Pax Briefing Tips
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Pax Briefing Tips
Having got my ticket and started taking a few willing volunteers aloft i'd like some pointers on Pax briefings as i find mine are leaving a bit to be desired.
I try to be chatty and informal and focus on the 'if you feel sick' part but when you get to the bit about engine failures and things we will do in case of this, motioning to the doors and fire extinguishes etc.. i've seen a few nervous shifts in the seats or looks of strangled horror.
Anybody got a fool proof way of mentioning eventualities and DVA's without scaring the hell out of your perspective avgas voucher,.. i mean passenger.
Thanks.
I try to be chatty and informal and focus on the 'if you feel sick' part but when you get to the bit about engine failures and things we will do in case of this, motioning to the doors and fire extinguishes etc.. i've seen a few nervous shifts in the seats or looks of strangled horror.
Anybody got a fool proof way of mentioning eventualities and DVA's without scaring the hell out of your perspective avgas voucher,.. i mean passenger.
Thanks.
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The old SAFETY acronym comes to mind:
Seatbealts
Air vents
Fire extinguisher
Egress or Emergency - how to operate the doors etc
Talk - that they should keep the talk to a minimum during take offs and landings.
Your comments - here I normally ask them to help me keep a lookout for traffic, which many enjoy doing.
Barf bag doesn't fit into this, but it should.
Seatbealts
Air vents
Fire extinguisher
Egress or Emergency - how to operate the doors etc
Talk - that they should keep the talk to a minimum during take offs and landings.
Your comments - here I normally ask them to help me keep a lookout for traffic, which many enjoy doing.
Barf bag doesn't fit into this, but it should.
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I usually brief the following things (of course in the event they have flown with me before, the briefing is shorter):
- how to get into and out of the airplane without damaging it (and without my assistance in case of emergency)
- use of seatbelt
- fire on start procedures (they evacuate while I deal with the fire)
- location of fire extinguisher
- position during takeoff (especially for the person sitting on the front right-hand seat) - hands on knees and feet off the pedals
- intercom communications (no talk from before start until I say it's OK - usually when out of runway heading)
- air sickness (I always have at least one sickness bag for each pax)
I always comfort them by explaining that possibility of an emergency in a light aircraft is very remote, but nontheless I've been trained to deal with them and have reviewed the procedures the day before (something I do just to keep them in memory). If this is their first flight with a light aircraft, I explain that there will be different forces, which could be exaggerated, but I tell them there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of and that I will try to make flight as comfort as possible. For the passengers slightly scared of heights I try to explain that higher is safer, but I usually fail at this
The most difficult thing during briefing is to keep pax from running away when they see 35-year old C172 that we are about to fly in 
- how to get into and out of the airplane without damaging it (and without my assistance in case of emergency)
- use of seatbelt
- fire on start procedures (they evacuate while I deal with the fire)
- location of fire extinguisher
- position during takeoff (especially for the person sitting on the front right-hand seat) - hands on knees and feet off the pedals
- intercom communications (no talk from before start until I say it's OK - usually when out of runway heading)
- air sickness (I always have at least one sickness bag for each pax)
I always comfort them by explaining that possibility of an emergency in a light aircraft is very remote, but nontheless I've been trained to deal with them and have reviewed the procedures the day before (something I do just to keep them in memory). If this is their first flight with a light aircraft, I explain that there will be different forces, which could be exaggerated, but I tell them there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of and that I will try to make flight as comfort as possible. For the passengers slightly scared of heights I try to explain that higher is safer, but I usually fail at this
The most difficult thing during briefing is to keep pax from running away when they see 35-year old C172 that we are about to fly in
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and...
- how to operate the life raft
- I make sure the passenger next to the #2 door can actually open and close it (while I watch)
- how to use the headsets, and how to not b*gger them up
- how to operate the life raft
- I make sure the passenger next to the #2 door can actually open and close it (while I watch)
- how to use the headsets, and how to not b*gger them up
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Dont mention 'engine failures'! Your probably taking someone whos never been in a light a/c before, the last thing thry want to hear is that the engine might quit. "in the unlikely event that we need to use them....the fire extinguisher and first aid box are located here" will suffice. The only other thing I include is a demo of how to operate the door and seatbelt.
