Spousal checkride -- any suggestions?

in article , Peter Duniho at
wrote on 6/18/04 12:25 PM:

"Shiver Me Timbers" wrote in message
...
Fly her to dinner someplace nice on a beautiful day.
[...]
I would suggest the flight take place on a kinda empty stomach.

And after the plane has been put away then take her out for a nice meal.

I don't disagree, but I do think how important that is depends on the
weather.

I advise passengers to not fly on a completely empty stomach, to make sure
they've had a snack or something light. 100 calories worth or so is
sufficient, just to stave off the angry grumbling.

I also advise them to not eat heavily when we fly for lunch or dinner.
People have a tendency to overdo it when dining out, and this is a big no-no
for most folks in airplanes, especially if it's bumpy. On the other hand,
I've had some very satisfied passengers on smooth nights with the sun
setting, as they sit peacefully in their seat with a well-judged meal
resting in their stomach, watching the sun go down. In the right
proportions, food can be quite calming.

Pete

One tradition I've never understood is the "$100 hamburger". Why not the
"$100 bowl of soup", or the "$100 lightly-buttered toast"? Why the hell
would anyone want to tempt fate by stuffing themselves full of a big, greasy
hamburger and then go flying?

"Philip Sondericker" wrote in message
...
One tradition I've never understood is the "$100 hamburger". Why not the
"$100 bowl of soup", or the "$100 lightly-buttered toast"? Why the hell
would anyone want to tempt fate by stuffing themselves full of a big,
greasy
hamburger and then go flying?

During the summer there are usually fly-in breakfasts somewhere within 100
miles on any given Sunday. Getting filled up with pancakes, sausage, et al,
is better than burgers...

For anyone interested in Midwest fly-ins this Sunday: Rock Rapids, Maquoketa
and Harlan, IA and Dodge Center, Hutchinson and Lake Elmo, MN.

http://www.fun-places-to-fly.com/events/default.asp

Philip Sondericker wrote:

One tradition I've never understood is the "$100 hamburger".

This is the burning question that is keeping you awake at night is it.

Why not the "$100 bowl of soup",

Whatever floats your boat Phil.

or the "$100 lightly-buttered toast"?

Whatever floats your boat Phil.

Why the hell would anyone want to tempt fate by stuffing
themselves full of a big, greasy hamburger and then go flying?

Why the hell would you tempt fate by climbing into an airplane
and hurling yourself down a runway and into the air.

Better yet.... Besides you.... who cares.

Here's an idea..... Next time your about to go flying why don't
you forget about a bowl of soup or toast and eat a couple of
pieces of X-Lax instead...... Then go flying.

in article , Shiver Me Timbers at
wrote on 6/18/04 8:19 PM:

Philip Sondericker wrote:

One tradition I've never understood is the "$100 hamburger".

This is the burning question that is keeping you awake at night is it.

Why not the "$100 bowl of soup",

Whatever floats your boat Phil.

or the "$100 lightly-buttered toast"?

Whatever floats your boat Phil.

Why the hell would anyone want to tempt fate by stuffing
themselves full of a big, greasy hamburger and then go flying?

Why the hell would you tempt fate by climbing into an airplane
and hurling yourself down a runway and into the air.

Better yet.... Besides you.... who cares.

Here's an idea..... Next time your about to go flying why don't
you forget about a bowl of soup or toast and eat a couple of
pieces of X-Lax instead...... Then go flying.

Hey "Shiver"...the next time a completely innocuous post from somebody
inspires you to write a lot of semi-literate rubbish, why don't you go
flying instead? Just a suggestion..."Shiver".

Thank you so much -- these are all great suggestions that I will
incorporate into the experience. Wish us well.


Eric Ross wrote:
I recently received my license and I am taking my somewhat nervous wife
up for the first time. I am aiming for a clear, reasonably smooth day.
Any suggestions for making this flight as positive as possible for her?

Thanks much,
Eric Ross

"Philip Sondericker" wrote in message
...
Hey "Shiver"...the next time a completely innocuous post from somebody
inspires you to write a lot of semi-literate rubbish, why don't you go
flying instead? Just a suggestion..."Shiver".

Heh...your post did sort of seem to go over his head, I think.

