Ungrateful pax?!
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Join Date: Dec 2001
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Ungrateful pax?!
I expect all kinds of reactions from a first-time passenger -nervous, exhilerated, inquisitive - but this is a first. I took a friend flying and, to be honest I was a bit put out with his attitude – he didn’t even say thank you let alone express any interest! OK true, I had made him get up very early because he'd wanted to go to France, then when the weekend's cold front loomed I explained that we'd have to do something a bit less exciting this time, but still! I had warned him about the wx this time of year and he insisted he was fine with that and would take the risk.
He just sat there looking bored and unimpressed, not saying anything all the way and then made a comment about my (well-executed, incidentally!) landing to the effect of 'oh well, at least we got down'. Like to see him do any better!!!
Private flying’s not as comfortable as BA I know, but most people don’t seem to mind!
I don’t expect people to be falling on their knees in gratitude, but given that I’d spent £140 on entertaining him for the morning, you’d have thought he’d at least say thanks and stand me a cuppa instead of making me feel guilty for getting him up early in the morning. Grr – it was like he was busting himself to be ‘cool’ about it and forgot his manners in the process. Or maybe he can't deal with being told what to do by a younger woman...
(disengage rant mode)
Anyway, deep breath. The reason I say all this is to ask if anyone has had a similar experience. And to get it off my chest. Feel better now!
He just sat there looking bored and unimpressed, not saying anything all the way and then made a comment about my (well-executed, incidentally!) landing to the effect of 'oh well, at least we got down'. Like to see him do any better!!!
Private flying’s not as comfortable as BA I know, but most people don’t seem to mind! I don’t expect people to be falling on their knees in gratitude, but given that I’d spent £140 on entertaining him for the morning, you’d have thought he’d at least say thanks and stand me a cuppa instead of making me feel guilty for getting him up early in the morning. Grr – it was like he was busting himself to be ‘cool’ about it and forgot his manners in the process. Or maybe he can't deal with being told what to do by a younger woman...
(disengage rant mode)
Anyway, deep breath. The reason I say all this is to ask if anyone has had a similar experience. And to get it off my chest. Feel better now!
Spicy Meatball
Join Date: Jan 2004
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She said it was boring and wouldn't be flying with me again.
Pengy - do the old "pretend to faint" trick next time on him (we laughed about the idea about a year ago ISTR)
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Did an hour's worth of touch and go's a few weeks ago to get some practice in - the wife (NOT an aviator I hasten to add) decides to sit and watch from the touchline, and then after I came back in, get this...
Proceeded to give me a FULL de-briefing on each and every landing! Went something like this:
Cr*p, cr*p, cr*p.... ..... cr*p! I think I only did one landing which she was remotely impressed with!!!
Think we've just got to accept that not everybody shares the same passion for aviation as we do.
More than made up for it when it came to nocturnal T's and G's later that night though - full marks all round....
Proceeded to give me a FULL de-briefing on each and every landing! Went something like this:
Cr*p, cr*p, cr*p.... ..... cr*p! I think I only did one landing which she was remotely impressed with!!!
Think we've just got to accept that not everybody shares the same passion for aviation as we do.
More than made up for it when it came to nocturnal T's and G's later that night though - full marks all round....
Could just be a personality thing Penguina, some people don't do "gratitude" very well.
It would be interesting to get your pax's view of events as told to others - could well have told his mates/colleagues whatever that he had a great time.
On the other hand Aussie Andy may be right, he could be either scared, a t*sser, or both
It would be interesting to get your pax's view of events as told to others - could well have told his mates/colleagues whatever that he had a great time.
On the other hand Aussie Andy may be right, he could be either scared, a t*sser, or both
Spicy Meatball
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Think we've just got to accept that not everybody shares the same passion for aviation as we do.
Nothing wrong with collecting stamps by the way.
Join Date: Feb 2003
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MikeeB - my wife is just the same. She actually went to sleep once, just as I was about to say 'Wow, what a great view of Brize - so good of the controller to give us a transit directly overhead!'