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Thanks guys, some good points here, and i'd never seen that acronym before very useful.
I'm interested in what FyingStone says about forces, do you explain that they will feel more acceleration, g in turns? i try and keep any tight turns to a minimum.
I learnt to talk to the pax during the flight esp in the landing phase as chopping back to near idle when your starting to deploy flap makes the engine go real quiet! it freaked my wife out so i explian this now, she thought it had quit!
most pax get freaked out by the size of the aircraft, i normally fly a tommie but i upgraded to a battered Archer for one flight, one passenger exclaimed 'its sooooo small' I had to explain for me it was big a plane :-)
anybody have a standard patter for engine failures? anybody ever mention EFATO? we were taught to expalin this but it seems a little dramatic?
Thanks.
I'm interested in what FyingStone says about forces, do you explain that they will feel more acceleration, g in turns? i try and keep any tight turns to a minimum.
I learnt to talk to the pax during the flight esp in the landing phase as chopping back to near idle when your starting to deploy flap makes the engine go real quiet! it freaked my wife out so i explian this now, she thought it had quit!
most pax get freaked out by the size of the aircraft, i normally fly a tommie but i upgraded to a battered Archer for one flight, one passenger exclaimed 'its sooooo small' I had to explain for me it was big a plane :-)
anybody have a standard patter for engine failures? anybody ever mention EFATO? we were taught to expalin this but it seems a little dramatic?
Thanks.
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If I've got rear seat passengers (PA28) I always mention which order they should leave the aircraft if they need to evacuate, i.e., I'll be the last one out, and that they should walk to the rear of the aircraft.
Once airborne I also ask them to let me know if they see any traffic; it gives them a sense of involvement, and works quite well.
Once airborne I also ask them to let me know if they see any traffic; it gives them a sense of involvement, and works quite well.
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Hi,
While there is a huge Safety Sense leaflet on the CAA web site covering this, it does mention you have to use what is appropriate. So good question.
I work as a flying instructor. On trial flying lessons - and indeed all lessons - one has to be careful not to overload the student.
A trial lesson especially, since it is all new to them.
You need to be in control.
You need to let them know this, so they stay quiet when you ask them too.
They need to know what to touch, and what not to touch.
They need to know how to get in and out the aircraft, and how to adjust their harness.
They need to know where to go - ie safe arc, away from prop - in case of an emergency evacuation.
They need to know they can tell you what they think - ie if they are suffering discomfort.
(if going over water, you may want to add life jacket, life raft etc)
Keep it short, or they'll never remember anything useful - like how to open the door.
You don't need to mention engine failures, cockpit fires, airsickness, fire extinguishers, first aid boxes etc. I have done a first aid course. The box is next to useless if you haven't had training, and if you have had training, it is next to useless since you can improvise! (different for very remote areas)
Don't mention air sick! Tell someone not to think of a bright green elephant, and the first thing they think of is.....? So use words like discomfort!
Many will be producing large amounts of adrenaline at this moment, no need to increase the flow with stuff about EFATO etc. If you have one and crash, you have told them how to get out. If you have one and don't crash, then why brief. Even on a real EFATO, you can have a surprising amount of time!
I usually start with: Just like on a passenger aircraft, by law we are required to give you a safety brief. .....
On a weightshift microlight I then go: The emergency exits are here, here and .... wave all around. But you must be careful of the propellor - when it is spinning you cannot see it and it will chop you up!
I try and keep it serious, but lighthearted. Just like the flythomson video one with the kiddies doing the brief!
While there is a huge Safety Sense leaflet on the CAA web site covering this, it does mention you have to use what is appropriate. So good question.
I work as a flying instructor. On trial flying lessons - and indeed all lessons - one has to be careful not to overload the student.
A trial lesson especially, since it is all new to them.
You need to be in control.
You need to let them know this, so they stay quiet when you ask them too.
They need to know what to touch, and what not to touch.
