[leiafee]

"See that nice sturdy looking pole there down by your left hand running from the front to the back of the aircraft, between the seats, right where it's handy to grab onto if you feel a bit nervous...? Kindly don't."

'Cause that'll be the pushrod to the elevator!



Well, that could have gone wrong... First frightened passenger I've had to deal with and there's so few places in the little X'Air you can grab without it being either bendable or important.

Mum of a lad I'd taken up - he declared it awesome, but poor mum really really wasn't convinced. Spotted what she'd grabbed pretty much instantly and we were miles out and high up but it would have properly upset me at landing time!

There's always some new way flying machines can catch you out isn't there!

[Katie1]

Pre-flight I tell people to hold the shoulder straps if they feel the need to hold on to something. It's worked so far and saves them trying to grab the stick or the BRS handle...

[greggj]

I managed to keep my hand on the top of cockpit on the other day, when instructor decided to take over the landing in very strong wind.
I didn't get why he kept on saying "I can't see the speed", until he explicitly said "take the f hand off", or something like that.

[Sir Morley Steven]

I flew my sister to Clacton a while back and during the climb she asked if she could move her seat forward a bit. I told her where the lever was so she grabbed the yoke and hoiked herself forward. Only that's not what happened.

[leiafee]

Pre-flight I tell people to hold the shoulder straps if they feel the need to hold on to something. It's worked so far and saves them trying to grab the stick or the BRS handle...

That's a good idea. (Holding the harness, not grabbing the BRS...)

[Irv Lee]

Good topic anyway, passenger briefs tend to get a little longer by experience!
Standing outside, I point out the way we will approach the airfield coming back, and the way we will join, and how the power has to reduce or we won't come down! All learned from experience of passenger fears... One passenger thought by not coming straight in to land, I must be sorting out a problem when in fact I was doing a normal circuit, the reduction in power on base and change in engine note didn't do too much good for convincing otherwise either!

[leiafee]

she grabbed the yoke and hoiked herself forward. Only that's not what happened.

I was watching from the ground once when someone's seat let go in one of the school Tomahawks - the extremely temporary rate of climb before the instructor caught it was a bit exciting...

Standing outside, I point out the way we will approach the airfield coming back, and the way we will join, and how the power has to reduce or we won't come down!

Worthwhile too. One of the other things that made this particular passenger alarmed was turning - which made getting back to the field and the circuit (a base join) a rather delicate affair.

[Keef]

I took one of our former curates, a large rugby-playing type, for his first flight in a light aeroplane. He was thoroughly briefed and seemed OK, until the liftoff when he turned very white and shaky. He put his hands on the coaming and locked his elbows - I was very glad he didn't choose the yoke! Southend Tower were wonderful - I explained I had a panicking passenger, and they kept everyone else away while I did a wide gentle circuit and landed.

He asked me a few weeks later if we could try again. I declined!

The brief for first-time-flyers now includes an "Interview" to see if the person is apprehensive.

[Flintstone]

The brief for first-time-flyers now includes an "Interview" to see if the person is apprehensive.

Yeah, yeah. We've heard about your 'interviews'

[Keef]

Who gave you that? It's the thumbscrews for him...

[defcribed]

Keef has three weapons....

[Keef]

Correct! Technically, bell-book-and-candle count as one. Shotgun is one. Leatherman is one.

[greggj]

Before we stepped into sywell's grounds last weekend, I was trying to tell little girl and her mom that acomppanied me - that proppellers bite and all the rest. To which the girl responded (5.5 yo): don't be silly, of course they don't bite.

As mom found out later, they appear out of nowhere even when engine is off