted to have him land. Pax don't get the wheel close to the ground. Not ever. Gotta get back there some time, gorgeous part of the country.
 
paflyer said:
1/2 hour+ preflight? What kind of plane is this? Does anyone else fly it?
Click to expand...
Its our 182. No one else fly's it. For some reason it just takes that long. The big door takes a couple minutes each to open and close. I need to put down wood blocks between the hangar and the apron or the wheels get stuck. I don't leave anything in the plane (open hangars) so I swear putting in headphones, tablet, GDL39, CO detector, 2 go pros and cables probably adds 10 minutes alone. Usually park the car inside but have to pull the plane out first, etc. One run over to the bathroom and its far enough that the walk takes a couple minutes each way.

But I also take my time and use the checklist religiously on pre-flight. Last time to get it right. I think where I go the slowest is checking all the bolts, hinges, pins and welds back on the elevator and elevator trim. I also check the plastic end cap clearances (on the elevator and rudder - got a great story on that one!) I get out a flash light and look really carefully. The same goes for the ailerons...I use a flashlight and really check all the hinges, pins and actuator. All that stuff freaks me out. This 182 has bladders so I definintely never skip on sumping and looking for leaks. We also log some stuff before each flight (tach, oil, both tanks, etc) so probably a few minutes there too. Yeah 30min. I know it can be done faster but probably won't be me. Maybe someone should start a separate poll on pre-flight times. I am surprised when people can do it in like 5 minutes?
 
First, if its your airplane, why not keep your **** in it? Its yours. I keep headsets, handheld, all kinds of things. My airplane.

Second, you need a flashlight to see Cessna wings in full daylight? What are you looking for?

I took a long time when I first got my airplane, but I spend far less now. I know what I want to look at.
 
1. Good you know where your priorities are.
9. Now you have a taste of what instructors sometimes deal with.

You've got lots of great weather for giving more rides this fall when it's clear and a million and not a cloud in the sky.
 
GreatLakesFlying said:
Great write-up; thanks!

Yesterday, I took my 5th passenger up, well 6th if you count the DPE as my first, so I am not nearly as advanced as you are, but I am reaching similar conclusions. I have yet to let anyone take the controls during takeoff or landing, but I do offer passengers an opportunity to do so while cruising.

Couple of things I found around here (Chicagoland): because of traffic and other factors, people are mindful of time. So I offer them the opportunity to skip the ground stuff. I get to the airport 30-45 minutes early, complete the preflight, get cameras, scout, and headphones ready, and then wait for my guests. I do make it clear that punctuality is critical as there may be other renters using the aircraft after us.

I also found that most people are fine with a short flight and become a bit concerned with longer flights. I am happy to take someone on a shoreline tour. But I would also like to log a KIKK, so I fly from 06C to the northeast through KPWK's Delta, and then chase the shoreline to KGYY and from there to KIKK, and back. I tell prospective passengers to budget 1.5 hours wheels up/down, and that's maybe 45 minutes too long for the average superbusy Chicagoan.

I had one nervous passenger, and I made sure she knew that we could stop at any time, but once we were wheels up we'd have to circle the airport and come back for a landing. At every step, I asked her if she was ok to move on to the next step: start the engine, taxi to runup area, taxi to holding position, and taking the runway. Once airport, I told her that we were leaving the airport vicinity and if she needed us to land now was the time to say so. She was fine, taking photos, and from that moment on the flight went smoothly.

I always brief the departure, to discuss engine failures. If we have a problem below 1800 we land straight-ahead, if we are above 1800 we may have more options (field elevation is 801). So far no one has asked what I mean by landing "straight-ahead". Who knows? Because we are so close to KORD, they think we can just glide to one of the 10s or 9s.

Everyone wants to know why Kxyz and not just xyz.

FF is very useful, especially around Chicago where I fly, but as you wrote, it is also a limiting factor in communicating with the passengers. I tell my passengers upfront that if I appear to be rude during a chat, it's because I need to focus on ATC and maybe respond to a controller. So far, every single passenger found the ATC part fascinating. I guess most people think that ATC is something the airlines use. When we switch to KMDW tower to get our transition from the shoreline back to the airport, a couple of my passengers went speechless, realizing that the same controller that was directing Southwest jets, had time and patience to help "a little mosquito of an airplane".

