Taking my wife up for the first time

[Marco Rispoli]

For the first time last week, on Sunday evening I took my wife up with me in
the Piper 180 at Central Jersey.

I have to confess that I was a lot more scared than she was. In fact she was
COMPLETELY indifferent to the point of annoyance.

I on the other hand was utterly terrified.

I mean, what if the engine quits? Oh I can maneuver that thing on the ground
a probably land it in a field (PLENTY of fields around Central Jersey) but
.... my wife is in it with me. I can't bear the thought of her going down
with the plane and me.

So I did the most thorough pre-flight of Piper history. It took me 45
minutes to preflight the plane while i surgically peeked at every cable,
bolt, rivet, shone a flashlight in every corner of the engine, triple
checked the fuel levels, etc.

If I could have taken the plane apart I would have.

Throughout all this my wife is lying in the grass, under the shade of the
considerably huge rudder of the Cherokee, perfectly calm (as usual) humming
to herself and eying the few puffy clouds that were passing by.

There's 5 quarts of oil... there's supposed to be 5 to 7. Unacceptable. I
need another quart.

We are just going around for a bit. I just wanted my wife to get used to the
idea of flying with me ...

.... actually, let me rephrase that: I just wanted to get used to the idea of
me flying with my wife ... or any other hapless, clueless passenger for that
matter.

This was the first time I took someone up.

I never took anyone up other than myself and my butt ... and various flight
instructors.

After adding some oil it's time to start loading the plane.

My wife dons the headset sits in and looks at me half annoyed half amused
while I try to explain to her how to unbuckle herself or open the piper's
door.

She gives me a look as if to say "I figured that out by myself about half a
second after taking a look at it dear".

So here I am ... sitting in the left seat. Wondering ... no. No more
wondering.

Thank God for training is all I have to say.

The moment I am in the left seat the pilot side of the brain takes over and
my hands and eyes start moving around the cockpit to start the engine.

THe engine purrs to life and we are moving.

My wife quietly sits in the right seat while I preflight the plane,
unwondering and unaffected and generally stone faced ... except that when I
look at her, she looks at me and she gives me a "You'll be all right" smile.

Wait ... I am the PIC. I am supposed to smile the "You'll be all right
smile".

Whatever. Engine is good. Nice and smooth (and noisy) as usual.

I do a radio check and the lady at the school answers with "I hear you loud
and clear Marco".

Dang my Italian accent. I don't really wanna know how funny I sound on the
radio ...

Now that I am in the routine though ... I am far less nervous. I am in the
plane. All the sounds and lights and clues indicate that the bird wants to
fly.

Pattern is clear and here we go.

We fly around a little bit. South of Central Jersey at around 2500 feet. So
nice and peaceful up here.

Nice fields and small groups of trees. Farms and houses and golf courses.
For some reason this is very relaxing to me.

My wife stops paying attention to me or the plane and starts going "Uuuuhhh"
and "Ahhhh" over the landscape and takes a few pictures.

After about 20 minutes of flying around we head back and I decide to do a
couple of patterns with her in the right seat.

In the pattern my wife disappears from my mind and the only thing left is
the plane and traffic (which is ZERO for today).

I line up and do a really nice smooth landing and what does my do?

She makes a face of "approval" and nods once, like an expert wine taster
would nod and approve after tasting some fancy wine that is decent ..
nothing too special but good to get you rid of that scratch in the back of
your throat.

For some reason I think I get a B+ in her head.

Yes honey. You probably have hundreds of flight as a passenger in your
background. Yes you can probably tell if the pilot sneezed during the flare
by every little jerky movement of the plane.

I shake my head in wry amusement ... and I was worried. Jeez, God forbid she
becomes and FAA examiner.

I feel pity for the miserable student that will fly with her.

I do another run in the pattern, then she decides to get off the plane and
go look for food while I finish practicing a few more landings.

That was the end of it.

My first passenger and my first flight with my wife.

Anti-climactic to say the least.

Here are the pictures she took:
http://www.thepilotlounge.com/scripts/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=3&t=749


--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community -> http://www.thepilotlounge.com

[Flyin'[email protected]]

Nice story man. Thanks!

"Marco Rispoli" > wrote:
> For the first time last week, on Sunday evening I took my wife up with me
> in the Piper 180 at Central Jersey.
>

--
Mike Flyin'8

[Ben Jackson]

In article >,
Marco Rispoli > wrote:
>
>I have to confess that I was a lot more scared than she was. In fact she was
>COMPLETELY indifferent to the point of annoyance.

