Bit of a backstory. I met my now wife, shortly before I bought my now flying RV9a as a project. At the time she had this unspoken word of "No way am I flying in that thing when you get it done". Fast forward to a year and a half ago when I got airworthy ticket, her 1st flight was a short one on a cold day. 2nd flight was 3 hours. After that flight she decided to get her license.
Since then she has been either instructed in or a passenger in a lot of RV activies, cross country flights, formation, aerobatics (in RV8), etc and been very excited. Her first 28 hours of student time was in the RV9A, and we recently switched to the 172 in order for her to get more consistent training and it opens up instructor time. Her written in done.
So 5 Hours in on the 172 and she has come to realize she hates that airplane, and once her PPL test is done if she never fly's in one again it will be too soon. It got me to thinking, how many people get introduced to aviation via a similar trainer and never come back for the same reasons?
Had the 172 been her first experiences she would never have been this excited.
Since then she has been either instructed in or a passenger in a lot of RV activies, cross country flights, formation, aerobatics (in RV8), etc and been very excited. Her first 28 hours of student time was in the RV9A, and we recently switched to the 172 in order for her to get more consistent training and it opens up instructor time. Her written in done.
So 5 Hours in on the 172 and she has come to realize she hates that airplane, and once her PPL test is done if she never fly's in one again it will be too soon. It got me to thinking, how many people get introduced to aviation via a similar trainer and never come back for the same reasons?
Had the 172 been her first experiences she would never have been this excited.