A reluctance to take the controls

Mary and I have given rides to dozens of people over the years. I
usually like to let a newbie ride in the right seat with me, and will
usually let them "take the wheel" once we're safely at altitude. Most
people love their new-found freedom, while others are tentative and not
quite sure what to think.

It is a rare person, indeed, who refuses the chance to "steer" -- but
it happened Friday with a 24 year old girl in the right seat.
Actually, Mary was up front with her, while I was in back with her
boyfriend (which is still a very weird feeling, sitting in the BACK of
your own plane, in flight) -- and when Mary offered her the controls,
she politely refused.

What *is* that, anyway? This girl is a wonderfully intelligent, highly
educated young lady, with no tendency toward timidness or air sickness,
yet, when given the chance to try something that VERY few people on
this planet will ever get to do, she refused. Stranger still, she has
flown with us before (albeit in the back seat), so it's not like she's
afraid of flying.

I'm trying to remember if that has ever happened with me in the left
seat, and -- although I've sensed reluctance a time or two -- I don't
think anyone has ever said "No, thanks" to my offer to take the yoke.
Perhaps it's because I give them little choice, and Mary *asked*?

It just seems odd to me, and rather sad. I don't want folks believing
that airplanes fall out of the sky as soon as an experienced pilot lets
go of the controls...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
Mary and I have given rides to dozens of people over the years. I
usually like to let a newbie ride in the right seat with me, and will
usually let them "take the wheel" once we're safely at altitude. Most
people love their new-found freedom, while others are tentative and not
quite sure what to think.

It is a rare person, indeed, who refuses the chance to "steer" -- but
it happened Friday with a 24 year old girl in the right seat.
Actually, Mary was up front with her, while I was in back with her
boyfriend (which is still a very weird feeling, sitting in the BACK of
your own plane, in flight) -- and when Mary offered her the controls,
she politely refused.

What *is* that, anyway? This girl is a wonderfully intelligent, highly
educated young lady, with no tendency toward timidness or air sickness,
yet, when given the chance to try something that VERY few people on
this planet will ever get to do, she refused. Stranger still, she has
flown with us before (albeit in the back seat), so it's not like she's
afraid of flying.

I'm trying to remember if that has ever happened with me in the left
seat, and -- although I've sensed reluctance a time or two -- I don't
think anyone has ever said "No, thanks" to my offer to take the yoke.
Perhaps it's because I give them little choice, and Mary *asked*?

It just seems odd to me, and rather sad. I don't want folks believing
that airplanes fall out of the sky as soon as an experienced pilot lets
go of the controls...

Different people like different things and not everyone likes flying.
My wife likes to fly with me and ride motorccycle with me, but has no
interest in learning to fly or learning to ride a motorcycle of her own.

I likewise have no interest in going to Avon or Home Interior parties.
If the young lady who refused the opportunity to take the controls of
your airplane had invited you to her next Avon party, would you have
accepted her offer?

Matt

In article . com,
Jay Honeck wrote:

It is a rare person, indeed, who refuses the chance to "steer" -- but
it happened Friday with a 24 year old girl in the right seat.

My wife was a pilot for a number of years before I took up lessons. Not
once before taking lessons did I touch the controls. I just had no
interest. Motorcycles were my thing, flying was hers. My first lesson
this past Spring was the first time I'd touched the yoke. I did it
as a safety thing since we'd been doing regular $100 hamburgers and
flights to her parents with the kids aboard and because I thought flying
would be a nice thing for my wife and I to share.

That first lesson was an eye opener - a plane is like a 3D motorcycle.
Now I'm hooked. I'll be tooling around central Indiana in a J-3 Cub
an hour and a half from now.

--
Scott Post

That first lesson was an eye opener - a plane is like a 3D motorcycle.
Now I'm hooked. I'll be tooling around central Indiana in a J-3 Cub
an hour and a half from now.

That's kind of the effect I'm looking for in people -- and we usually
get it!

What I don't understand is that you never felt the desire to try out
the controls when your wife was PIC. It would have seemed the perfect
opportunity to test the waters, and I (like, I believe most people)
would have jumped at the chance.

In fact, thinking back to my first or second ride in a small airplane,
that's exactly what happened to me. And the rest, as they say, is
history.

You were indifferent before, yet you are now hooked. I believe that
sums up precisely what AOPA and much of the GA world is trying to
comprehend -- and the sooner we "break the code" the better.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck writes:

You were indifferent before, yet you are now hooked.

Some people are indifferent, and remain so even after trying it. Some
people just don't care. Some people don't like motorcycles, either.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Some people are indifferent, and remain so even after trying it. Some
people just don't care. Some people don't like motorcycles, either.


Name 3.

Judah wrote:


Name 3.

Myself and because I don't, my two kids are not allowed to while they
live here.

1) Me
2) My wife
3) My mom

Judah wrote:
Some people don't like motorcycles, either.


Name 3.

"Jay Honeck" wrote:
You were indifferent before, yet you are now hooked. I believe that
sums up precisely what AOPA and much of the GA world is trying to
comprehend -- and the sooner we "break the code" the better.

Sometimes you do more harm by making someone feel like you are pushing
them to do something they aren't ready to do, Jay. Odd as it may seem to
those of us who are hooked, not everyone gets the same thrill out of
being at the controls of a small airplane.

Many people *are* afraid to go in a small airplane. Some of that is lack
of exposure, but for others, it wouldn't matter, they would never enjoy
it. The way I look at it is that if a non pilot agrees to go for a ride
with me, the best thing I can do is to ensure, to the best of my
ability, that they enjoy the experience. If they like it and are
interested in taking the controls or getting professional instruction as
a result, that's terrific, and I'd feel proud that they enjoyed the
experience that much!...but it isn't MY job to break any "code" or to
get anyone hooked. That comes from within each of us, in our own time.

I hope you didn't make your young friend feel like she disappointed or
even surprised you because she declined to take the controls.

I hope you didn't make your young friend feel like she disappointed or
even surprised you because she declined to take the controls.

No, we didn't say a word to her, nor was it ever mentioned the rest of
the day.

I was just surprised, is all.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"