They need to know how to get in and out the aircraft, and how to adjust their harness.
They need to know where to go - ie safe arc, away from prop - in case of an emergency evacuation.
They need to know they can tell you what they think - ie if they are suffering discomfort.
(if going over water, you may want to add life jacket, life raft etc)
Keep it short, or they'll never remember anything useful - like how to open the door.
You don't need to mention engine failures, cockpit fires, airsickness, fire extinguishers, first aid boxes etc. I have done a first aid course. The box is next to useless if you haven't had training, and if you have had training, it is next to useless since you can improvise! (different for very remote areas)
Don't mention air sick! Tell someone not to think of a bright green elephant, and the first thing they think of is.....? So use words like discomfort!
Many will be producing large amounts of adrenaline at this moment, no need to increase the flow with stuff about EFATO etc. If you have one and crash, you have told them how to get out. If you have one and don't crash, then why brief. Even on a real EFATO, you can have a surprising amount of time!
I usually start with: Just like on a passenger aircraft, by law we are required to give you a safety brief. .....
On a weightshift microlight I then go: The emergency exits are here, here and .... wave all around. But you must be careful of the propellor - when it is spinning you cannot see it and it will chop you up!
I try and keep it serious, but lighthearted. Just like the flythomson video one with the kiddies doing the brief!
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In addition to what's been said, here are two other things on my pax briefing list:
- Cellphones off
- "My controls"/"Your controls" if I'm going to let the pax steer the aircraft for a while.
- The route we're going to fly. In fact, I typically carry last years chart specifically for this.
Furthermore, I've got a few items that I'm covering specifically for aerobatics flights:
- How to deal with g-forces: Look straight ahead, don't turn your head. (We're not exceeding 4g on these aeros flights, so squeezing/breathing techniques do not need to be covered, and you can't really learn this from a verbal briefing anyway.)
- How to deal with airsickness (Yes, I cover this specifically on aeros flights as the chances of getting sick are much higher. But also, by suspending the aeros or going back to the field, I also have way more options to deal with it. If you do get sick while flying straight and level there's not a lot I can do.)
- How to deal with the "grab something" reflex. (During some abrubt manoevers, pax sometimes have the reflex to want to grab something. One pax grabbed my throttle arm during a spin, and another pax (an instructor even) grabbed and blocked the stick during spin recovery. Since then, I always brief my pax to grab their shoulder belts if they want to grab something in a reflex. Works very well.)
- And I specifically talk the pax through the manoevers we're going to perform.
The pax brief list is a sticker on the back of my kneeboard - a very useful place for all these non-aircraft-specific lists.
- Cellphones off
- "My controls"/"Your controls" if I'm going to let the pax steer the aircraft for a while.
- The route we're going to fly. In fact, I typically carry last years chart specifically for this.
Furthermore, I've got a few items that I'm covering specifically for aerobatics flights:
- How to deal with g-forces: Look straight ahead, don't turn your head. (We're not exceeding 4g on these aeros flights, so squeezing/breathing techniques do not need to be covered, and you can't really learn this from a verbal briefing anyway.)
- How to deal with airsickness (Yes, I cover this specifically on aeros flights as the chances of getting sick are much higher. But also, by suspending the aeros or going back to the field, I also have way more options to deal with it. If you do get sick while flying straight and level there's not a lot I can do.)
- How to deal with the "grab something" reflex. (During some abrubt manoevers, pax sometimes have the reflex to want to grab something. One pax grabbed my throttle arm during a spin, and another pax (an instructor even) grabbed and blocked the stick during spin recovery. Since then, I always brief my pax to grab their shoulder belts if they want to grab something in a reflex. Works very well.)
- And I specifically talk the pax through the manoevers we're going to perform.
The pax brief list is a sticker on the back of my kneeboard - a very useful place for all these non-aircraft-specific lists.
