The gift of flight - what has been your experience with relatives?

Posted by TeddyNorth@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 3 comments

My wife and I are considering giving her cousin the gift of a flight in the Cessna for her PhD graduation. She's well off and so is her family, so any material gift we could put together will be underwhelming.

Flight however, is something we are uniquely positioned give. We think she might genuinely enjoy it, so that's why we're considering it. I'm curious if others have done this, and how its gone? I'd be the one flying.

I am soliciting advice because I've been very careful to only offer flying to people who proactively ask me about it. I figure most people don't appreciate the magic and joy of flight in a small plane.

I'll admit I'm a little hesitant, because you never know how someone will react to the prospect of flying in a small plane. She's flown to Europe every year of her life but we all know how a Cessna might feel different to a land-dweller.

While the wife's cousin and I have always gotten along, the circumstances have always been low-stakes. Non-pilots reveal trust and control issues in funny ways with flight. All of these concerns are more general, and not linked to any lingering thoughts we've specifically wondered about with the cousin.

Even so, we're thinking of giving her the option of a sunset bay tour flight or sunset schooner sailing on the bay. The schooner sailing would obviously not be piloted by me 😉.

How have others approached this prospect? We don't want to dismiss the idea because its a wonderful thing to give someone the gift of flight, especially if they are the type that might love it and simply haven't been in the right circles to have had the opportunity.

Thoughts?