That describes my first flight with my own plane perfectly. Now I'm
feeling a little guilty that I was more worried about bending my plane
than bending my wife!

--
Ben Jackson
>
http://www.ben.com/

[Elwood Dowd]

Right on, Marco, well done. Don't worry, it gets easier. My wife and
son were my first passengers.

They were also the passengers on board when the nosewheel collapsed in
our "new" plane and we slammed nose-first onto the pavement and slid 500
feet to a stop, and one of my first thoughts as we were running into the
field was that they would never go up with me again. It took almost a
year, but they did.

They are still the passengers I take up most often, and definitely the
most enthusiastic. Never underestimate your non-pilot family.

[G.R. Patterson III]

Marco Rispoli wrote:
>
> I do a radio check and the lady at the school answers with "I hear you loud
> and clear Marco".

Get used to it. Half the time somebody says "Hello George" when I announce on
approach, and I haven't been based there for years. Not much danger that they'll
start calling you "Tennessee", though. :-)

George Patterson
I childproofed my house, but they *still* get in.

[HECTOP]

"Marco Rispoli" > wrote in message
. net...

most guys are actually concerned with taking her down for the first time...

HECTOP
PP-ASEL-IA
http://www.maxho.com
maxho_at_maxho.com

[Jim Fisher]

"Marco Rispoli" > wrote in message
> For the first time last week, on Sunday evening I took my wife up with me
in
> the Piper 180 at Central Jersey.

Women! Can't live with 'em? Can't live with 'em is what I always say.

I've read hundreds of "best stories I've read on RAP" over the years. This
one will be added to the list. Thanks for sharing.

--
Jim Fisher

[gatt]

One time in college I took a date up over the campus and she promptly
decided she wanted to try flying in a plane topless. Whatdayado?!

That was the harde...excuse me, most difficult...time I've ever had staying
focused on flying the plane. I can say however with absolute clarity that
there was no other traffic out there between the one o'clock and four
o'clock portion of my scan. I know, 'cause I checked. A lot.

-c

[Jay Honeck]

> I on the other hand was utterly terrified.

Great story, Marco! Thanks for writing it.

If it makes you feel any better, I still get nervous when taking first-time
passengers up.

Taking responsibility for another person's life is not to be trivialized --
although strangely, after you've taken the same person up a number of times,
that nervousness goes away.

I suppose I figure they've become resigned to their fate -- whatever that
fate may be -- by their third flight with me! :-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Bob Chilcoat]

Good story, Marco. Congratulations on getting through it. When I took my
wife up as my "first passenger" at SMQ, she was similarly very relaxed.
Afterwards though, she pointed out that I was telling her everything I was
doing (I'm a teacher at heart) until I entered the pattern, and then I went
stone silent. She thought that something must be wrong. I wasn't aware of
it at all, just concentrating on the landing. She still flies with me,
though.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)

I don't have to like Bush and Cheney (Or Kerry, for that matter) to love
America

[Marco Rispoli]

"Elwood Dowd" > wrote in message
...
> Right on, Marco, well done. Don't worry, it gets easier. My wife and
> son were my first passengers.
>
> They were also the passengers on board when the nosewheel collapsed in
> our "new" plane and we slammed nose-first onto the pavement and slid 500
> feet to a stop, and one of my first thoughts as we were running into the
> field was that they would never go up with me again. It took almost a
> year, but they did.
>
> They are still the passengers I take up most often, and definitely the
> most enthusiastic. Never underestimate your non-pilot family.
>

Ouch!

Well I feel the same way. I know that if my engine quits I know enough to
put the plane down (in good weather that is) without killing myself and
possibly (if I have a good field) without hurting the plane (too much).

But an "accident" like that, with my wife on board would probably wake up
the same fearful thought: "Now she won't fly with me anymore".

That's it! You nailed it.

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community -> http://www.thepilotlounge.com

[Marco Rispoli]

"G.R. Patterson III" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Marco Rispoli wrote:
> >
> > I do a radio check and the lady at the school answers with "I hear you
loud
> > and clear Marco".
>
> Get used to it. Half the time somebody says "Hello George" when I announce
on
> approach, and I haven't been based there for years. Not much danger that
they'll
> start calling you "Tennessee", though. :-)
>
> George Patterson
> I childproofed my house, but they *still* get in.

Marco "Tennessee" Rispoli. I kinda like the sound of that, though!

hehe ...

