My Interesting Passenger

loudbagel

loudbagel

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Jan 16, 2011
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Hummingbird Saltalamacchia
I took my friend (16 years old) Flying with me several weeks ago, the flight went great and he loved it. It really further reinforced for him his want to become a pilot.

Fast forward to yesterday I offered to take him up flying again, every time he saw me in school he stated again how "his schedule is always open".

We orginally planned on 11:00 AM but some works issues caused me to push the flight to 3. We are strapped into the plane about to light it up and he lets me know he needs to be back at his house by six, no problem a one hour training flight and ill have him back by 4:45.

Light traffic at CAK gave us an easy taxi, Echo to runway 23. So we lift off, climbing through about 100 ft aGL and he pulls out his Cell Phone , but im too busy to notice because Tower just warned me of a flock of birds so im looking for them. About 5 or 6 minutes later, level at 3000ft enroute to the west practice area I again look over to see him screwing with his phone. I notice that he isn't taking a video or picture so I ask him what he is doing? "Im just texting my girlfriend".

That right there ****ed me off, I take him up flying on a beautiful day, trying to continue to grow his passion for Aviation. And he is going to sit there and text his girlfriend?

But.... he isn't affecting the flight, and really if that is what he wants to do when he is riding with me...i guess its kinda OK. So at that point I forget about it and get ready to do some practice touch and go's at BJJ.

We are now 10 minutes out of CAK, it is 3:17. my buddy says"ummmm my mom needs me back at the house at 4" I am totaly shocked... Im about ready to be ****ed off, then I think maybe he is scared or not feeling good and wants to go back. So we go back and forth for a few questions me making sure he hasn't wet himself or is sick. After I have established that he is feeling fine I let him know that I will be doing at least three T&G's then we will head back.

Next he lets me know that he really needs to be back by 4, his mom's big surprise bday party is tomorrow and he needs to decorate. At this point I know he must not be feeling right or is scared because nobody who likes flying skips flying to decorate!

I crank the plane back around, call crackon and head back in to land. It is 3:28.

In tight on base for RWY 19 controller has me keep the speed up so Airtran doesnt run up my A*%. Turn final and I look over and he has that damn phone out again and is texting. "Put the Phone away for landing" I let him know "but my girl...." he sputters :nono: I say, in pocket por-favor.

A soft touch down then quick taxi over to my hangar, call Mckinley on Unicom to get the fuel truck over. I shut down the plane and we disembark, as I am opening the Hangar door my friend informs me that I better drive fast, cause he needs to get home. At this point I realize for the second time that day that he wasn't sick or scared. He was just being a prick!

All the time the fuel truck was there he stood in the corner and texted ...guess who?:mad2:

I dropped him off and peeled out of his driveway, I was pretty ****ed Time was 4:10.

So after all that effort to introduce him for the second time to GA I get a ruined training flight, and an absolute waste of $32.17 in gas. He texted me that night and I will quote the text "when is we going flying again bro?"

Ill let you guys answer that question!
 
Thats easy....as soon as you get your ticket "bro"...I'll be glad to ride with you....
 
Ask him if he's available February 30. :rofl:

Actually if you like the guy I'd have a heart to heart with him and tell him what your issues are.
 
So sorry about that. You can indeed find those thrilled to fly - just maybe not this friend
 
denverpilot said:
Use of cellphones in flight is still 100% illegal anyway... per FCC rules... not FAA.

So if you like, just toss the thing out the window and say, "Sorry Bro."

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/tex...8&view=text&node=47:2.0.1.1.2.8.27.12&idno=47
Click to expand...

I have heard that the devices now on the market are not truly "cellular" devices, so the prohibition does not apply to them.


but....

the link provided above also has a definition of "cellular system" that appears broad enough to cover them, so who knows.

Either way, I would have told the kid to turn off the electronic device until we had reached 10,000 feet.
 
Sadly, this rude behavior is all too common.

You're PIC, so you decide what's on or what's off.

When I'm PIC, cell phones are OFF (not vibrate or silent) before entering the cockpit, and I don't need to quote a reg to support that decision.
 
