Trust But Verify

The decision-making process for the layperson who is deciding whether to fly with a friend is a complicated one that reveals a lot about the individual.

Ben Younger

Monday, April 10, 2023 at 09:02 AM ET

Verified

The author navigates around Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California. [Courtesy: Ben Younger]

Key Takeaways:

Passengers without aviation knowledge often base their trust in a pilot on emotional impressions and superficial cues, leading to a subjective, rather than empirical, risk assessment.
More informed individuals, such as fellow pilots or close friends, assess a pilot's capability using measurable criteria and observations of their broader judgment and learning from past experiences.
A passenger's decision to fly can be heavily influenced by external factors like practical necessity or irrational fear, which may override any objective evaluation of a pilot's skill or safety.

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Walking up to my airplane on a warm Saturday in October on Catalina Island off the California coast, and after devouring one of the airport’s famous buffalo burgers, I noticed a beat-up Cessna that I recognized as belonging to one of the flight schools in Santa Monica. The pilot was young, mid-20s, and he had three people with him—two of which looked like they might be his parents. He stopped his preflight and approached me.

“Are you a CFI?”