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community -> http://www.thepilotlounge.com

[Marco Rispoli]

"gatt" > wrote in message
...
>
> One time in college I took a date up over the campus and she promptly
> decided she wanted to try flying in a plane topless. Whatdayado?!
>
> That was the harde...excuse me, most difficult...time I've ever had
staying
> focused on flying the plane. I can say however with absolute clarity that
> there was no other traffic out there between the one o'clock and four
> o'clock portion of my scan. I know, 'cause I checked. A lot.
>
> -c
>
>

I wonder what the FAR have to say about "topless-flying" ... hehe

:-P

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community -> http://www.thepilotlounge.com

[Marco Rispoli]

"Bob Chilcoat" > wrote in message
...
>... until I entered the pattern, and then I went
> stone silent. She thought that something must be wrong. I wasn't aware
of
> it at all, just concentrating on the landing.

I do the same. As soon as I hit the 45 my brain goes in overdrive and
nothing else exists other than the pattern, the radio and the plane.

I knew this was going to happen. So I told her before-hand that in the
pattern I have to pay attention to traffic cause it's a dangerous area.

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community -> http://www.thepilotlounge.com

[John Clear]

In article >,
Marco Rispoli > wrote:
>
>I wonder what the FAR have to say about "topless-flying" ... hehe

Not original to me:

http://www.panix.com/~jac/aviation/mhc.html

--jac
--
John Clear - http://www.panix.com/~jac

[The Weiss Family]

Marco,

I just took my first passenger up today! I took a friend who is a student
pilot (I'm taking my wife next weekend).
Unfortunately, my first flight wasn't all that smooth.
Actually, the flight was fine, but the plane was a little quirky.
The plane literally came out of annual right before I flew it.
There were lots of little things that weren't quite right, but nothing
serious.
For example, when the mechanic lubed the throttle, he forgot to screw the
throttle-friction cap back on.
It was just hanging on the throttle rod.

Anyway, after a relatively uneventful preflight (little stuff like I said),
we taxied out and did our run up.
Did the run up, then did a clearing turn.
To my surprise, there was a plane on short final...no radio call or
anything!
I began to think maybe the radio wasn't working, and called for a radio
check...no answer
It was 7:00am, so maybe the plane that didn't use the radio was the only one
out there.

I decided to do a quick pattern and check if the radio worked by turning on
the pilot-controlled VASI lights.
Sure enough, the lights came on! It must have been that other plane!

In the mean time, I failed to notice that my friend was digging his nails
into his legs!
We decided to go to another nearby uncontrolled airport to shoot some
patterns.
Again, I saw more traffic, but heard nothing. I finally figured that my
transmitter was working, but receiver wasn't.
We kept an eagle-eye for traffic and announced our position at every turn.

When we got back I told my flight instructor (who I rent the plane from)
about COM1 not working.
He got in another plane and tried to contact me.
Sure enough. I told him I couldn't hear him on COM1, but COM2 was just
fine!

COM2???

Why didn't I think of that in the air?
Chalk it up to experience.

Even more embarassing, I got a call a few hours later saying that they found
the problem with COM1.
They turned the volume up.

Even more lessons learned.

In 50 hours of flying that plane, I never once had to touch the volume on
the radio.
I didn't even think of it.

Moral(s) of the story:
1. Make sure someone else flies the plane for an hour after its next annual
before me.
2. Check the volume.
3. Use COM2
4. If I had it to do over again, I would have fixed the problem on the
ground before taking it in the air.

I REALLY hope I never am that stupid again. Especially because next week I
am taking my wife up for the first time.
We're not just going around the patch, either.

Adam

P.S. Please don't chastise me. I realize how stupid I was!

[Morgans]

"Marco Rispoli" > wrote

As soon as I hit the 45 my brain goes in overdrive and
> nothing else exists other than the pattern, the radio and the plane.
>
> I knew this was going to happen. So I told her before-hand that in the
> pattern I have to pay attention to traffic cause it's a dangerous area.
>
> --
> Marco Rispoli

Most would say that it is a good thing to not use words like "dangerous"
while in the plane, until there is a ongoing, real time situation. Other
things can be said to get the point across, without fear. Like, "There is a
lot going on in the pattern, so I will be at my peak concentration, and not
interacting with you very much." Much more confidence inspiring. :-) Use
the positive, and not the negative.
--
Jim in NC


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.686 / Virus Database: 447 - Release Date: 5/15/2004

[Jay Honeck]

> Even more embarassing, I got a call a few hours later saying that they
found
> the problem with COM1.
> They turned the volume up.

Ha! It's not every day someone makes coffee come out my nose... Great way
to start the day...