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Flyingkiwi,
Im not sure where you've got this idea about speaking about engine failures from. You dont get on a typical commercial flight to listen to a captain babbling about engine failures on take off....or aborted take off's...uncontained smoke or fire on start up etc
You'd frighten the life out of nearly every passenger on board. Perhaps whilst training for your PPL you've been in the habit of giving a brief to your instructor regarding emergencies. You are now however giving a brief to a passenger and not an FI or examiner. As others have suggested, if you think about the brief you get on a typical airliner....how the seatbelt works, where the exits are, and where the life jacket is and how it works.....thats about it really. As for air sickness, I never mention the word. I do however tell them that if theyre too hot or too cold, or feel a bit stuffy then please say and i'll adjust the temperature. I then tell them theres a fresh air vent if they need it. They can read between the lines. Assuming they want to be a bit more than just a 'passenger' then brief the controls etc accordingly and tell them where to place hands and feet. Just use common sense without scaring them. If its a first flight for them, remember that they'll probably be excited and a little anxious so dont overload them with lots of info...as they wont listen! I do typical gift voucher trial lessons for people and you'd be amazed at how quickly it go's in one ear and out the other.
Im not sure where you've got this idea about speaking about engine failures from. You dont get on a typical commercial flight to listen to a captain babbling about engine failures on take off....or aborted take off's...uncontained smoke or fire on start up etc
You'd frighten the life out of nearly every passenger on board. Perhaps whilst training for your PPL you've been in the habit of giving a brief to your instructor regarding emergencies. You are now however giving a brief to a passenger and not an FI or examiner. As others have suggested, if you think about the brief you get on a typical airliner....how the seatbelt works, where the exits are, and where the life jacket is and how it works.....thats about it really. As for air sickness, I never mention the word. I do however tell them that if theyre too hot or too cold, or feel a bit stuffy then please say and i'll adjust the temperature. I then tell them theres a fresh air vent if they need it. They can read between the lines. Assuming they want to be a bit more than just a 'passenger' then brief the controls etc accordingly and tell them where to place hands and feet. Just use common sense without scaring them. If its a first flight for them, remember that they'll probably be excited and a little anxious so dont overload them with lots of info...as they wont listen! I do typical gift voucher trial lessons for people and you'd be amazed at how quickly it go's in one ear and out the other.
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Mike I agree with what you say but would just add that light GA is slightly different in the fact that the PAX are aware of everything going on up front as well as all the bells and whistles.
On a Seneca Five the auto disconnect sets off a buzzer which is way to loud.
I once had a passenger who was alarmed by what she thought was something going wrong on the approach to landing so now I will tell PAX not to worry about the loud buzz.
Even in private jets the PAX are much more involved in what is going on up front and hear audable warnings
"Pull up Pull up, Terrain pull up. Glideslope Glideslope" usually turn the damn thing off 
Pace
On a Seneca Five the auto disconnect sets off a buzzer which is way to loud.
I once had a passenger who was alarmed by what she thought was something going wrong on the approach to landing so now I will tell PAX not to worry about the loud buzz.
Even in private jets the PAX are much more involved in what is going on up front and hear audable warnings
"Pull up Pull up, Terrain pull up. Glideslope Glideslope" usually turn the damn thing off Pace
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Mike I always thought you had terrain avoidance in the beat up wreck of a 152 ? Last time I had a check ride in one this voice kept saying
" pul up pull up terrain terrain
Pace
" pul up pull up terrain terrain
Pace
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In addition to the above I'll make a quick mention just before descending towards the circuit for landing in regards to the stall warner as I have had a passenger get quite anxious a second or two before touchdown when they heard that.
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I show them how to use the headset (that usually takes a while), how to strap in and out and how to open the door. For the rest its all on a card which I give them.
KISS
- I cover a little more if we are doing aeros because they will almost certainly be or feel very sick.
The rest - we just chat as we go.
Something like - we are going to land now, dont worry I have done it a few time before - oh and its probably best not talk during this phase unless you really need to, dont worry about the beeps and voices warning of 500 feet - well not too much anyway. Seems to about cover it.
KISS
- I cover a little more if we are doing aeros because they will almost certainly be or feel very sick.
The rest - we just chat as we go.
