Plastic Pilot

During the breaks of the IFR theory classes, we used to walk by the tarmac of the airfield where the courses were held, and look at planes. One one particular day, an instructor was beside the runway with his hand-held radio. We immediately though “first solo”.

As we got closer, we did not heard the kind of things an instructor can say to a student. He was talking rather in a very calm way, but his words immediately alarmed us: “Now you must extend the flaps. This is the big lever on the ceiling, between you and the pilot. Pull until the first notch.” Then came “Push the power lever more forward, and lower the nose. Try to stay aligned with the runway.”

We were all quiet to let him concentrate, until he literally “talked” the plane down, guiding the inexperienced passenger through a landing. Surprisingly, it was not a crash-landing, but a very good one. The plane then taxied back rather quickly, and the passenger jumped out, smiling. Another instructor jumped off the plane… from the left seat. He did not looked incapacitated, and the passenger / pilot did not looked scared. At this moment we understood that it was the “Pinch Hitter” course day ! Everyone was then relaxed again…

The objective of such a course is simple: give a non-pilot sufficient skills to bring the aircraft back on ground in a survivable way in case of pilot’s incapacitation. It addresses pilot’s partners who fly regularly and want to play a safety role without having to get their own license.

They cover use of radio, auto-pilot if present, basic principles of flight, and a few hours of practice with a “dead” instructor on board. Various schools are offering this kind of courses, and any instructor can probably do that. As a pilot, you can also train your frequent passengers.

Teaching basic radios can be a life saver. How to tune a frequency (probably 121.5), which intercom button to press, and the push-to-talk. Not more, but enough to make ATC aware of the situation. If the plane is equipped with a two axis autopilot, a minimum of training (AP - HDG - ALT and power setting) is sufficient to make your passenger fly vectors at constant altitude. No more stall / spin risk. And if your passenger is tech-savvy, why not teach to approach mode, and explain how to request an ILS approach.

Don’t try to teach flare and landing, but rather survivable impact. It’s much better to approach too fast than stall on final. This is obviously not something one can practice, but if someone can get a plane lined-up with a runway, and cross the number at 10 feet, flying at a credible speed and with a nose-up attitude, the chances are rather good.

Being a pilot has some less-than-fun aspects, and this is probably one of them. My favorite motto ? “Plan the worst, expect the best”. This applies really good to aviation…