My son (aged nearly 2) is much more appreciative.
Tim
My son (aged nearly 2) is much more appreciative.
Tim
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Mrs bcfc and #1 son are pretty ambivalent about flying, although like the bacon sarnies when we arrive.
#2 son is much more appreciative so long as we go cloudy dodging and have fun on the way. He's happy to come along for the ride anytime.
All in all, most people I've taken up like it, appreciate why I do it, but don't get the passion. Only fellow pilots really understand . I haven't had anyone as rude as Penguina had, but then no one else I know stares up at the sky mystically wishing they were up there. I spend half my day doing it
#2 son is much more appreciative so long as we go cloudy dodging and have fun on the way. He's happy to come along for the ride anytime.
All in all, most people I've taken up like it, appreciate why I do it, but don't get the passion. Only fellow pilots really understand . I haven't had anyone as rude as Penguina had, but then no one else I know stares up at the sky mystically wishing they were up there. I spend half my day doing it
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Should have done some Stalls , Steep Turns & unusual attitude that sounds appropriate as they seemed to have an "unusual Attitude" ,
I took my Dad after years of mithering him to come up with me , He seemed unimpressed and seemed glad the whole affair was over .
Maybe deep down he was a bit worried ( doesnt suit everyone)
I wouldnt worry about it , I tend to only take people now who seem genuinly interested in flying, some people just put it on their "done that " list !!
We love it anyway !! and they cant do it !!!!
nah nah na nah nah !!!!
EL
I took my Dad after years of mithering him to come up with me , He seemed unimpressed and seemed glad the whole affair was over .
Maybe deep down he was a bit worried ( doesnt suit everyone)
I wouldnt worry about it , I tend to only take people now who seem genuinly interested in flying, some people just put it on their "done that " list !!
We love it anyway !! and they cant do it !!!!
nah nah na nah nah !!!!
EL
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I shudder to think how many pax I've brought home after spending a couple of weeks on the North Sea. How many have taken the time to say thank you, or give me an appreciative wave, do you think? I could probably count them on the fingers of one foot.
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Should have done some Stalls , Steep Turns & unusual attitude
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I know what you mean. Some people just cannot get that exited about anything. What a sad life they must lead.
I take people on a similar trip most weekends, give them my best tourguide speech of the south of england, entertain them with steep turns, give them their first go at flying a plane themselves and just not impressed.
Others wear giddy smiles from take off to touch down. The best ones are the ones that just want you to make it go tippy all of the time (about 1 in 100 trips on average).
Yet stick me on a pole 2000 feet above the airfield and I'd never get bored looking out. Every time you go up you see somthing you've never seen before.
Anyway if they all wanted to do it imagine how busy it would be up there.
The most gaulling thing is you paid for it. I'd have at least got the cost share and lunch out of the miserable git.
I take people on a similar trip most weekends, give them my best tourguide speech of the south of england, entertain them with steep turns, give them their first go at flying a plane themselves and just not impressed.
Others wear giddy smiles from take off to touch down. The best ones are the ones that just want you to make it go tippy all of the time (about 1 in 100 trips on average).
Yet stick me on a pole 2000 feet above the airfield and I'd never get bored looking out. Every time you go up you see somthing you've never seen before.
Anyway if they all wanted to do it imagine how busy it would be up there.
The most gaulling thing is you paid for it. I'd have at least got the cost share and lunch out of the miserable git.
The Original Whirly
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I've not had that sort of thing happen. However, I do warn people that I fly a very ancient and tatty C150, that it won't be comfortable, that it won't be fast, and that they might not like it. (Though I do emphasise that, old or not, the aircraft is safe.) But it sounds like, whatever the reason, this chap has no idea of manners at all!!!!!
