HGFA Skysailor Magazine

36 SKY SAILOR September | October 2018 When we bought our first trike during the 90s, we were flying from a private airstrip in a valley where a large gumtree grew alongside the landing strip. My pilot understood the physics of flying and expected I would too… Sometimes when we landed, it was really bumpy as we passed the tree, at other times it was very smooth. Was it my pilot causing my discomfort? No! I just didn’t understand what was happening. One day, I asked why it was bumpy sometimes and not others. The answer was simple and easily explained – if you had the knowledge! It depended on the wind direction, whether the wind passed through the tree before it crossed the airstrip as we were landing, or whether it crossed the landing strip before it was disrupted by the tree. I remarked that information like that would not only make me feel more comfortable, but would also take some of the mystery and uncertainty out of flight from a passenger’s point of view. I became aware that the protector of my life dealt with bits of information rather than just luckily rescuing me from unseen dangers that scared me! Just as in a car, holding the steering wheel can be much more confidence building than sitting in a seat with no control over outcomes. Another day, the remark came from the pilot, “Did you see those kangaroos?” Of course I didn’t, my eyes were tightly shut, because we were heading for the ground – you know, that ‘controlled crash’ pilots call ‘landing’. My pilot hadn’t given a thought to how I might feel about that! After that we had a lot of ‘Please Explains’, and I became more and more comfortable as a PAX. Over time, I learned many pearls of wisdom: ➲➲ Dark patches (bitumen roads, burnt paddocks, etc.) give you ‘free lift’, but canola paddocks cause ‘sink’. ➲➲ Never land in the paddock with one ‘cow’ in it, if the paddock next door has a herd of cows, the single ‘cow’ is likely a bull and won’t appreciate your noisy arrival! ➲➲ Mother Nature doesn’t create dead straight shadows, but man-made structures do (powerlines, masts, etc.). ➲➲ You can tell the wind direction and strength from all sorts of clues like smoke or wind on water. ➲➲ Hot, sunny days with clear blue skies are NOT the best time to fly if you’re flying for fun! ➲➲ If you can see a horizon, you have a way out of weather,… PAX Advice To Pilots: I f you want a happy PAX sharing your passion and making delightful memories together, make it easy for them to have confidence in your piloting skills. Talk to them about what you are doing, how to make correct communications and why radio is so important. Teach your passenger how to scan correctly, because an extra pair of eyes never goes astray. Ask for simple assistance like, “Can you look out for XYZ for me, please?” It’s comforting to observe a careful pre-flight check, hear a pre-landing check, or a practice run for a radio call, and, if you have a high work load in the cockpit, don’t be afraid to request, “No more conversation at present please, as I’m busy.” Your PAX may have no desire to become a pilot, but planning flights together, if you both have knowledge of your aircraft’s needs, and an idea of what the weather is doing, or how not to get lost, is very rewarding. When you are flying together, think about the comfort of your PAX. It may be fun to ‘hotdog’ when you are alone, but not if, as a PAX, you are not given a heads-up! Explain discomforts BEFORE they may occur, it ticks your passenger’s boxes, big time. If the discomfort doesn’t eventuate, it proves you had at least considered the possibility, and were ready to deal with it. I have no desire to become a pilot, but I partake in my pilot’s passion. It has been a joy to be a real part of his flying journey, and while my geriatric legs are capable of getting into a trike seat, I’ll continue to enjoy the earth from above with him (preferably in excellent flying weather). I’ve probably flown several thousand unlogged hours now and feel extremely privileged. Strangely, I’ve noticed the different feel of each design advance in our newly acquired trikes over the years, and lately love flying in ‘my’ new HypeR! Pilots: ➲➲ Be kind and considerate with your PAX; ➲➲ Pick a good time to introduce them to your passion of leaving the ground… Potentially nervous PAX: ➲➲ Discuss this flying passion with your pilot. ➲➲ Learn a few facts with your pilot, and ➲➲ Give it a go – flying together makes the best memories. You may learn to love it as much as I do. PAX One