AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 104

FLY WITH AOPA
ASI SAFET Y TIPS /
Teamwork makes the dream work
Recruit your passengers for a safer, more enjoyable flight
BY CAPUCINE CORDINA
to help you deal with certain situations.
During an emergency, the first thing the
pilot has to do is fly the airplane. Entrust
the secondary tasks to your co-pilot, like
checking for traffic, reading out checklist
items, using the GPS's nearest airport
function, and even talking to ATC.
TAK ING YOUR FIRST passengers flying
can be as intimidating for you as it is for
them. So here are some ways to make the
flight as comfortable as possible.
Include them (but not too much)
The passenger briefing checklist is a
must, but you don't have to start there.
If your passengers are interested, make
them a part of your preflight and explain
what you're checking during each step
of the process. Don't scare them, this is
not the time for anecdotes of failures
and incidents.
Once you're in the aircraft, continue
to vocalize your actions.
Ground rules
With the preflight finished, now's the
time to set some ground rules for the
flight. A sterile cockpit is vital; no talking
during key moments of the flight, like
takeoff, landing, approach, or when
you're talking to ATC. It's helpful to agree
on a hand gesture to initiate a sterile
104
AOPA PILOT / September 2024
cockpit, so passengers know to quiet
down and don't interrupt what you're
doing. And for front seat passengers, no
unprompted touching of the controls.
Keep feet clear of the rudder pedals and
knees clear of the yoke, and no playing
around with the panel.
In flight
After experiencing the thrill of taking off,
some passengers might be excited to help
out, and they can! Show them how to look
for traffic, listen on the radios for missed
calls, make altitude callouts, and find
landmarks, especially for dead reckoning.
If they're interested, you can even show
them the basics of flying. Not only can it
spark their passion in aviation, but it can
also be of great help during an emergency.
Emergencies
If properly briefed, passengers can be of
invaluable help. Spend some time on the
ground going through the emergency
checklist and explain the role they can play
Companion copilot
If you have a frequent flying companion
who shows interest in aviation, AOPA's
Companion Copilot video series is an allin-one
source to give them an overview of
basic flying concepts. At 15 minutes long, it
goes over the safety briefing, how to keep
the aircraft in the air, general usage of the
GPS, tuning into and talking to ATC, and
what to do to help during an emergency.
Mutual trust between pilot and
co-pilot is necessary, and once everyone's
on the same page, any flight becomes a
breeze.
capucine.cordina@aopa.org
airsafetyinstitute.org/
CompanionCopilot
Real Pilot Story:
Crossed Wires /
Commercial pilot and CFI Greg
Soter reflects on an emergency
landing near Birdseye, Utah, in
June of 2013, after discovering
an electrical fire in the back of the
Cessna 172 he was flying. In this
real pilot story, Greg discusses
his decision to land on a road, a
factor that would have a significant
impact on the flight's outcome.
airsafetyinstitute.org/RPS/
CrossedWires

http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/companioncopilot http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/companioncopilot http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/RPS/crossedwires http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/RPS/crossedwires

AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024