Nearest I've come to an experience like that? I took up two firends, husband and wife, cost sharing, one at a time. They both loved it, and asked if I'd take a friend of theirs. OK, I said. A couple of weeks later I got a phone call from their friend. She more or less demanded that I take her son flying for a birthday present. Well, I said, I might be able to, but I don't know when. That wasn't good enough; she wanted it soon, because his birthday was coming up, and she wanted it on a Saturday, as he worked in the week. I explained that I'm a helicopter instructor, and that I work Saturdays. "You mean you can't do it!", she said, clearly very annoyed. Having had enough by then, I said no, sorry, I couldn't. She was quite put out. The fact that I'd be paying for the privilege of taking her son flying didn't seem to occur to her.
I'm very careful who I take flying these days. And I tell them it'll be when it's convenient for me, and the fact we arrange it doesn't mean we'll fly, and I don't want any arguments if we don't.
After all, being pilots doesn't mean that we're aerial taxi services.
Nearest I've come to an experience like that? I took up two firends, husband and wife, cost sharing, one at a time. They both loved it, and asked if I'd take a friend of theirs. OK, I said. A couple of weeks later I got a phone call from their friend. She more or less demanded that I take her son flying for a birthday present. Well, I said, I might be able to, but I don't know when. That wasn't good enough; she wanted it soon, because his birthday was coming up, and she wanted it on a Saturday, as he worked in the week. I explained that I'm a helicopter instructor, and that I work Saturdays. "You mean you can't do it!", she said, clearly very annoyed. Having had enough by then, I said no, sorry, I couldn't. She was quite put out. The fact that I'd be paying for the privilege of taking her son flying didn't seem to occur to her.
I'm very careful who I take flying these days. And I tell them it'll be when it's convenient for me, and the fact we arrange it doesn't mean we'll fly, and I don't want any arguments if we don't.
After all, being pilots doesn't mean that we're aerial taxi services.
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Complete lack of manners and common courtesy by the sounds of it.
Regardless of if they enjoyed it or not you took your time out for them and they should have been polite.
Manners maketh man so they say, thankfully most people would be delighted to go flying with you Penguina.
Regardless of if they enjoyed it or not you took your time out for them and they should have been polite.
Manners maketh man so they say, thankfully most people would be delighted to go flying with you Penguina.
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Penguina,
As a complete contrast, I took my neighbour and her 12 year old son for a 40 minute trip down to EBSP and back for a cup of coffee last Saturday. The son had flown with me once as a 6 year old but this was the ladies first trip in a light aircraft. The trip down was initally a little turbulent and, soon after take off, I glimpsed (she sat in the back on the way down) her white knuckles clutching the back of her son's seat. She managed to survive it and my ropiest landing ever.
Back at base I was kept high and thrown a threshold base into the bargin. The subsequent slowing down and getting down produced another couple of white knuckle moments for her. Despite this she appeared at the door a few hours later, with that silly grin on her face, to let me know how much she enjoyed the new experience.
So stress or not, I don't cut your passenger too much slack. My 2p worth .... unmannerly to$$er!
As a complete contrast, I took my neighbour and her 12 year old son for a 40 minute trip down to EBSP and back for a cup of coffee last Saturday. The son had flown with me once as a 6 year old but this was the ladies first trip in a light aircraft. The trip down was initally a little turbulent and, soon after take off, I glimpsed (she sat in the back on the way down) her white knuckles clutching the back of her son's seat. She managed to survive it and my ropiest landing ever.
Back at base I was kept high and thrown a threshold base into the bargin. The subsequent slowing down and getting down produced another couple of white knuckle moments for her. Despite this she appeared at the door a few hours later, with that silly grin on her face, to let me know how much she enjoyed the new experience.
So stress or not, I don't cut your passenger too much slack. My 2p worth .... unmannerly to$$er!
Join Date: Aug 2003
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I'm with Stafford on this. If this person was a friend, the only thing that explains his attitude was pathetic macho envy. I mean, hell, if we're going to run with the stamp collection comparison: Stamps leave me cold, but if a pal has a fantastic collection and goes to a lot of trouble to show it to me, I'd show some enthusiasm, and it would only be partly fake.....