a major marital breakthrough

[Kevin Clarke]

So after being licensed for 2 years now, I finally got my wife to go up
with me. I picked a mostly windless (6kts), flat grey day. No
convection, no bumps.

We departed downwind from 32 KFIT to go look at our roof. The usual
scenic first flight thing to do. At about 2300 feet she panicked (or
nearly so) and made me go back. No problem. We didn't get to take a lap
around the mountain (Mt. Wachusett in Central Mass). The little wiggles
you always get in the air proved to be too much.

An uneventful 45 entry to the pattern, back to the airport and the best
landing I've done in months. Extra extra extra careful on flare.

So 24 minutes engine time. Still a resounding success! Just getting her
to get in the plane was a major accomplishment. And hell, any day you
get to fly, even for 20 minutes or so, is still a great day! :^)

KC

[Jose[_1_]]

> So after being licensed for 2 years now, I finally got my wife to go up with me...

Congratulations! It will probably get easier. One thing (you probably
already know this), don't do any maneuvering with newbies.

Now that the ground is broken, it may get easier.

Jose
--
"Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where
it keeps its brain." (chapter 10 of book 3 - Harry Potter).
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

[Kevin Clarke]

Jose wrote:
>> So after being licensed for 2 years now, I finally got my wife to go
>> up with me...
>
> Congratulations! It will probably get easier. One thing (you probably
> already know this), don't do any maneuvering with newbies.

I was 1/2 standard rate with all my turns. Very very gentle. Not that it
helped much. No Immelmann's this time! :^)

>
> Now that the ground is broken, it may get easier.

I hope so.
KC


>
> Jose

[Jay Honeck]

> So 24 minutes engine time. Still a resounding success! Just getting her
> to get in the plane was a major accomplishment. And hell, any day you
> get to fly, even for 20 minutes or so, is still a great day! :^)

Way to go, Kevin. I know it's been a tough row to hoe with her.

Who know? In three years, she may be getting her ticket!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Kevin Clarke]

Jay Honeck wrote:
>> So 24 minutes engine time. Still a resounding success! Just getting her
>> to get in the plane was a major accomplishment. And hell, any day you
>> get to fly, even for 20 minutes or so, is still a great day! :^)
>
> Way to go, Kevin. I know it's been a tough row to hoe with her.
>

thanks Jay.

It was my anniversary present. 18 yrs now. She gets off cheap. Merely 24
minutes of stark terror. :^)

> Who know? In three years, she may be getting her ticket!
>

Yeah right. I *doubt* that very very much. This is a woman who drove to
California from Mass to get to Hawaii. Because she didn't want to fly
that far! (true story)

KC

[john smith]

When my wife first started flying with me (before kids), she would take
1/2 of a Dramamine tab. It made her so drowsie she decided she would
risk airsickness rather than the side effects of the drugs. She only
used one tablet out of the package. That was 20 years ago. Now, she
suggests that we fly places.

[Steve Foley[_2_]]

"Kevin Clarke" > wrote in message
k.net...

> We departed downwind from 32 KFIT to go look at our roof.

Kevin, whose plane are you flying? I flew a little with Fitchburg Colonial
about ten years ago. The shop I worked for had a warehouse directly across
the street from the airport.

[Denny]

If she agrees to go again, skip the circle around the house... You will
think it is wonderful, she will be terrified... Straight and level
only...

denny

Steve Foley wrote:
> "Kevin Clarke" > wrote in message
> k.net...
>
> > We departed downwind from 32 KFIT to go look at our roof.
>
> Kevin, whose plane are you flying? I flew a little with Fitchburg Colonial
> about ten years ago. The shop I worked for had a warehouse directly across
> the street from the airport.

[Kevin Clarke]

Steve Foley wrote:
> "Kevin Clarke" > wrote in message
> k.net...
>
>> We departed downwind from 32 KFIT to go look at our roof.
>
> Kevin, whose plane are you flying? I flew a little with Fitchburg Colonial
> about ten years ago. The shop I worked for had a warehouse directly across
> the street from the airport.

I did my flight training there, I'm still doing my IFR there as well. I
have a share of a Piper Cherokee 180 that I fly.

KC
>
>

[Kevin Clarke]

Denny wrote:
> If she agrees to go again, skip the circle around the house... You will
> think it is wonderful, she will be terrified... Straight and level
> only...

We never got to the house. We were straight and level only.

KC

[Larry Dighera]

On 19 Nov 2006 18:02:58 -0800, "Jay Honeck" > wrote
in . com>:

>I know it's been a tough row to hoe with her.

Can you say that in mixed company? :-)

I can imagine a person so fearful. She sounds like an anxiety
cripple. No offence intended.

[Larry Dighera]

On Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:17:12 GMT, Kevin Clarke >
wrote in t>:

>This is a woman who drove to
>California from Mass to get to Hawaii. Because she didn't want to fly
>that far! (true story)

Has she sought psychiatric medical attention to lessen her anxiety?
Her life must be very painful for her to endure (not to mention those
with whom she is expected to interact).

[Jose[_1_]]

> Her life must be very painful for her to endure (not to mention those
> with whom she is expected to interact).

That's unfair. For many, flying is terrifying far beyond "normal life",
and it's unwarranted to extend fear of flying to fear of ordinary life.

