Passenger Safety (Generic) Briefing Card

Wise words Cindy! I think it's clear you've done this a few times!

A few extras.

Every flight has a purpose. The purpose of the first flight is to
become accustomed to the sighs, sounds, and feeling of motion of a
glider.

A lot of airsickness comes from nervousness. They don't know that the
bump you just felt is meaningless. The main point of the first flight
is "mind, tell stomach that everything is OK" The point of the
briefing is to give them the knowledge to help them digest that
everthing is ok.

My briefing is "what to expect." I explain that we will roll down the
runway, and it will be a bit bumpy. We're driving down a grass runway
without suspension at 40 mph after all. I explain that a bit of
bumpiness and G forces are normal, not endangering my control of the
glider at all.

I explain what the liftoff will look and feel like. I explain it will
be a bit bumpy for the first few hundred feet of tow but then will
smooth out. As we near tow release I tell them they will hear a noise
and the towplane will depart, this is normal. I point out the quiet
once we've released tow. I explain there is nothing -- nothing -- they
can do to the controls that I can't recover from (so long as they let
go when I ask!) I explain the extra noise and turbulence of dive
brakes, so they don't think something went wrong.

Our job is to anticipate all the things they don't know about a glider
that will make them nervous about the experience.

Do first flights early or late, in smooth air. Do not thermal. Do not
exceed 20 degrees bank. Nobody has ever failed to take a second flight
because the first one was boring. Many have sworn off gliding forever
because they got sick.

Like Cindy, I don't even explain the instruments. I want them looking
outside. I point out interesting things to look at.

I don't allow cameras or video. There is no way they will produce any
pictures or video of any value at all, and they may lose it or get it
jammed in the wrong place. They are sure to get sick staring through a
lens. Trying to do airborne photography on a first flight interferes
completely with the purpose of the flight -- getting used to the
sights, sounds, and feelings of being in a glider.

Giving rides is only done well if it is supremely boring for the
pilot. At best, flying so as to minimize g loading is a fun exercise.

My one failure was with a kid. The vario beeped slightly. He asked
what that meant. I answered "that's an instrument that says we're
going up, so everything is great." The vario went silent. He
interpreted that as "now, we're not ok", became very nervous and
eventually sick. Big lesson learned!

John Cochrane