No one has offered to share fuel/rent cost -- nor have I asked -- but I got a few gift cards for Pilot Pete's as thank-you tokens. (Dear FAA: none of these cards' face value exceeds the prorated flight cost).
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing!

Yeah, your airspace is way, way busier than the KMSP Bravo. And my whole lessons learned was from a owner point of view. I could see when renting, timing gets even more important. And I suspect if I was renting I would be even more concerned about the state it was left in prior to my flight. But things like fueling up would not be a concern or timing issue.

On the last 3 flights I got back right after sunset. That was fun. Still light enough to see but the passengers get to see the runway lights and they all think the clicky, clicky thing is cool Anyway, the bugs are terrible. The skeeters are so active right then that the post flight will get greatly shortened. But being 30 min drive from the airport that means I'm gonna spend at least 5 minutes scrubbing bugs of the windshield and wings during the next pre-flight. Another great thing about winter flying.

For FBO rental, do the line guys scrub the bugs off the windshield and wings before the next flight?
 
WannFly said:
that explains why my DPE had his feet touching the paddles as I was getting ready to show him stalls and my current CFI who always have his feet on the paddles when we enter clouds.
Click to expand...

Yep. Most of us aren’t too keen on dying. :)

But the feet on the rudder in clouds is probably for a different reason. We’re just doing that to see if you’re nudging them for tiny heading changes instead of rocking the boat back and forth trying to hold a two degree heading difference. :)

Talk to the DPE sometime about how many people have done incredibly dangerous things on checkrides. My multi DPE said he’s been inverted twice in twins, both times on multi checkrides. :)

People sometimes go “full retard” on checkrides. And you never go full retard. :)

 
steingar said:
First, if its your airplane, why not keep your **** in it? Its yours. I keep headsets, handheld, all kinds of things. My airplane.

Second, you need a flashlight to see Cessna wings in full daylight? What are you looking for?

I took a long time when I first got my airplane, but I spend far less now. I know what I want to look at.
Click to expand...
Well, we own the plane but it sits in a hangar where anyone can get at it. From several other access doors. That's why we don't leave anything of value in it. And in winter most of that stuff needs to stay warm anyways.

I use the flashlight because I preflight in the hangar and we have 1 bulb - I'd rate it a 25W about 20ft up. Its too darned dark to see hinge pins and stuff. Outside - no problem :)
 
champ driver said:
1. Good you know where your priorities are.
9. Now you have a taste of what instructors sometimes deal with.

You've got lots of great weather for giving more rides this fall when it's clear and a million and not a cloud in the sky.
Click to expand...
Plus the fall colors. Never done a fall colors flight :)

However, you are from the same area and probably recall that 2 people died last year in a 172 up north of the Twin Cities on a fall colors flight along the Mississippi when they hit power lines over the river. So gonna be careful about it.
 
Sinistar said:
And here some of the many lessons learned (not in any particular order):

  • If this will be a trip, people need to be on time. This ain't no car ride. Be on time!
  • Being on FF for safety and emergency purposes is awesome! But its also not nice with passengers when you want to chat.
  • Have a bathroom nearby. Maybe only 1/10 didn't need to use the bathroom that: "One more time before we go okay."
Click to expand...
The whole point of owning/flying your own plane is that you control the time. If your (non-paying) passenger is late, so what?
I'm sure you mean Flight Following, not the other ff... but talking to passengers is always task # LAST
Bathrooms are good. If you don't have one in your hangar, get a different hangar. <- that's a crappy suggestion.
 
Sinistar said:
For FBO rental, do the line guys scrub the bugs off the windshield and wings before the next flight?
Click to expand...

It depends on the FBO. The one I used previously at KPWK, asked renters to scrub the bugs off the windshield and leading edges. The FBO manager made sure that airplanes were supplied with the appropriate cleaning spray and some special paper towel that would not scratch the windshield. But most renters didn't bother to do this.

My current FBO at 06C (Northwest Flyers) takes care of everything.
 
Sinistar said:
Plus the fall colors. Never done a fall colors flight :)

However, you are from the same area and probably recall that 2 people died last year in a 172 up north of the Twin Cities on a fall colors flight along the Mississippi when they hit power lines over the river. So gonna be careful about it.
Click to expand...