Thanks for sharing that. We've all done equally stupid things, and this is
a good place to share those experiences.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Marco Rispoli]

"The Weiss Family" > wrote in message
...
> Marco,
>

>
> Moral(s) of the story:
> 1. Make sure someone else flies the plane for an hour after its next
annual
> before me.
> 2. Check the volume.
> 3. Use COM2
> 4. If I had it to do over again, I would have fixed the problem on the
> ground before taking it in the air.
>
> I REALLY hope I never am that stupid again. Especially because next week
I
> am taking my wife up for the first time.
> We're not just going around the patch, either.
>
> Adam
>
> P.S. Please don't chastise me. I realize how stupid I was!
>

Please don't feel bad!

Your problem is not stupidity: your problem is that you never had to deal
with a "prankster" instructor:

you have no idea how often I had to put up with my instructor turning things
off on me while I wasn't looking.

More than once he would ask me to close my eyes for "supposedly" unusual
attitude recovery.

He would twist and turn the plane while I wasn't looking and then make me
recover it.

Little did i know that he would turn the volume of the radio down to
nothing.

Or that time that I was so engrossed in the runup and he turned off the
radios. He didn't let me take off.
He asked me "Why didn't you do a radio check?"
"Oh" goes I "Sure! Linden unicom radio check please"
Nothing.
"Linden unicom radio check please"
Silence.
"ahhh ... Linden unicom, radio check please?"
Nada.
"Maybe they are in the bathroom?"
Blank stare from my instructor (god I don't wanna play poker with him).

My instructor was in "asshole" mode that day, since I was about to get ready
for my X-country checkride.

"I don't know. You are PIC. What do YOU think?" he asks. And from the tone
of his voice I can tell his feet are on the brakes and the plane is NOT
moving.

He looks at a plane turning from base to final. Nothing is coming out of the
radio. My newbie brain finally reaches a new level of conciousness and
awarenees washes over my neurons as I finally realize that maybe just MAYBE
I should be chacking the dang radios instead of just pouding on the mike
button in the yoke.

A quick search ... lets me discover that the frequency is not on 123.00 but
on the practice area frequency ... he was sneaky enough NOT to turn off the
radios (I would have noticed the silence with the engine at low RPMS on the
ground) and he set it to the practice area frequency so that I could still
hear the static.

Yes my instructor was a prank-star. I am still burning for that one ...

Trust me ... I triple check the radios every single time now.

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community -> http://www.thepilotlounge.com

[Marco Rispoli]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:5anrc.4039$JC5.386433@attbi_s54...
> > Even more embarassing, I got a call a few hours later saying that they
> found
> > the problem with COM1.
> > They turned the volume up.
>
> Ha! It's not every day someone makes coffee come out my nose... Great
way
> to start the day...
>
> Thanks for sharing that. We've all done equally stupid things, and this
is
> a good place to share those experiences.
> --
> Jay Honeck

It kinda reminds me of this joke:

You guys probably have all seen all these before: these are (supposedly!!)
complaints of Quantas pilots to their mechanics ... and their response.

(P = The problem logged by the pilot.)
(S = The solution and action taken by the engineers.)
P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're there for

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding
on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community -> http://www.thepilotlounge.com

[Marco Rispoli]

"Morgans" > wrote in message
...
>
> Most would say that it is a good thing to not use words like "dangerous"
> while in the plane, until there is a ongoing, real time situation. Other
> things can be said to get the point across, without fear. Like, "There is
a
> lot going on in the pattern, so I will be at my peak concentration, and
not
> interacting with you very much." Much more confidence inspiring. :-) Use
> the positive, and not the negative.
> --
> Jim in NC
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.686 / Virus Database: 447 - Release Date: 5/15/2004
>
>

Yeah that's what I told her, I didn't use the word dangerous: I told her
that in the pattern things get VERY busy and I need to talk on the radio
frequently and listen to it.

Also: my briefings to my wife are done on the ground. Not in the air. By the
time we are up I don't want to have to explain too much. She should already
know the basics she needs to know for that flight.

The word "Dangerous" related to a pattern is only in my head.

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community -> http://www.thepilotlounge.com

[Gene Seibel]

"Marco Rispoli" > wrote in message >...
> For the first time last week, on Sunday evening I took my wife up with me in
> the Piper 180 at Central Jersey.
>
> I have to confess that I was a lot more scared than she was. In fact she was
> COMPLETELY indifferent to the point of annoyance.
>
> I on the other hand was utterly terrified.
>
> I mean, what if the engine quits? Oh I can maneuver that thing on the ground
> a probably land it in a field (PLENTY of fields around Central Jersey) but
> ... my wife is in it with me. I can't bear the thought of her going down
> with the plane and me.
>

Delightful story, Marco. I've been there. We want to protect the
family we love but we want to push farther into the sky we love. It
can be a dilemma.
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

[Mark]

"HECTOP" > wrote in message >...
> "Marco Rispoli" > wrote in message
> . net...
>
> most guys are actually concerned with taking her down for the first time...
>
> HECTOP
> PP-ASEL-IA
> http://www.maxho.com
> maxho_at_maxho.com

LOL!! Bravo!!! Bravo!!!!

