Hand Holding
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Hand Holding
Hand holding for the benefit of those who do not practice it in public, is the art of flying as captain, in the right hand seat, in an attempt to discourage a private owner from crashing. The owner has a lot of money and often not a lot of skill or experience. It would be interesting to uncover the best and worst stories that we hand holders have experienced. I will save mine for later.....
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Bumz,
Years ago I did a fair bit of this for one private owner, I'd better not say who..............
I would always offer him the handling but he always declined, as soon as the gear came up he disappeared down the back and I would often not see him again until we were on stand at our destination. Legally it was a 2 crew plane (jet) so I ended up getting a bit nervous about it and packed it in before getting rumbled. The owner said he had a pilots licence and a rating but I never saw it! As I was signing the tech log for each flight any problems with the authorities would have come straight to me.....
Years ago I did a fair bit of this for one private owner, I'd better not say who..............
I would always offer him the handling but he always declined, as soon as the gear came up he disappeared down the back and I would often not see him again until we were on stand at our destination. Legally it was a 2 crew plane (jet) so I ended up getting a bit nervous about it and packed it in before getting rumbled. The owner said he had a pilots licence and a rating but I never saw it! As I was signing the tech log for each flight any problems with the authorities would have come straight to me.....
ZbV
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Friend of mine has had a Kingair for 14 years now and flies it privately. He first got his PPL in 1953 and has all ratings including ATP. He has not flown for airlines but has over 8000 hours and flies and trains in sims regularly.
He has now reached the age where his insurance agent wants him to have a safety pilot with him.
He holds Class 1 medical with no restrictions and is still sharp as a knife. Only good I can see in having a safety pilot with him is that he can share his considerable knowledge with a less experienced pilot.
He has now reached the age where his insurance agent wants him to have a safety pilot with him.
He holds Class 1 medical with no restrictions and is still sharp as a knife. Only good I can see in having a safety pilot with him is that he can share his considerable knowledge with a less experienced pilot.
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King Air
Sounds like your man is the ideal client.....A owner pilot who has seen the world from on high. I flew the various king Airs for serveal years, and it is an ideal private owners aircraft. BUT I do know of one at present where the owner believes he is the worlds best, does not need jepps and he know the entire world, and besides if he is lost, (sorry slightly off track, due weather), just tells ATC who is is and demands vectors to the runway that best suits his needs.......(so many ands...and so little time...) Why don't you offer your services.?
STRESS FREE
In some respects you had the best solution....but I know what you are getting at. Did he ever go for recurrent training or did he manage to slip out the back there as well?
STRESS FREE
In some respects you had the best solution....but I know what you are getting at. Did he ever go for recurrent training or did he manage to slip out the back there as well?
ZbV
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Some 5 years ago I was "Hand holding" a "Senior citizen" with his own Citation CJ1. He was also quite experienced and attended recurrent training every 6 months. His problem: Godīs gift to aviation. He would wear a fantasy uniform with for stripes on sleeves and shoulders with wings, medals and ribbons. I mean the whole works.
This man would not listen to any advice. Scared me once and then again a few weeks later and I flew with him no longer. He did get me trained on the jet so I did get a lot out of that too, but I valued my life too much. I hear he is no longer flying.
So before you jump in to an airplane just to build hours or experience, have a look around. Listen to people and see what kind of reputation the guy you work for has.
Cheer
JJ
This man would not listen to any advice. Scared me once and then again a few weeks later and I flew with him no longer. He did get me trained on the jet so I did get a lot out of that too, but I valued my life too much. I hear he is no longer flying.
So before you jump in to an airplane just to build hours or experience, have a look around. Listen to people and see what kind of reputation the guy you work for has.
Cheer
JJ
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One of mine
Several years ago, I was right hand seat Citation 1, with owner. Up to OBAN, visual approach almost normal, (ie not inverted), but a little fast. A suggestion to that effect was ignored. The second suggestion was made, louder and more positive. ref +20, 50 ft. shortish runway. Silence. The third suggestion was "my aircraft" and a go around. The guests waiting were most impressed at the special low pass. We landed and NO TR's!!!!!!. After taxi in he did mention that these were intermittent, and he never used them anyway as the noise was bad. Thank god we did the go around and not the "slightly" fast landing, and subsequent overrun. (you remember the C500 brakes some times were bad, some times very bad). NO fire and rescue at Oban.
The return flight airways, IFR recovery, equally dramatic, eventually I handled he worked radio.
He thanked me, paid up, and then told me that yesterday he had renewed his PPL/IR......I learned a lot from that trip.
The return flight airways, IFR recovery, equally dramatic, eventually I handled he worked radio.
He thanked me, paid up, and then told me that yesterday he had renewed his PPL/IR......I learned a lot from that trip.
