Have You Given a Stranger a Ride?

In another thread the "folks by the fence" -- airport spectators --
have been discussed, and a couple of us have stated that we've always
wanted to shut down and ask if anyone wanted to go for a ride.

In my opinion, this single act of kindness would absolutely make
someone's day, and could possibly change their life. And no other act
could help improve the image of general aviation more.

Yet, I've never done it, for a myriad of reasons -- and I don't know
anyone who has.

Have you? If not, why not?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I have thought of doing this myself many times, but never have. One of
the problems these days, or at least at my field there there is no
"folks by the fence" anymore. There all gone. I believe this has
happened since the flying activities has really slowed down, slowed
down to almost nothing. I guess it's because of the fuel prices, I know
that has slowed my flying down a lot.

I have given a stranger a ride. Each year here in Michigan we have the
Michigan Air Tour(http://s127415377.onlinehome.us/) which is in the
fall and runs from Friday to Sunday stopping at different airports in
Michigan. It is an effort to support GA in Michigan and is fun for all
involved. 2 years ago I was asked to give a ride back to YIP with
someone that I didn't know. I did give her a ride, but was somewhat
reluctant. She was not a pilot and on the trip back I kept her busy
reading the sectional. We arrived without any problems and she even
took the time to send me a thank you note.

Although my experience was good, I have known others to be nightmares.
I know pilots that will not give someone they don't know a ride.
Afraid of getting sued I guess. YMMV.

Regards,
Jerry

On 5 Mar 2006 08:23:32 -0800, "Jay Honeck" wrote:

Have you? If not, why not?

I've given lots of rides but not to total strangers. Once when working
at MWC, I was going to take a night flight around Milwaukee. There
were a couple kids always hanging around the airport so I asked them
to jump in the Skyhawk. It was their first night flight. Later one of
them went on to be a Captain. One big time person that is overlooked
is the pilot who has lost their medical or can no longer afford to
fly!

When I was working the line at O2C, a friend had heart bypass surgery
and sold his Aeronca but still came to the airport for coffee and
such. One day he mentioned to me that it hurts that none of the other
regulars that own or rent and have a seat available don't come up and
offer to have him tag along.

I'm in a similar situation now. It is pretty hard being down here and
always looking up there.

On 5 Mar 2006 08:23:32 -0800, "Jay Honeck" wrote:

In another thread the "folks by the fence" -- airport spectators --
have been discussed, and a couple of us have stated that we've always
wanted to shut down and ask if anyone wanted to go for a ride.

In my opinion, this single act of kindness would absolutely make
someone's day, and could possibly change their life. And no other act
could help improve the image of general aviation more.

Yet, I've never done it, for a myriad of reasons -- and I don't know
anyone who has.

Have you? If not, why not?

Nope - never, and probably will not. Liability.
Sounds cold, but one has to think this way these days...

I hate to agree but I think you are right. You just don't know what a
person's intentions are these days. My wife, who is a corporate
executive, used to mentor underprivileged children and found it very
satisfying. Eventually her company lawyers told her it had to stop.
Seems that these kids needed mentoring because their parents were
usually losers and all they had to do was say that their kid said that
the (mentor) "touched" them to hit a jackpot. (aka Michael Jackson;
"you pay me X amount and I won't sue). Even if completely exonerated
your life is ruined and you can't even counter sue because they don't
have anything.
I could see taking some stranger for a ride and finding out later that
they were irreversibly "traumatized" or something. Am I being too
paranoid here or what?

Jim

"jfleisc" == jfleisc writes:
jfleisc Am I being
jfleisc too paranoid here or what?

Yes.

First, I have given two rides to complete strangers. One was a French
fellow who had gone to graduate school here (UC Davis) a few years
before and almost completed his PP-ASEL at that time. He had airline
tix for his family that involved flying around the world and he
stopped by for a few days, visiting the airport on his bicycle and I
happened to be there. I gave him a ride later that day...he was quite
appreciative and said if I ever visited France again we could stay at
his house. Not a bad trade for a simple 45 minute flight.

The other fellow was a local from a small town on the Sacramento
River. He too rode up on his bicycle (Davis is big on bicycles) and
showed an interest in my airplane, an Aircoupe. On a whim we went for
a 30 minute flight over his house, etc. He had never been in a small
plane. He was so grateful he came by my house a week or two later and
delivered some veggies from his garden.

I've also flown over 50 kids in Young Eagles (not all in the
Coupe). Last week I flew the son of a friend for a brief night
flight.