[gatt]

"John Clear" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> Marco Rispoli > wrote:
> >
> >I wonder what the FAR have to say about "topless-flying" ... hehe
>
> Not original to me:
>
> http://www.panix.com/~jac/aviation/mhc.html

LOL! No way! Wouldn't that be fun calling FBOs. "Hi, um...well, I've got
my instrument and commercial and I was looking into getting my Mile High
Club Rating....no, seriously. Hello? Hello?"

-gattman
PP/SEL IFR&MHCR-in-training

[John Clear]

In article >,
gatt > wrote:
>
>> >I wonder what the FAR have to say about "topless-flying" ... hehe
>> http://www.panix.com/~jac/aviation/mhc.html
>
>LOL! No way! Wouldn't that be fun calling FBOs. "Hi, um...well, I've got
>my instrument and commercial and I was looking into getting my Mile High
>Club Rating....no, seriously. Hello? Hello?"
>
>-gattman
>PP/SEL IFR&MHCR-in-training

Be careful who you choose for an instructor. Not all have the MHC
add-on rating, and student/instructor compatibility becomes much
more important...

John
--
John Clear - http://www.panix.com/~jac

[G.R. Patterson III]

The Weiss Family wrote:
>
> In 50 hours of flying that plane, I never once had to touch the volume on
> the radio. I didn't even think of it.

I put an hour or two on my aircraft with the transponder squawking
I-don't-remember-what once after getting the transponder checked. My avionics tech
set it to something, and it was a long time before I noticed it wasn't 1200.

George Patterson
I childproofed my house, but they *still* get in.

[Paul Sengupta]

"G.R. Patterson III" > wrote in message
...
>
> Marco Rispoli wrote:
> >
> > I do a radio check and the lady at the school answers with "I hear you
loud
> > and clear Marco".
>
> Get used to it. Half the time somebody says "Hello George" when I announce
on
> approach, and I haven't been based there for years. Not much danger that
they'll
> start calling you "Tennessee", though. :-)

The correct form of shortening a callsign here in the UK is
to use the G and the last two letters. So for my plane, G-DOGG,
it would be Golf Golf Golf (yes, a mouthful, I know!). Anyway,
I learned to fly in the US. When I was flying in the club at Cardiff
the planes I flew most often were a couple of Tomahawks, one
with the reg G-BNUY and one G-BSVY. Whenever I flew one
of those, the guys in ATC (I think it was just J.C.) would, because
of my US training, shorten my callsing to just "Yankee".

Paul

[Paul Sengupta]

"Morgans" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Marco Rispoli" > wrote
>
> > As soon as I hit the 45 my brain goes in overdrive and
> > nothing else exists other than the pattern, the radio and the plane.
> >
> > I knew this was going to happen. So I told her before-hand that in the
> > pattern I have to pay attention to traffic cause it's a dangerous area.
>
> Most would say that it is a good thing to not use words like "dangerous"
> while in the plane

"Sorry, I have to concentrate, this is the difficult bit which I'm
not very good at."

Paul

[Paul Sengupta]

"gatt" > wrote in message
...
>
> One time in college I took a date up over the campus and she promptly
> decided she wanted to try flying in a plane topless. Whatdayado?!

Saw a T-shirt at Crystel River airport in Florida for sale.
It was red and had white writing: "Remove before flight".

Paul

[Paul Sengupta]

"Paul Sengupta" > wrote in message
...
> "gatt" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > One time in college I took a date up over the campus and she promptly
> > decided she wanted to try flying in a plane topless. Whatdayado?!
>
> Saw a T-shirt at Crystel River airport in Florida for sale.
> It was red and had white writing: "Remove before flight".

Crystal River.

And from another post of mine I've just read, "callsign" not "callsing".

Comes of typing while lying on my bed.

Paul

[gatt]

> > One time in college I took a date up over the campus and she promptly
> > decided she wanted to try flying in a plane topless. Whatdayado?!
>
> Saw a T-shirt at Crystel River airport in Florida for sale.
> It was red and had white writing: "Remove before flight".

EXCELLENT!

-c