Microlighters

I was having a chat to a mate of mine the other night and started to become a little concerned. He has just received his MPL licence (2 days prior) and was arranging to take a group of his mates out for flips. My advise to him was to fly a little 1st and gain some experience as PIC before risking his friends lives. Ego is a terrible thing and causes pilots to fly beyond their experience.
When I got my licence I flew for 6 months before taking a non pilot for a flip. Am I just being paranoid ????

Hi,

I think you are putting safety first, BUT if the PIC also puts safety FIRST then all should be ok.

I agree with you......first fly a little bit on our own before taking poeple for flips.

Fly save

SARAF

Very good advice EAGLE1 - in my opinion!!

Eagle 1 - "Am I just being paranoid ????" Not at all paranoid.

I think that lots of practice after obtaining a licence or rating is essential. One needs to settle down and build REAL confidence. I remember the desire to rush into demonstrating my new skills (32 years ago now - yip getting old) but I think that it is more important to introduce prospective pilots to aviation in a responsible and caring manner.

Try to convince your friend.

When i got my licence i promised myself to fly at LEAST another twenty hours before i would take anybody up.
And the first person I would take up would be my wife/daughters.

With other words if i did not have the absolute confidence to take them up first, i would not have taken anyone at all. EVER!

I dunno, Took my kids up within 5 - 10 hours after getting my licence.

I based my decision on clear pristene conditions, little or no air traffic, no bumps, nice and cool. Flying same terrain as in training, no smart arse stuff, decent height, 1100m runway.

Maybe conditions and state of mind just as influencial as reaching a milestone?

When you get a GPL (Glider licence)you cant take a pax till you have a 100 launches or a 100 hurs but evan after all that you have to do pax rating flight test with the CFI- I thought it was a bit over the top as I have over 1000 power flying hours but I guess safty first

Eagle1 wrote:I was having a chat to a mate of mine the other night and started to become a little concerned. He has just received his MPL licence (2 days prior) and was arranging to take a group of his mates out for flips. My advise to him was to fly a little 1st and gain some experience as PIC before risking his friends lives. Ego is a terrible thing and causes pilots to fly beyond their experience.
When I got my licence I flew for 6 months before taking a non pilot for a flip. Am I just being paranoid ????

Howzit Eagle1

The rule at Springs is, after you received your license, you should spend another 5 hours in circuit without pax. We all know your real training starts only after receiving your license.

A while back at Springs we had the very unfortunate accident with a new low time pilot taking his son for a flip. I don't want to speculate on the cause, but a mix of low flying hours and flying his new plane he had no real experience on help cause the loss of both their lives.

I would say it's almost like running the marathon. You don't stand-up one day and just do it, you slowly progress through the fitness stages and finally you are ready for bigger things.

Same with flying. First build some hours as PIC in circuit, then you break from the cabbage patch and do that first fly-out not more than 60km round trip.

I would say at that point you should be ready to take a pax with. Again not a "Hulk". Don't overload the trike and your experience....! Start to fly with a pax weighing 60kg's or so

My 2c

I remember how my son was nagging for a flip after getting my licence, but only took him for a short flip in the circuit after 8 more hours.

Wanted to take my mother-in-law on the first hour after my license, but she won’t fall for it. Maybe she prefer flying her broom.

My wife still refuses, always very very busy when I mention flying.

Big D was my first pax weighing in at 130kg and a full tank of juice. Seemed ok when he let go of the bars from the back Wouldn't have had it any other way.

I'm not so sure about this. Seems most of your are saying it's almost as if you have absolutely no experience flying with someone else in the plane. What did you do until you went solo? You had an instructor with you, in the back seat. Towards the end he was quite happy to just sit quietly. You are experienced enough to take someone up in the the back seat and you are licenced enough to do so. The question is more whether you are confident enough to take somebody up and whether that person should be your son/daughter etc. Only you can answer those questions

However, and to me a moerse big however, is have you done all your training in the same plane or are you now flying a new aerie. I would be uncomfortable taking anybody up in a strange plane, even now, unless I myself have done a few circuits in it on my own, or preferrably with the current/previous owner, and then still I do a few circuits on my own anyway.

When I qualified, I had to fly back from Saldanha to Morning Star and I opted to do this alone. I had never landed at the infamous Morning Star and felt it irresponsible to take someone with me into the unknown. Once there, all the fellow mates gathered around and by taking these experienced boys up as pax your confidence levels grow.

In fact, once my Bush Baby is built I am going to have to fly 40 hours alone in her anyway until the authorities and I can trust the plane. I trust myself, it's the plane that needs proving.

IMHO

Hi guys,

Am a firm believer in gianing expreiance and confidence before taking a passenger.
Have done 50 hrs. solo since getting my lisence, and had various experiances now logged in my subconcious. Will be taking my daughter for a flip this weekend. :D :D :D

Rusty

Know a guy who took his wife up for a nice CC. He got lost and I have seen very little of him since!!!

Getting experience is a good idea - however one must not get too used to the weight and conditions of only one up.

I also think weather and conditions have a lot to do with it, If a PAX is a bit nervous then only take them up if the Wx is near perfect to give them the most enjoyable ride and put away any unneccasary fears.

What is the rule with gliding I know once licensed you still have to get quite a considerable amount of hours in solo before taking a pax up