Pilot Training With a Passenger: What You Need to Know

Are you in pilot training? Do you think it would help you learn faster if you flew in the back seat of the aircraft and observed another learner taking training?

For some people, observation can be a very effective tool. But there are rules you need to respect.

Is It Legal to Carry a Passenger on a Flight Lesson?

Some flight schools allow learners to designate a “buddy” who is also in the flight program to ride in the back seat of the Cessna 172. This enables the learners to gain real-world experience with the importance of calculating weight and balance and how to load the aircraft for best results.

It can be a surprise to learners when the airplane handles differently with more than the learner and CFI on board. You learn a lot about how to load the aircraft when you carry your first passengers.

When I was preparing learners for their post-solo stage check with the chief CFI at a particular school, I insisted the back-seater sit behind me, since the chief weighed 250 pounds—100 more than me—and I knew the aircraft was going to fly differently with all that weight on the right.

One of the learners, after his stage check with the chief, remarked that he was happy he had the back-seater experience, as he definitely felt the extra weight during his check flight.

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It is legal to have a passenger during a dual instructional flight. I stress this because there was a student pilot who was concerned about having a back-seater because the student pilot certificate bears the words “PASSENGER CARRYING IS PROHIBITED.” He didn’t come right out and say this, though—he simply refused back-seaters on two flights.

The rule was that the CFI always asked the learner’s permission because it’s the learner’s money being spent, and it is just good manners to ask if they are OK with someone observing from the back seat. On the third request, he asked if this was a “test” or if the CFIs were trying to get rid of him and pointed to the line on his student pilot certificate.

This opened up a discussion on how the CFI holds a commercial certificate, and therefore we are the pilot in command (PIC) on instructional flights, and so a passenger can legally be carried.

That young man went on to become a CFI and worked with me a few years later. He made a point to tell his primary learners that they could take a passenger in the back seat when it was a dual instruction flight because he was PIC. However, the back-seater could not be a distraction.

This is very important. If the person in the back seat can’t follow directions, like “don’t talk when I hold my hand up because I am listening to a radio call,” think twice about allowing them aboard. You may have to adjust the lesson as well as you probably don’t want to do emergency spirals or power-on stalls when you have someone who is “aviation challenged” in the back. 

Think Like a Novice

Remember, what is easy and mundane for pilots can be dramatic for the person in the back seat.

I learned this one when I was doing a ground reference lesson with a private pilot candidate. He performed the turns around a point, rectangular patterns, and S-turns over a road beautifully with his nonflying, non-English-speaking girlfriend in the back seat.

I knew we were in trouble when we landed at another airport to refuel, and she rushed out of the airplane and sort of crouched on the ramp, obviously frightened. The learner, who was bilingual, had a quick discussion with her. She had been frightened by all the turns we were doing, since her only experience with airplanes had been on airliners that don’t do that.

It took the two of us to persuade her to get back in the airplane. To do it, I had to fly and state exactly what I was doing and why, and the learner translated for her—and did all the radio calls. This experience served him well, as a few years later he became a CFI and told this story to his learners, as he grasped the importance of explaining what he was doing to his passengers.

Sometimes the ride in the back seat sparks an interest in aviation. The EAA’s Young Eagles program has been using this model for years. I think about this when I invite a learner to bring a friend or family member along during dual cross-country flights.

One private pilot candidate asked if he could bring his fiance along. He had been flying three times a week, and she felt this activity was taking too much of his time. I wondered if there was subtext there and was prepared to tell her about my side hustle as a professional troll harassing Billy Goats Gruff under a Seattle bridge, but she relaxed when she realized flying was all business.

She ended up taking a few lessons with me because, in case anything happened to him, she wanted to be able to land the airplane. A few years later, I ran into her again—she had finished her private certificate.

Parents in the Back Seat

When working with teenagers, if there is a good relationship between the teen and their parents, it can be fun to bring mom or dad on a dual cross-country flight. It’s another set of eyes to watch for traffic, and it’s a great confidence builder for the teen.

I have seen many proud parents be impressed by their kid. Sometimes they are so inspired that they take flying lessons. I have had many father-son and father-daughter student combos. It’s wonderful when both parent and child get to fulfill their dreams together.