In all of these there's a tiny but non-nil possibility of something
going awry, an accident or accusation or whatever. I'm aware of it,
but I think the chances of something bad happening are overblown. YE
didn't have any fatalities until recently, after more than 1 million
kids flown. The satisfaction far outweighs the risk, and I'm too
ornery to let some remote or imagined lawsuit deter me. These flights
aren't altruistic or for a noble cause; I do them for me.

I've posted this before, but repeat it here to explain the joy that
await you and your passenger with these flights.

OF I have had many other passengers -- some very shy, others more
OF adventurous, but James stands out.

I still remember a 9- or 10-year old girl I gave a ride a couple of
years ago.

It was a big event, lots of kids and pilots. I landed at dawn to see
hot air balloons launch, then waited until 9:00 or so for the YE fun
to start. At the end of the day I flew 9 kids in the Aircoupe so
that makes for a long day.

The last flight was this girl who when walking out to the plane asked,
"Can we go fast?" I knew this would be special.

"Sure,", says I, "we can go fast. Maybe a hundred miles an hour!"

"Faster than a motorcyle?" she asked. "Yep, that's faster than a
motorcyle." But then I wondered if it would be...her dad looked kinda
adventerous.

She had seen the Coupe during the day and knew the canopy slid open
and closed. As soon as we got in and started to taxi she wanted to
fly with the canopy open.

"Well, we'll see," I said. I was reluctant. The noise and wind could
easily scare a young person. I for sure wouldn't do it on takeoff.

Away we went, canopy closed. I pointed out a few places...every
minute or two came the question: "Can we open the canopy?"

Time to return, and we're headed back to the airport. Finally I undo
the latches and crack it open a couple of inches...that ought to keep
her happy. I'm on downwind keying the push-to-talk, about to announce
my position to the tower...when finally she can't stand it any more
and screams, "ALL THE WAY OPEN!!"

Aye, I got that message. Left hand on the yoke still holding the
transmit open, with the right hand I reach up and jerk back the
canopy, ALL THE WAY OPEN.

As we pass the numbers and I pull back the throttle, I look over.
She's got a grin a mile wide. A real firecracker, that one. We ride
it around base and down final, noise and wind swirling around. Pull
back to idle half-way down final and the prop gives that funny sighing
sound and for an instant you can see it unwind...always gives me a
chill 'cause I daydream for a moment I'm flying a turbine. A chirp of
tires and we've landed, slowing down, noise and wind gone now, but a
ride we'll both remember for a long, long time.

I have in the past, although it was before I had any assets to speak
of. Additionally, this was a relatively rural airport, where I
beleived at the time the "sue for fun and profit" game hadn't yet
begun. I will say that the look on the kid & fathers' faces when I
shut down the engine, gestured them over for a ride were worth every
dime of the .5hrs of hobbs time I spent. After all, that was all the
inspiration I needed to begin flying in the first place.

I used to fly out of a small residential airpark in Wisconsin. One
beautiful fall evening, on turn to final I spotted the kids riding their
bikes on the runway. On spotting me, one of the tigers jumped off his bike
as they all scrambled away, leaving it on the runway.
It didn't quite divide the strip in two and I had plenty left in the
denominator to land on -- but I made sure to fetch the offending bicycle.
Eventually the fellow came up to claim it and I got to give the airport
safety lecture over the intercome while he sat on the left seat and wore a
headset.

I asked if he had ever ridden in a plane and suddenly kids sprang out of
everywhere (his cohorts were clearly spying out the whole event to
see how much trouble he was in). I announced that any kid who could
produce an aquiescing parent would get one official EAA "Young Eagles"
flight. The airpark was a close part of the community so it was not too
outlandish (although I did have one mom inspect my logbook).

It was a really cool few laps around the pattern. Nobody barfed.

Once when I was very young, I followed a hot air balloon. At time time, I
am sure I followed it for ten miles, but I am sure
we only spanned a few soybean fields. The balloon landed, and the pilot
offered me a ride. We threw my bike in the chase truck
and off we went. I was terrified that we would be carried miles and miles
from home and I would certainly "get in trouble."
I refused the ride home and blasted off on my bike after the landing. My
parents never found out till many years
later into adulthood. Man, you would never think of something like that
being acceptable today, for the child or the pilot!

Is anyone there an insurance agent? How do conventional umbrella policies
accomidate the risk? There was a previous post by someone
who had given up all of flying becuase he could not carry sufficient
liability in the airplane and it somehow voided his umbrella. I realize
this
may be policy vendor dependant, but what are the general rules?

Todd

I'm in a similar situation now. It is pretty hard being down here and
always looking up there.

Sorry to hear it, Steve. Mind telling us what happened to curtail your
flying? Cost of gas? Medical issue?

C'mon to Iowa -- we'll go strafe a burger joint somewhere!

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