Am I the only one??

[Andy Neill]

I think one of the prime reasons I chose to go to flight school was because I grew up hearing my dad sigh as a plane would go by, "Oh, if I had only learned to fly."

Many years later, I had a chance to take my parents up on a flight around the area where they lived in Arizona. Both were thrilled with the chance. I was particularly glad that my mom could go because she was terminal with cancer at the time.

It wasn't until after she had died that I discovered she had taken flight lessons before WWII, but had to suspend them because of the war. It makes that one flight all the more meaningful for me.

 

[VFR on Top]

My 'rents knew back when I first soloed in '86, but I didn't tell them last year when I resumed training. I told my mom on Mothers Day that she was now the mother of a pilot, she immediately told all her friends, said it made for pretty good bragging fodder.

 

[bigD]

My Dad never understood why I'd fly for any reason other than getting from point A to B, but he always had the opinion that if I wanted to do it - he wouldn't stop me. My Mom was always cool with it since my grandfather on her side flew for the Air Force. Both parents used to drive me to the airport back when I could solo, but didn't have my driver's license. They always just said, "Be careful." And that was that.

After I got my Private, I took my Dad flying, and he got very comfortable with it. Not completely comfortable, but after seeing the various things I have to do and the seriousness that I give it, his forehead didn't sweat anymore. Now, he asks almost every flight if we can do some Zero G nose overs!

My advice would be to not tell them about it until you're finished. They'll come around eventually.

 

[172driver]

Get them to come take a ride with you and your CFI. They will see that you are, in fact, flying the plane by yourself and will have the added security of knowing someone experienced is right there. You might want to wait until you collect a good amount of experience to take your parents up flying by yourself. Or do it on an extremely nice day. I look back at flying people around with 40 hrs under my belt and think maybe it wasn't the brightest idea, though they were all good experiences.

 

[Timebuilder]

Great story, Andy.

What a gift you were able to give your mom.

 

[oilcanbland]

Thanks for all of the advice. I guess I did the right thing by not telling them that I got lost on my 2nd solo cross country the other day. It was a really hazy day, and I was supposed to be going to Bedford, IN. Never found the airport. Had to turn around and land at Bloomington, IN.

The sucky thing was when I got back, I found out that it didn't even count as a cross country flight, because it wasn't at least 50 nm. I plan to make it up with a really long cross country in the next day or two.

 

[aero99]

Ignorance= Fear

Most people that are afraid of planes/flying are so because they know nothing about how an airplane actually flies. Case in point, most non-fliers think a "Stall" is when you have engine problems.

You can either tell your parents nothing, or educate them in what you are doing. If you do ever take someone up that is affraid, give them a task in the cockpit. Hand them the chart and show them where you are and where you are going. In flight, have them dial the radio or set the tranponder. This gives them something to do and takes their mind off of their fear and they are learning.

I still can't get my wife in a small plane. I try and turn the news off everytime there is a blip on the tv about a plane crash.

Oh well....

 

[C90Guy]

My mother was the same way. I would tell her growing up that I wanted to fly airplanes but some how she thought I would grow out of it. I didn't. She did the same as your parents. Would cry if I was flying home to see her, called me stupid the summer before I started flying, that I would kill my self. Remember that its not so much the flying that scared them as it is you getting hurt from the flying. I made the misstake of going in to conversations with the wow look what I can do, telling them the more dangerous stuff, stalls, spins, things that really aren't dangerous to us but to the untrained person can be a nightmare. When you talk to them down play things, if its something rather complicated be brief. Try and give them a sense that its just like driving a car. Unfortunatly for you this might mean not telling them about all the fun your having. If it makes you feel any better I taken my family flying and after a few years they have seen that it is a safe profession or hobby at least to have.

 

[popilot78]

They hated the idea when I was a flight instructing. Now that they get free airline travel, they love it. I guess also I'm never really home has something to do with it.

 

[Delta3]

oilcanbland-

I know what you're saying about x-countrys in Indiana. It's hard to pick out your checkpoints in the air as every small town looks the same and there are really no unique airports.

If I were you I would use VOR triangulation more than checkpoints.