"Peter R." wrote in message
...
Eric Ross ) wrote:

I recently received my license and I am taking my somewhat nervous wife
up for the first time. I am aiming for a clear, reasonably smooth day.

When I first received my PPL my goal was to introduce my very nervous wife
to flying in a small aircraft and hopefully win her over.

To do so, I started the process by taking up eager neighbors. These
people
then reported back to my wife (at various social gatherings) on how much
fun they had.

After a few months of this, I asked my wife if she would be willing to
come
along with a friend of hers on a twilight flight around the Finger Lakes
of
Central NY.

She agreed and I set out to find the perfect windless, clear evening to
ensure there would be no turbulence and a great view. We took off about
45
minutes before sunset and flew over a couple of scenic areas. We then
landed at a small, quiet airport to hit the restrooms and grab a soda.
The
return flight was just after sunset and the approach lights of our home
class C airport capped off a very memorable flight.

The total time in the air was about 40 minutes.

Any suggestions for making this flight as positive as possible for
her?

From this, I learned the following:

1) The flight should be short, of 45 minutes or less. Leave her wanting
more.

2) Twilight flights work very well, as the afternoon heating has ceased
and
wind speeds typically falls off. You do not want turbulence, if you can
help it.

3) Fly somewhere scenic, or fly over your house, if practical.

4) Return to your home airport so that the approach, taxiway, and runway
lights are on and noticeable.

My wife commented that she really enjoyed listening to air traffic control
as she perceived a higher level of safety knowing that they were there
talking to us.

--
Peter



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I took my wife up for the first time a couple weeks ago.
She had a really good time. I followed much of the advice offered here.

Tomorrow I am taking my wife, my friend and his wife for a night flight.
My friend (student pilot) and his wife are really nervous.
But I assured them that night flight is really relaxing. Flying over the
city at night should be breath-taking.

Best advice:
Stay really calm, and explain everything along the way.
Don't play any cruel jokes, like "Whoa! What was that?... Just kidding...
Hahaha"
I have to agree that talking on the radio in class C helps.
I'm in Minden, NV and flying over Reno.

The main reason my friends are nervous is that there have been two crashes
at Carson City (CXP) in the last month.
One just two days ago, and it was fatal.

Adam

Andrew Gideon writes:

Take along your flight instructor for the first trip as a "thank you" and
as a way to ease your wife's concerns (and to make the trip easier for
you.)

Hmm. "I don't trust myself"? Not perhaps the best message.

Then don't send that message. I took flight instructors out with us on
lots of flights. My wife liked it and we had a great time. Having someone
around to file IFR sometimes comes in handy for a new PP.

--kyler

"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message
online.com...
Kyler Laird wrote:


Take along your flight instructor for the first trip as a "thank you"
and
as a way to ease your wife's concerns (and to make the trip easier for
you.)

Hmm. "I don't trust myself"? Not perhaps the best message.

- Andrew



I actually took my wife on one of my dual cross-country flights when I was a
student.
She enjoyed it. But she enjoyed it much more the first time she went after
I got my license because she was in the front seat.

I agree, Pete, and I offered the suggestion in that spirit.

I should also have added that an early morning hop in velvet-smooth air,
before the bumptious turbu-imps have come out of their hidey-holes, is a
great time to introduce many people to flight. Low and slow is delicious at
such a time.

Henry

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Henry Kisor" wrote in message
...
Going low and slow on the first flight (1,000'-1,500' AGL) may help ...
that
is what I did with my wife after she refused to fly with me for six
years.
Staying low makes the ground "unroll" underneath faster and more
interestingly. Later on you can explain that higher altitude is a bit
safer.

It might help or it might hurt. It depends on the passenger and on the
weather. Low and slow often correlates to bumpy, with higher altitudes
being smoother. Also, for some people who may be nervous about heights,
low
altitudes are actually worse...once you get high enough, you're not close
enough to the ground for there to be good height references, which
actually
can alleviate a fear of heights.

For some passengers, low and slow is the perfect recipe for entertainment
and distraction from things that might otherwise cause the flight to be no
fun. But this is a "bag of tricks" suggestion, in my opinion, rather than
a
"this works for everyone".

Pete