Something like - we are going to land now, dont worry I have done it a few time before - oh and its probably best not talk during this phase unless you really need to, dont worry about the beeps and voices warning of 500 feet - well not too much anyway. Seems to about cover it.
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Fuji
Ok maybe slightly different taking some PAX on a nice day for a short flight to get an aerial view of their homes but PAX can be very different and we do need to be aware that what we see as fun maybe silent terror for them.
I can remember a few years back collecting 2 business ladies from Germany.
The flight over to the UK was uneventful flown IFR airways at around FL100 both ladies were happy.
The return was a different picture. a front had moved in with embedded Cbs in an overcast and a 700 ft cloudbase.
I had to climb to FL130 to get on top of the main cloud and to eyeball the CBs. The main cloudtops increased forcing a further climb and the instructions to fit oxygen masks.
The one lady was happy the other appeared happy. Levelling at FL190 with no possibility of a descent the one lady starting complaining that she could not breath and started to hyperventilate.
We cleared the front and I took a descent at the earliest possible to FL100.
The one woman refused to remove her oxygen mask as if she would die if she did.
The whole point of light GA is that the PAX are very much part of what is going on so I would agree that a briefing in all reality is an ongoing thing.
Watch out for PAX who are normally bubbly who go silent or for silent ones who go hyper.
Fuji in response to your comments but not directed at you
Pace
Ok maybe slightly different taking some PAX on a nice day for a short flight to get an aerial view of their homes but PAX can be very different and we do need to be aware that what we see as fun maybe silent terror for them.
I can remember a few years back collecting 2 business ladies from Germany.
The flight over to the UK was uneventful flown IFR airways at around FL100 both ladies were happy.
The return was a different picture. a front had moved in with embedded Cbs in an overcast and a 700 ft cloudbase.
I had to climb to FL130 to get on top of the main cloud and to eyeball the CBs. The main cloudtops increased forcing a further climb and the instructions to fit oxygen masks.
The one lady was happy the other appeared happy. Levelling at FL190 with no possibility of a descent the one lady starting complaining that she could not breath and started to hyperventilate.
We cleared the front and I took a descent at the earliest possible to FL100.
The one woman refused to remove her oxygen mask as if she would die if she did.
The whole point of light GA is that the PAX are very much part of what is going on so I would agree that a briefing in all reality is an ongoing thing.
Watch out for PAX who are normally bubbly who go silent or for silent ones who go hyper.
Fuji in response to your comments but not directed at you
Pace
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Yes; one needs to do a lot more on an airways flight. I file those for FL140-180 and then ask for a level off when above the cloud as far as the eye can see, but one needs to be able to climb subsequently all the way to FL200 if necessary, so a briefing on the oxygen system is necessary. One also has to sort out the cannulas in advance as they are not really re-usable items
I would not any flight with an evidently nervous passenger, but I find they tend to not be interested in flying "GA" in the first place... but then I don't fly commercially.
I would not any flight with an evidently nervous passenger, but I find they tend to not be interested in flying "GA" in the first place... but then I don't fly commercially.
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but I find they tend to not be interested in flying "GA" in the first place... but then I don't fly commercially.
I dont think it has much to do with flying commercially? One of the worst I had was flying an owner pilot with an IMCR to Belfast. he asked me to go as the forecast was not good and the flight was in a single retractable.
500 foot cloudbase so filed IFR at FL80.
The passenger/IMCR pilot appeared very unhappy about climbing on top to FL80 but thinking we would be better in the sunshine than in the clag I insisted.
As we passed FL60 he became more and more distressed,Breathing fast and looking nervous.
In the sunshine on top of solid he kept asking for a descent back into IMC which was crazy and only relaxed when past the IOM the clouds broke up and you could see the sea between the breaks.
On the return in the afternoon the weather was good VFR and he flew back his normal chirpy self.
Maybe its me having a bad effect on the PAX
The above is true Pace
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Unless flying over water, "Cellphones off 'coz they make that funny clicking noise over the radio, seatbelt on all the time, door opens like this. Don't worry about accidentally touching the controls. Now, sit back and enjoy the view. Oh, and you don't need to shout.."
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