(Scott Post) wrote:
As far as Jay's initial question - I think others have hit the nail on
the head that the passenger was probably just enjoying the scenery and
didn't want to be distracted by flying the plane.

Exactly. Even a pilot can, or should be able to, appreciate that, IMO. I
don't see why, if a person declines, that automatically means he/she is
not experiencing life. That's a pretty big stretch. A lot of people
won't even get INTO a small airplane, so I'd say she's already a step
ahead. You don't have to have the controls to still enjoy the thrill of
flying, and who knows, if no one makes a huge production over the fact
that she declined this extraordinary opportunity, maybe she'll want to
try it one day.