38 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Fly Five People When many of us get into aviation, we opt to go the pilot route instead of the ultralight route. We often do that because we want to share the flight with someone. And many times that someone is someone very special and has a name. The planned passenger may be a spouse, child, grandchild, or friend. In fact, I believe that having someone specific in mind as a passenger is very motivating when you are working on your license. However, once a lot of people get their licenses, they find themselves flying by themselves a lot of times. Being a passenger is fun, but not nearly as fun as being the pilot! So it is natural that the enthusiasm of the non-pilot part of the team may wane a little bit. Ironically, that turns many pilots (even GA pilots!) into ultralight pilots. That is, in the sense that no matter how big the airplane, it is mostly used to solo fly locally. Pilots either take off and return to the same airport or fly to a nearby airport to visit friends. Those are missions that are often easily done with a nice ultralight. Which means that most sport pilots are flying under-capacity! Now if you are a pilot who actually prefers to fly alone, then I wouldn’t change anything. I have a number of pilot friends who enjoy the freedom of solo flight. Flying by yourself means that it is just you and the sky. You don’t have to worry about the needs and desires of a passenger. And honestly, while flying solo you can do things that you know may be a little risky. Risks that you don’t want to take while another life is in your care. But if you like to take people flying, you should do that occasionally. Before Sport Pilot, all two-seat “ultralight trainers” were flown by ultralight flight instructors. They were known as Basic or Advanced Flight Instructors (bfis or afis under two exemptions to Part 103 programs) or Ultralight Flight Instructors or Ultralight Flight Instructor Examiners (ufis or ufies under a third exemption program). The point is, the world was rich in ultralight flight instructors and many of these flight instructors actually took relative strangers up to fly. These bfis and ufis did the sport a world of good by introducing many to flight. Even if the instructors didn’t instruct their students anywhere beyond an introductory flight, they at least were able to set the hook. After that, the people who wanted to go on to become pilots at least knew what they were getting into. Over ten years ago bfis, afis, ufis, and ufies all were given a chance to transition to faa sport pilots and instructors before the exemptions went away. Some instructors became faa certified flight instructors and some simply became sport pilots. Those who became instructors became busy training new students and those with just sport pilot certificates just continued to fly friends and family for the most part. And that is pretty much the way the faa envisioned it should be. However, what was lost in this new alignment was the opportunity for the average guy to just go for a first flight. Instructors are relatively scarce and busy. And many sport pilots have drifted away from taking others up for a taste of sky. That, I believe, has hurt the growth of the sport. So what I would like to propose is a New Year’s resolution for all sport pilots, especially those who fly exotic aircraft like open cockpit airplanes, weight shift control trikes, powered parachutes and gyroplanes. That resolution is to take just five people flying next year. They don’t have to be strangers. In fact, it is better if they are friends, acquaintances, people from local clubs or the like. Five may seem like a small number, but the point is that it shouldn’t be a burden. It should be fun! And if you read the excellent article by Gary Berdeaux in this month’s issue, you can see that there is a little bit of effort to make it happen. But think of the benefits of giving people the gift of a flight. (And yes, it is a gift. The faa says you really can’t charge beyond half the gas you burned during the flight. So might as well go all of the way and make it a true gift!) • You get the opportunity to vicariously enjoy ‘first flight’ through the eyes of someone else. • You may get a new flying buddy. • You may introduce a kid to a lifetime of flying. • You may help grow the sport. • You will do something that someone will always remember. • You will do something that will make you feel good about yourself. These are all wonderful opportunities. So this is a New Year’s Resolution that you can enjoy. Much more fun than vowing to lose ten pounds or learn the Chinese language!
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