I'm not sure you should write this kid off. He wants to fly again for whatever reason. He must like you. Someone suggested talking with him. I don't even know if I would bring up how you feel but I would just say that texting in the plane isn't allowed anymore and that your flights will last 1 hour so unless there is an emergency you won't be shutting down. You could just tell him to leave his phone in the car.

Give the kid something to do....let him use a GPS or listen to a VOR morse code....something to keep his head in flying. Bring a camera and tell him you need pics.
 
I took a couple of 10 year olds up, way more fascinated with my phone than flying, they sang the entire time.(The man who invented the ISO switch needs an award). They seemed to enjoy being in the plane and playing with the smart phone (Those things are like gold to 10 year olds)
 
denverpilot said:
Use of cellphones in flight is still 100% illegal anyway... per FCC rules... not FAA.

So if you like, just toss the thing out the window and say, "Sorry Bro."

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/tex...8&view=text&node=47:2.0.1.1.2.8.27.12&idno=47
Click to expand...

Really!?!?! I got a :mad: look from my CFI when I asked him to stop texting.

As for your friend he sounds like mine. I had the chance to fly in gliders but my friend was pre-solo. He begged for me to give him by 4hr slot. I asked if he had all of his paperwork and signoffs. He said yes. Like an idiot I gave him my time hoping to make his year. He goes up and comes back down about hrs later. I ask him what's up and he says he's ready for solo. His CFI went for a bathroom break before soloing his student. I went through my friends stuff...no student pilot cert!:mad: He said "Oh yeah but I'll get it later, I can always solo." I told him that I can't always come to this airport and fly gliders every weekend, I live too far away!

He says," Oh. Well always next time." At the end of the day I got to go scud running in a Super Cub thanks to a nice pilot (such as yourself) for a good while. The pilot was 20, just 4yrs older than me. Pretty kind folks out there. Some people just aren't so receptive.

It sucks that nobody appreciates the effort. I've written letters to every pilot that has every taken me up thanking them. Never know what they may have passed up to take you flying.
 
One thing that works (had to drag a friend,her DSLR and 5 lenses along), as suggested above, is letting them play with stuff. My friend hated being in the back but the PIC/owner gave her a handheld gps and told her to figure out where BWI was. By the time that we got to the place that he wanted her to photograph she forgot where she was. She also wanted to know what the stuff on the gps meant. She watched the entire way back and we talked (on ISO of course) about what the pilot was doing and why.
 
Getting my niece and/or nephew to part with their screens is a major undertaking. Then again, had the things been around in my youth I'd probably be worse than them.
 
I really could care less if my passenger is texting, talking on the phone, or taking pictures with it. It isn't a distraction to me anyway.

It sounds like your real issue is that you are miffed because he wasn't "enjoying the moment". Well, okay, so he wasn't. He was obviously preoccupied with other activities that he had planned out. No big deal. The real solution would have been to iron out any issues and critical plans or deadlines he had before going up.

I thought you were a student pilot?
 
I woulda been pretty ****ed if someone acted like that while we were flying. You handled it professionally, but "when is we going flying again" guy wouldnt be flying again with me anytime soon.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I really could care less if my passenger is texting, talking on the phone, or taking pictures with it. It isn't a distraction to me anyway.

It sounds like your real issue is that you are miffed because he wasn't "enjoying the moment". Well, okay, so he wasn't. He was obviously preoccupied with other activities that he had planned out. No big deal. The real solution would have been to iron out any issues and critical plans or deadlines he had before going up.

I thought you were a student pilot?
Click to expand...

Your exactly right....why would I take this guy who doesn't enjoy it, when I could take my sister. She loves every second of it!
 
I am a proudly licensed Private Pilot:D
 
Not to be a jerk to my neighbor here OP, but you pushed back the flight 4 hours, yes? Maybe he would have been more attentive earlier in the day.
 
bigblockz8 said:
Really!?!?! I got a :mad: look from my CFI when I asked him to stop texting.
Click to expand...

Yeah, on my IR checkride my examiner plugged his cell phone in to his headset adapter and said "You should get you one of these. I use it all the time for my phone. And you will too."
 