Jose
--
"Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where
it keeps its brain." (chapter 10 of book 3 - Harry Potter).
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

[Terry 56W]

Kevin: Good job, it will only get better. My first flight with my wife
was in a Cherokee 180 and on take off her door blew open, the upper
latch was not fasten. It was part of the check list too, but I usually
flew with my brother, who is also a pilot and he took care of the door
each time. Anyway, she was in no danger with her seat belt on and the
slip stream holding the door close, but you can't tell that to a
newbie, besides the extra noise of the door popping open and the air
flow gave her the scare. At the time I remember reading that when
there's a distraction to "just fly the airplane". The pattern was
extremely busy and the tower was giving vectors out away from the
airport, so I told her not to worry and I would take care of once we
were out of the pattern. As soon as I got to cruise altitude, and away
from the ariport I was able to slow down, do a right hand turn, and
pull the door shut and lock it. All was well, but it sure scared a
newbie. She seems okay now, and likes to go along if there's a meal at
the other end of the flight. She wouldn't go just for the fun of
flying, but I have my brother for that! I hope you have a great time
flying! Best regards, Terry

[Kevin Clarke]

Larry Dighera wrote:
> On 19 Nov 2006 18:02:58 -0800, "Jay Honeck" > wrote
> in . com>:
>
>> I know it's been a tough row to hoe with her.
>
> Can you say that in mixed company? :-)
>
> I can imagine a person so fearful. She sounds like an anxiety
> cripple. No offence intended.

Easy now guys. It is just flying that worries her. Doubly so when flying
with me.

Lots of folks have fear of flying.

KC

[Scott Post]

In article om>,
Terry 56W > wrote:
>Kevin: Good job, it will only get better. My first flight with my wife
>was in a Cherokee 180 and on take off her door blew open,

The first time I flew my wife was back in September, a few hours after
my check ride. We did circles around the field my CFI and I had crashed
in the previous week while she took pictures. She seemed to enjoy the
flight. Lots of jokes at my expense.

--
Scott Post

[Jay Honeck]

> The first time I flew my wife was back in September, a few hours after
> my check ride. We did circles around the field my CFI and I had crashed
> in the previous week while she took pictures. She seemed to enjoy the
> flight. Lots of jokes at my expense.

Now that is MY kind of woman!

She could be Mary's sister...

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Scott Post]

In article . com>,
Jay Honeck > wrote:
>> The first time I flew my wife was back in September, a few hours after
>> my check ride. We did circles around the field my CFI and I had crashed
>> in the previous week while she took pictures. She seemed to enjoy the
>> flight. Lots of jokes at my expense.
>
>Now that is MY kind of woman!
>
>She could be Mary's sister...
>

Although I could have worded it better. In re-reading it looks like she
was taking pictures as I crashed. If only. Had to settle for me
sending her pictures from my cell phone as she watched the news copter
coverage on TV of me standing beside the wreckage sending her pictures
from my cell phone.

As an aside, it's a real bummer when you have to pee and the air above
you is filled with news copters with cameras rolling. Damned vultures
must have tracked the ELT signal.

--
Scott Post

[Stubby]

Scott Post wrote:
> In article om>,
> Terry 56W > wrote:
>> Kevin: Good job, it will only get better. My first flight with my wife
>> was in a Cherokee 180 and on take off her door blew open,
>
> The first time I flew my wife was back in September, a few hours after
> my check ride. We did circles around the field my CFI and I had crashed
> in the previous week while she took pictures. She seemed to enjoy the
> flight. Lots of jokes at my expense.
>
It sounds like she is the beneficiary on your life insurance.

[Aluckyguess]

Take her to a hypnotist and see if that will fix her fear.

[Crash Lander[_1_]]

"Kevin Clarke" > wrote in message
k.net...
> Easy now guys. It is just flying that worries her. Doubly so when flying
> with me.
>
> Lots of folks have fear of flying.
>
> KC

My wife has an incredible fear of stingrays. She can't even look at one. She
likens it to some peoples fear of spiders. We went to the Melbourne Aquarium
a few months ago, and she absolutely went hysterical when she had to walk
through the underwater tunnel and saw the stingrays swimming around.
She says she'll fly with me when I get my PPL and can flay an a/c large
enough to take the whole family, but not a 2 seater. She said that if
anything went wrong, we'd leave our kids without parents. at least in a 4
seater we'd all go together should anything go wrong. Of course, that's a
very negative way to look at it, but that's the way she thinks. We know
other couples with at least one flying partner, and they won't fly together
without their kids either.
Oz/Crash Lander

[Crash Lander[_1_]]

"Scott Post" > wrote in message
m...
> In article om>,
> Terry 56W > wrote:
> The first time I flew my wife was back in September, a few hours after
> my check ride. We did circles around the field my CFI and I had crashed
> in the previous week while she took pictures. She seemed to enjoy the
> flight. Lots of jokes at my expense.
>

You crashed with your CFI? What happened? details?
Oz/Crash Lander

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

On Mon, 20 Nov 2006 23:28:48 GMT, "Crash Lander" >
wrote:
> She said that if anything went wrong, we'd leave our
> kids without parents. at least in a 4 seater we'd all
> go together should anything go wrong.

Well, the kids might survive (albeit with possibly major injuries)
while you and your wife up front might not... As such, you would be
leaving your kids with serious medical hardships, but without
parents... Would pointing this out make her feel better? <sick-grin>

[Montblack]

("Aluckyguess" wrote)
> Take her to a hypnotist and see if that will fix her fear.


How many 'suggestions' can you fit into one session, I wonder? :-)


Montblack