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I would think that to be a 'hand holder' is any low hour pilot's dream come true. Having been a hand holder (coming out the closet) was my lucky break. All of a sudden flying cross border, SIDs and STARs, and getting that illusive twin engine time.
However the downside is the cramping in the stomach as the runway approaches at neck breaking speed and the 'I've got it', followed by a go-around, having to explain to tower that's ops are normal. Then dodging the Cb's etc while being asked detailed questions on some menu on the GPS. My first CRM course I guess!
I don't have a best or worst story but being a hand holder to this business man was the goose that laid the golden egg and my ticket to bigger and better things. I wasn't able to glean any valuable info (he wasn't a 8000hrs pilot but was type rated) but the learning curve was steep and the beers at the hotel tasted mighty fine afterwards. Oh, and the money was good.
However the downside is the cramping in the stomach as the runway approaches at neck breaking speed and the 'I've got it', followed by a go-around, having to explain to tower that's ops are normal. Then dodging the Cb's etc while being asked detailed questions on some menu on the GPS. My first CRM course I guess!
I don't have a best or worst story but being a hand holder to this business man was the goose that laid the golden egg and my ticket to bigger and better things. I wasn't able to glean any valuable info (he wasn't a 8000hrs pilot but was type rated) but the learning curve was steep and the beers at the hotel tasted mighty fine afterwards. Oh, and the money was good.
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Policepilot
That is exactly how I started, very lucky, not to die, did many stupid things because I had my PPL/IR to save me. One of the first of many flights from the west country to the channel islands every weekend. Full IFR panel: one ADF, that received Droitwich, and one VHF that did work as advertised.
So all my (VFR) navigation was heading and times, did listen to and learn to appreciate Radio 4. As an asside I did a long stint photographing the groud, and Radio 4 became my scheduler. The owner would insist on a round island tour before landing, at least once we were very surprised at the shape of Jersey, from 100ft, and a k or two vis...... But that was in the old days when flying was fun. I will save the MNPS, and Icland for my next confessional.
I collected all my ratings up to Beech 300 in this way.......different owners, and as you say different menus.
So all my (VFR) navigation was heading and times, did listen to and learn to appreciate Radio 4. As an asside I did a long stint photographing the groud, and Radio 4 became my scheduler. The owner would insist on a round island tour before landing, at least once we were very surprised at the shape of Jersey, from 100ft, and a k or two vis...... But that was in the old days when flying was fun. I will save the MNPS, and Icland for my next confessional.
I collected all my ratings up to Beech 300 in this way.......different owners, and as you say different menus.
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I used to work at an FBO and remember handling a CX with an owner/flyer and a "hand holder". Speaking to the "hand holder" afterwards he was one of the saddest people I have ever talked to. He flew a Challenger 604 for a fractional company beforehand and hated flying the CX. The owner would get "low and slow" on every approach and after applying power on final to get back on-speed he would be confronted with the owners family whistling and clapping after every landing.
The poor bloke just wanted to get back in a professional cockpit. Felt sorry for him.
The poor bloke just wanted to get back in a professional cockpit. Felt sorry for him.
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unusual attitudes
Go to practice unusual attitude recovery yesterday, after take off. VFR, atc asked for a right turn, decided that right was to our right, and thus turned the heading bug, not sure why as hand flying!!!!, thus the aircraft turned right. I changed frequency, reomote head, head down. Noticed head staying down, ( G forces) bank warning did not sound, (perhaps 65 degrees is not considered abnormal by honeywell).
Standard recovery, did not spill a drop.!!!!!
Another day another dollar.....
Standard recovery, did not spill a drop.!!!!!
Another day another dollar.....
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police pilot_vivsala
Police Pilot.
Whilst I agree a low hours dream, in fact you need eyes in the back of your head, skills far in excess of superman, and the tact of a brick sh*t house. But do not let this put you off.....Its great fun when the fans have stopped.
Vivsala.
I know the guys that were involved with this family, and the stories they tell about the zorba, are that he was a competent guy, now the lad, thats a different matter. I hope that the lads read this and respond as the stories are great fun.....I certainly learned about flying from them. Mum and her mum were great fun too. as SLF that is.
The best bit of the job is you get ALL the jepps to update.
Whilst I agree a low hours dream, in fact you need eyes in the back of your head, skills far in excess of superman, and the tact of a brick sh*t house. But do not let this put you off.....Its great fun when the fans have stopped.
Vivsala.
I know the guys that were involved with this family, and the stories they tell about the zorba, are that he was a competent guy, now the lad, thats a different matter. I hope that the lads read this and respond as the stories are great fun.....I certainly learned about flying from them. Mum and her mum were great fun too. as SLF that is.
The best bit of the job is you get ALL the jepps to update.