Sac Arrow said:
Yeah, on my IR checkride my examiner plugged his cell phone in to his headset adapter and said "You should get you one of these. I use it all the time for my phone. And you will too."
Click to expand...

I wonder about examiners doing that. Seems like it could be a test or an actual habit of theirs. I was told for future reference not to tell the examiner to put her shoulder harness on because she'll ride your a** if you do. I still have to wonder though.

Wait a sec, why do headsets have cellular interfacing if theyre a no-no? Seems like a great temptation.
 
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bigblockz8 said:
I wonder about examiners doing that. Seems like it could be a test or an actual habit of theirs. I was told for future reference not to tell the examiner to put her shoulder harness on because she'll ride your a** if you do. I still have to wonder though.
Click to expand...
I caught my DME texting on my IR ride - I gave him hard time for it, jokingly. It was that kind of ride.

If ANYONE refuse to put their shoulder harness when I'm PIC - I don't fly. Its not just a good idea, its the law.
see 91.107.
 
when they point out the pragmatic reasoning behind not using cells, then i won't allow them to be used. can we wear a watch?! mine's digital.
 
bigblockz8 said:
Wait a sec, why do headsets have cellular interfacing if theyre a no-no? Seems like a great temptation.
Click to expand...

Ostensibly for "picking up your clearance or calling someone on the ground".

There's little technical reason for the FCC rule, but for now it still exists. They were for protection of the network itself when the network was a lot more fragile, and spectrum re-use and efficiency. The network knows how to ignore the "offending" device and even tell it to virtually "shut up!" if it needs to protect itself.

The FAA rules are based a bit more in aviation reality. They lean toward protection of avionics from RFI. There's NTSB reports of strange goings-on with specific aircraft and devices that will make hair stand up if you're an RF and analog/digital mixed discipline hardware engineer.

Under the provisions of the 5th Amendment I'll refrain from answering any further questions on the topic of the efficacy of the Bluetooth interfaces on modern headsets. ;)
 
MSPAviator said:
Some kids just suck, this could be one of them.
Click to expand...


The VAST majority of this generation is spoiled, whining,, gimme, gimme, gimme, it's all about me mentality...... Screen your next kid better,,, I am sure there are some out here that would walk on broken glass to get to ride in a plane with ya. You just have to look hard for them... IMHO. :idea:

Ben.
 
Ok, so the passenger may have been a bit rude, but let's review the facts.

-Passenger is a 16 year old male.
-He is texting his girlfriend.

How hard is it to figure out she's saying, "Hey, my parents just left and will only be gone for the next two hours. Get over here, now!"
 
bfergie10 said:
Ok, so the passenger may have been a bit rude, but let's review the facts.

-Passenger is a 16 year old male.
-He is texting his girlfriend.

How hard is it to figure out she's saying, "Hey, my parents just left and will only be gone for the next two hours. Get over here, now!"
Click to expand...

If that was the case, let me add LIAR to the list.:mad::mad:...
 
bigblockz8 said:
...Wait a sec, why do headsets have cellular interfacing if theyre a no-no? Seems like a great temptation.
Click to expand...

Because they're useful for clearances, closing flight plans, and other things you can do on the ground.

There are also self-contained apps which use that audio interface even when the smartphone is in "airplane mode."

There's not much regulation of products which plug into the headset jacks of an aircraft. The decision by a manufacturer to include a capability doesn't mean the FAA or FCC has approved such use.
 
Some also have the correct Bluetooth profile to play stereo tunes through them. I forgot about that part earlier. Mine don't.

But I have an Aux input to the intercom that works mighty fine with a cable.

The local barbershop men's chorus' rendition of "America the Beautiful" over the intercom during a morning flight, with Pikes Peak out the front window of the Skylane, can be a near-religious experience. :yesnod:
 
Sac Arrow said:
Yeah, on my IR checkride my examiner plugged his cell phone in to his headset adapter and said "You should get you one of these. I use it all the time for my phone. And you will too."
Click to expand...

