Flying Companion certificate
 

Hi everyone i am new to this forum , i am a young student pilot. i was just browsing the net and came across a license that is known as the flying companion license, this would be perfect for my father who is keen to be able to fly with me, but would not want to pay for a ppl himself.

has anyone done this course?would you recommend it?

any details,however little would be appreciated.

thanks:O


p.s i found it on the AOPA website

There is no license which enables a person to be a companion to a pilot. You can carry your father without him having any training at all.

I don't know the details of the course that you're looking at, but I would imagine it is what I would call a "safety pilot" course. The type of course I am thinking of is aimed at the potential passenger who might think "I'd love to fly with X, but what if he has a heart attack and drops dead? I wouldn't have a clue how to land the plane." The course teaches them to keep the plane flying safely, make emergency calls on the radio, and land well enough that if they damage the plane they will at least do minimal damage to themselves. At the end of this course, they have no qualifications whatsoever, but hopefully they have enough confidence to be able to go flying without fear of the worst.

(Statistically, of course, this course is very unlikely to be any practical use at all, because pilots don't generally drop dead of heart attacks whilst at the controls. But it will at least enable the passenger to help out the pilot with his flying duties, if the pilot so wishes.)

FFF
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yeah thats what i mean, i understand that i am not just going to drop dead.

i also understand that he can fly with me any way. the main reason is so he could help me out, if needed, and it is also just a good taster and to make him feel more comfortable, because to be honest would you let a 17 yr old boy take to up in a plane

i was also wandering as to whether a normal person without a ppl could obtain an RT license

the actual link is:
http://www.aopa.co.uk/newsfromaopa/F...ide_Syllab.pdf

Im also a younger PPL, and my mum was going to do the safety pilot course, purely out of interest in learning something and for fun, as my FI does the course.
I think anyone can obtain an RT license if they carry out the training and take the correct exams.

yeah it sounds like a good idea, just out of interest how old are you.

i reckon it would be a good idea for my dad to get an RT license because it would take a lot of workload off flying.

apparently the hours would also count towards a PPL if he decided to take the plunge

West London Aero Club i believe do one. It covers the bare essentials of flying.

I dont believe it can make anyone a safety pilot as a safety pilot must have a pilots licence. I thought the safety pilot is simply someone who is able to double check what another pilot is doing (ie. if the pilots a little rusty or need advice).

Id be very careful with someone else doing your RT, as there is more chance of a mis communication. To take the weight off as such you could always invite your dad to keep the plane steady?

i dont mean like a safety pilot, i just think it would be good for him, like you said to have a basic understanding of flying and i think that this would be a good way of him learning this, so as you said he could take the controls if i am busy with something else

How old do you have to be to use a capital letter for the personal pronoun?

Mike W

REV - old boy,

Passenger hours DO NOT count towards the grant of any licence. If they did you could surely argue that your 3 trips to the States in the back of a Jumbo should give you a PPL!


Would I let a 17yr old licenced pilot take me flying? Yes - just ask tKf.


Stik

Actually, the AOPA course involves 8 hours of dual with a qualified flight instructor, so there is no reason why that time should not be logged in case Rev's father becomes keen and decides to pursue his own license (you never know, it happened to Alex Henshaw's dad!). I believe that in the eyes of the CAA, his father would not be a passenger but a student.

Anyway, it looks like the primary objective is:

(1) to make his father feel more comfortable about flying as a passenger; and

(2) to provide his father with some basic knowledge and a few skills, so that he can provide assistance with the navigation and radio work.

Such ambitions are quite reasonable and realisable. The American AOP has for many years offered a Pinch Hitter course that is well thought of. The UK AOPA syllabus looks broadly similar, and I would think that it would be a great idea for a regular flying companion.

i personally think its a great idea. it will also increase the enjoyment of the passenger who will understand (after doing the course) whats going on.

Mike W

It isn't easy to use the shift key when using just your right thumb to type.

Or find the ' key, which is also near the shift key. :D


omg i feel like a gom:\

i haven't got a key marked "shift" so i'm never going to be able to find which is the key next to it either!!;)

17 year old pilots
 

Quite interested to hear why a 17 yr old should not be allowed to fly an aircraft with passengers? If he's got a licence, he's proved he's capable of doing so.

I'm 17, gained my licence of my 17th bday, and took my parents and sister flying on that day, back in July of last year. Have since taken over 20 friends and family flying, as they understood I'd been through the approved courses and proven I was suitable to hold a licence!

:confused: :confused: :confused:

tKF

TheKentishFledglin

I am not saying that no one would trust me, because i also believe that any one who has got a license must be able to fly.

Like i said i just think that it would be good for him, because he is also keen to fly, and if he just learnt the basics from this course then i would be more than happy to let him take the controls if i am pre-occupied with something else.

Simple enough and no slur on young pilots ...

Sounds more like a father and son thing. My father wasn't keen on being a passenger when I passed my driving test. He knew I could drive OK ... but it's still hard to except "the boy" can drive. He's OK now ... but I'm near enough 40! :ugh:

That was with something he could do himself. Think of the dilema if you add the fact that the father is about to embark in a "flimsy little aeroplane" which he knows not how to control :ooh:, with .... "the boy"! :uhoh:

SS

SS - I'm a couple of years older than you and still have the same problem with my old man and cars. "No - I'll drive, you go too fast!"

Strapped him (aged 76) into the front seat of the Pitts last month and took him S&L to Seething, about 6nm away. Just as we approached he said something that I took to mean, "Show me a roll!"

On the ground he admitted to being terrified but said he was quite pleased he'd done it. He did insist on being driven back!

Go figure!

I think my dad was a little aprehensive of flying with me...he even said i couldn't take my mum...so, I took my mum and then he was desperate to go!
I think it was nerves/not knowing what to expect or just a 'flying with family' thing as he had already been up with a friend of mine and had loved it.
revilo_rehsif, why not teach you dad how to basically fly the aircraft? I got my 70 y.o Gran doing a few turns and straight and level and she can barely see out. My Mum and Dad are pretty good, my brother, a natural!

FlikRoll

I know this is a pretty stupid question but from a legal point of view could i let passengers fly the aircraft.

As i said earlier it is mainly a confidence thing.