ET's Info-Stew

Some aspects apply to the Cessna 172, though most of this applies to any plane.

I’m going to go over some important points with you before we continue. First, I am the Pilot in Command of this flight. What that means is that I alone am responsible for the safe execution of this flight so whatever I say goes. At any time, if I decide that the situation is unsafe, I alone can make the decision to terminate the flight in the safest means that I deem possible. That may mean landing at an alternate airport. I have checked the weather and inspected the airplane and have determined that it is safe to make this flight.

(Inside the cockpit) Unless I specifically ask you to do so, do not touch any of the controls (including the foot pedals), buttons, or knobs in the airplane. The exception to this is your seat. Below your seat are two knobs, which control the height and tilt of the seat, and a bar, which controls how far forward the seat is. Make sure not to make any sudden seat adjustments in the air and also be sure not to restrict the movement of any of the controls.

You are supposed to have your seatbelt fastened during taxi, takeoff, and landing. You put on the seatbelt by putting the buckle into the latch and tightening to keep you secure and comfortable. There is also a shoulder harness which hooks onto the buckle part like this (show how it’s done). Tighten the shoulder harness so that it is secure but comfortable. Once airborne you may take off your seatbelt and shoulder harness if you need to, but otherwise you should keep it on at all times. In the event that you need to remove the seatbelt and shoulder harness quickly, pull the buckle latch up to unbuckle. The shoulder harness will stay attached to the belt (give an example).

The doors and windows should remain closed and locked unless I say otherwise. To open and close the window, pull the latch (give example). To lock the door after securely closing, push the door latch down (give example). Pull the door latch up to open the door (give example).

After I’m done with this briefing we are going to pull out the plane, get in, and start it up. I’m going to talk with air traffic control on the headset. This button on the yoke is what I push to talk to them. Make sure not to push that button or we will be transmitting on the frequency. Once given the okay we will taxi to the runway. There I will do some run-up tests to ensure that the airplane is running well. When I’m done I’ll give you some more instructions then call up the controller to get clearance to take off.

After takeoff we will (discuss pattern departure plan). (Discuss en-route plan). While we are in the air, in addition to enjoying the scenery we should be looking out for other aircraft flying around us. So if you spot another aircraft, point it out to me. Don’t automatically assume I’ve seen the other aircraft.

When we get (back/to the destination airport), I will be entering the landing pattern and making the approach to landing. If during the approach I’m not comfortable with the situation, I will apply full throttle and start climbing to make another attempt. This is called a go-around and is a normal safety procedure. It doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with the plane. It just means that I want to try again to make a better approach so that we have a very good landing.

After we land we’ll taxi to the (fuel station/parking spot). Once we get to the parking spot we’ll shut down the plane and push it back into position and do some post-landing duties. Don’t unbuckle your seat belt or open your door until I say it is safe to do so.

Do you have any questions?

Okay, now in the extremely unlikely event of an emergency, you should do whatever I ask. For example, if we need to make an emergency off-airport landing, I’ll tell you to make sure your seatbelt and shoulder harness is tight then, shortly before we land, I’ll ask you to unlatch and crack open the door. After we land and come to a stop, you would unlatch your seatbelt and get a safe distance away from the plane.

Any other questions?

Okay now that the briefing is done we’re ready to go have some fun!

(Pre-takeoff briefing) I always make it a point to have a plan in the extremely unlikely event of engine failure just after takeoff. In that case, what I’m going to do is get the plane into its best glide speed and then make an emergency landing straight ahead or nearly so. Be prepared for any instructions I give you. But since that is almost certainly not going to happen, we’ll (repeat pattern departure plan). (Say something cheerful so this talk of emergency procedures doesn’t spook the passenger, “e.g. so just sit back and enjoy the ride.”).