That is F*ing Obscene...you're paying that DE for a checkride that is supposed to be both an examination, and if done well, a learning experience, and oh BTW, he/she is your safety pilot as well.

I don't give a crap about FAA/FCC regs or not...the cell phone goes into Airplane mode or off completely, especially if I am filed and flying in the system.

Period
 
Fanatical Phone Compulsive Mental Epidemic. It's the modern Black Plague.
No matter what the next phone call or text is, it could be the most important thing in the entire Universe and that it is absolutely critical for them to receive it right that instant unconditionally therefore it must be answered.

If you can't put the phone down for an entire week without worrying about it in the least, you're not going with me whether it's on a roadtrip to incredible places or up in an airplane for half an hour. And if you do get in a plane with me then pull that diseased thing out, I will pin it to the ceiling without warning...preferably in an open cockpit airplane.

X
 
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This NO cellphone in planes restriction is bogus on several fronts and prove the feds are behind the technology 8 ball again.....

First,

it is my understanding the ban is for commercial, revenue derived flights only. Not private GA flights... That is why they specifically say " the captain he requested you turn off all enectronic devices" when you are flying scheduled airline service... As PIC, he/she has the final word on safety of any flight. Airline regs probably require the flight crew to make this request more then anything else.

Second,

And maybe Nate can back me up on this.. Old style cellphones and towers had a hard time segregating a single phone recieved by several towers at once. Technology and software has pretty much rectified that issue. So that is a invalid reason for not using a cell phone in flight anymore. Another good viable reason to prove cell phones used in flight is problematic is this........... Jackson Hole's runway is less then 3 miles for the peak of the Grand Teton range.. They tower up to 13,775 msl and a good 8000 feet higher then the runway.. On any given summer day there are 100+ people who scale it and 99% of the climbers will stand on the top and use their cellphones to tell all their firends they made it... I, on the other hand can disrupt the cell system / towers / computers if I make a call from 7200msl pattern attitude in my plane... The whole logic does not jive.....

Thirdly and most obvious....

This sentence from the link..

§ 22.925 Prohibition on airborne operation of cellular telephones.

Cellular telephones installed in or carried aboard airplanes, balloons or any other type of aircraft must not be operated while such aircraft are airborne (not touching the ground). When any aircraft leaves the ground, all cellular telephones on board that aircraft must be turned off. The following notice must be posted on or near each cellular telephone installed in any aircraft...

Clearly shows the BS of the FCC's logic.... A balloon, that has no electronic equipment on board a cell phone can disrupt also has a ban on cellphone use..:dunno::dunno::dunno:.. Anyone care to explain that one to me .:idea:

Ben.
 
bfergie10 said:
Ok, so the passenger may have been a bit rude, but let's review the facts.

-Passenger is a 16 year old male.
-He is texting his girlfriend.

How hard is it to figure out she's saying, "Hey, my parents just left and will only be gone for the next two hours. Get over here, now!"
Click to expand...

:yeahthat: The best explanation that I have read so far.
 
How about telling him the truth? "I found your insisting we had a hard deadline to meet your schedule very distracting. You may think the flight went fine, but I noticed the pressure to meet your schedule made me do things that made us less safe than otherwise. Remember, I am a low time pilot, and I need your help to keep me focused.

Also, I noticed your nose was buried in your cellphone both coming and going. Did you really enjoy the flight? Or was this just an experience to be shared on Twitter? You seemed very disinterested to me.

Sure, we can go up again. How about you leave your cellphone on the ground?
 
You could your phone to call the tower to confirm your gear is in fact down when having gear trouble.. Suggested to me by a DPE during a scenario question for my multi ride... I just said, oh, never occured to me to use the phone. I guess for that kind of "emergency" it's OK.

I'd be surprised if the FCC wasted their time finding and fining individuals for placing calls or sending texts from aircraft... How would they know the phone was airborn?

As far as the teenager goes, well, that is their training at this point in society and their nature... Just tell him, no phones during the ride period. 1hr. Isn't a long time ...
I have restricted teens/young adults on phone usage during family dinners... Simple, turn it off or go sit at a other table.
 
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