If I recall correctly they tookoff out of MIC and flew up river at a low altitude, about 100' or so. I believe it was right before sunset too, those power lines are hard to see.
I looked it up on Google earth and where they hit the wires was right into the sun. As long as you don't do that you're good to go. The power line towers on either side of the river are easier to spot than the wires themselves.

Sounds like you had a lot of fun giving rides, keep it up and have lots more. Learned a lot too, stay safe and have fun.
 
Nice write up. During my short time in flying I’ve had 10 non-pilot passengers. Two of them were just one planned lap around the pattern. One of them, a niece, was getting a bit queasy towards the end of a one hour flight, but otherwise no issues.

Non-pilot passengers are just happy to be on the ground. Any landing is a good landing! Plus if they fly commercial they are used to some bumping and jarring about. So the few bounces or what not that we might get red in the face about really don’t bother them (my opinion).

You mentioned two types of passengers: flyers and lookers. There’s at least one more: sleepers. I swear, my wife gets more sleep than the dogs that I’ve had aboard for PnP missions. Turbulence that makes you wish you were in a car? No problem for her.
 
Awesome achievement and write up.

You are doing much better than me. I’ve had my certificate for several years and have only taken six different people up though I have had a couple of repeats. I’ve had a few more back out at the last minute but at least I know who my smart friends are now. :D
 
Sinistar said:
And here some of the many lessons learned (not in any particular order):
  • Every minute you are late on taking off, unlike the big airlines...you will not make it during the flight.
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If you would like to make that happen you should do what the airlines do... add time to the trip when you make schedules. If it’s a 30 min flight tell everyone it’s a 45 min flight and depart at an appropriate time for a 45 min flight. You’ll be early often, can slow down to save fuel and if you are delayed at departure you can “make it up” enroute.
 
Sinistar said:
Its our 182. No one else fly's it. For some reason it just takes that long. The big door takes a couple minutes each to open and close. I need to put down wood blocks between the hangar and the apron or the wheels get stuck. I don't leave anything in the plane (open hangars) so I swear putting in headphones, tablet, GDL39, CO detector, 2 go pros and cables probably adds 10 minutes alone. Usually park the car inside but have to pull the plane out first, etc. One run over to the bathroom and its far enough that the walk takes a couple minutes each way.

But I also take my time and use the checklist religiously on pre-flight. Last time to get it right. I think where I go the slowest is checking all the bolts, hinges, pins and welds back on the elevator and elevator trim. I also check the plastic end cap clearances (on the elevator and rudder - got a great story on that one!) I get out a flash light and look really carefully. The same goes for the ailerons...I use a flashlight and really check all the hinges, pins and actuator. All that stuff freaks me out. This 182 has bladders so I definintely never skip on sumping and looking for leaks. We also log some stuff before each flight (tach, oil, both tanks, etc) so probably a few minutes there too. Yeah 30min. I know it can be done faster but probably won't be me. Maybe someone should start a separate poll on pre-flight times. I am surprised when people can do it in like 5 minutes?
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Never justify the way and the time you take to preflight. That's what it takes for you, that's good enough. Fly safe.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
If you would like to make that happen you should do what the airlines do... add time to the trip when you make schedules. If it’s a 30 min flight tell everyone it’s a 45 min flight and depart at an appropriate time for a 45 min flight. You’ll be early often, can slow down to save fuel and if you are delayed at departure you can “make it up” enroute.
Click to expand...
If it’s good enough for the airlines it’s good enough for you!
 
Sinistar said:
Thanks for sharing!

For FBO rental, do the line guys scrub the bugs off the windshield and wings before the next flight?
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I swear I'm the only one who cleans the windshield at the flight school, and I'm an instructor there lol. I don't care nor mind though. I want a clean windshield and if I have to do it myself so be it.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Awesome achievement and write up.

You are doing much better than me. I’ve had my certificate for several years and have only taken six different people up though I have had a couple of repeats. I’ve had a few more back out at the last minute but at least I know who my smart friends are now. :D
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Ha most of my friends and family are scared of small planes so I don't anticipate ever flying with passengers! I don't really have much of a desire to, though. I enjoy flying with CFI's and presumably other pilots because I can learn new things about aviation but for me flying is "me time."
 
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