Wife's first Gyro Ride.

GyroDoug

Active Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2005
Messages
3,664
Location
Layton, UT.
Aircraft
Butterfly Super Sky Cycle
Total Flight Time
15
I just have to tell this story! I hope some of you will enjoy it.

I have long been bitten by the flying bug (all my life really) but that is not true for my wife. She honestly has NO desire to fly in any fashion. She has flown on commercial transports plenty and doesn't hate the experience, but gets no thrill out of it, what so ever. She has also flown multiple times in the smaller turbo prop commuter transports and had a bumpy and less than pleasant experience so she has come to the conclusion that anything smaller than a jumbo jet is smaller than she wants to fly in. Since that concept is so foreign to me and the opposite of my attitude, I have tried for years to try to tempt her into experiences in rotorcraft.

Two years ago at our Rotors Over the Rockies Event I was able to get her a ride in an MD helicopter. It was a beautiful machine and she even got to ride in the co-pilot seat so she could get the best view possible. She came down from that ride saying it was bumpy and scary and she never wanted to go through that again. I just shook my head and couldn't believe she could view this whole flying experience so differently than I did. To her credit, even though she has no interest in flying herself, she knows how important it is to me and has always been very supportive of my efforts to fly. (Thanks hon, I love you) She even attends some of our local chapter events and tries to support me in that or any other way she can.

Well, this year we had our annual Sept. BBQ event down at the Airgyro hangar and she came with me. After a quick meeting we went out to the hangar and started to BBQ some burgers. Once we had all eaten our fill, Brian pulled out his Sparrow Hawk and started giving some rides to those that wanted to. Since I never stop trying to encourage my wife to get more involved in gyro flying, I suggested that she should accept Brian's offer and she should go take a ride in his beautiful machine. She was understandably less than enthused about the idea and declined the offer. Shortly after that I got called away from that conversation by another member and we ended up moving off to the side and discussing another topic. When that conversation was completed I moved back to the table where my wife was and found that some of the other members of our group had taken up the cause and were trying to convince my wife that she should take Bryan up on his offer.

Emboldened by the others efforts, I started in with renewed enthusiasm and started putting some pressure on her to give it a try. Well, not wanting to refuse now with everyone watching we got her to start towards the machine but she wasn't very happy about it. I didn't learn until later just "how unhappy" she had been at that moment but she was honestly afraid of the experience and really didn't want to participate. She told me repeatedly, "Doug, I really have NO DESIRE to do this." To which I responded, "Honey I know you have no desire, but just do it anyway, for me". Well, in an effort to seem supportive of me and with everyone else encouraging her so strongly, she went for it. Later she told me how her hands had started to shake and how uncomfortable she had really been with the whole deal. But being the trooper she was, she overcame her fears and decided to give it a try.

I have pictures of her sitting in the Gyro, emptying her pockets and getting ready to go. Then she looked up at me and there was some serious concern on her face, but I was just so excited that she was finally going to get a ride in a gyroplane that I wasn't being very sensitive to her feelings at the time. She was going up with my CFI instructor "Mike Burton" who was told to take it easy with her as she was very nervous about the whole deal. Mike is an incredible instructor and very good at reading people and understanding what they need. Mary told me later that the way Mike talked to her and explained everything that was happening, made her calm down quickly and before she knew it she was enjoying the experience.

She was amazed at how smooth the flight was in a gyroplane and she didn't feel any of the bouncing around she was expecting to feel in such a small aircraft. She really enjoyed the ride and although she is not ready to start working on becoming a gyro pilot herself or telling me to get a two place machine so I can take her up on a regular basis, she feels totally different about flying in a gyroplane than she did before. My favorite picture of her experience is of her once they have come to a stop back at the hangar. Everyone is going out to meet her and she has that famous "Gyro Flying Grin" on her face. It turned out to be a great experience, she was able to overcome her feeling of fear and have a surprisingly enjoyable ride in a gyroplane.

After that I was feeling so good I just had to go and do the same thing. I didn't get a picture of me getting out of the gyro but I am sure I had that same "Gyro Flying Grin" that she did. Does life really get any better than this?
 

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Cool Doug. I'm in the same boat, my wife has no desire either even though she flies commercially quite a bit. Last year I finally got her to ride with Steve McGowan. She said she enjoyed it but still could care less about gyros. It is an enjoyment when we can get our wives involved no matter how little it may be.

Congrats to Mary!!
 
Doug- I know the feeling of trying to get my wife up in a gyro. I was able to do it once...and then let her decide if she wanted to go another time. She has ni desire at all...and it would just torture her if I insisted.

Glad yours went up...and she probably will go again several times.


Stan
 
Great Story Doug, It was almost the exact story for my wife , she enjoyed the Gyro however she still prefers to stay on the ground..

Have a good fly in this weekend..
 
Back when I had a Stinson 108-1 (fixed wing), I took my wife for a ride and it was like riding with a wildcat turned loose, full blown panic attack and claustrafobic. It did not help that the winds picked up and we had about a 20 knot crosswind,and I run out of rudder authority and had to exicute a go around. it really got intense then.
Some years later, I talked her into a ride with Ed Alderfer in his side by side and she enjoyed it. she got the grin too.
several years ago, I talked her into a ride on Joe Swantons' open airframe side by side in Shelbyville, big mistake! they burned an hour of fuel. I think she had to pick bugs outta her teeth? he he he

But you gotta love the GYRO GRIN when ya see it!
 
Mama gyro loves to ride, that is why I need to build a 2 seater, she has ridden with Steve
McGowan, Dan Leslie, and the infamous Ron Awad. we got a ride in a Waco biplane, and She has been up in a Cessna 172, Challenger II, RV-4, and a Robinson R44. (not to mention the entire Delta Airlines Fleet)
I feel like such a selfish jerk when I go fly and leave her on the ground. :)
 
Doug and others - you are not alone. My wife could care less about flying in the way I feel about horseback riding. I don't like horses and could care less. Statistically, horses are far more dangerous (try 1 serious accident pere 350 hours of riding vs. 1 in 13,877 hours for aviation). It's who has control. On our 10-year anniversary we vacationed in Hawaii without kids. I booked the mandatory helicopter ride over the volcano in which I was elated and she about puked when we landed. To be fair, I also booked a horseback riding day where my horse was a stubborn witch that hated her horse. They didn't get along! Quite funny actually. My horse kept trying to bite her horse. However, the biased media has played on the public's view of aviation. If a small plane crashes in small town USA it is headline news around the world. If that same person had fallen off a horse and died it might make the local paper. The moral of the story is I understand her fears about flying and she understands my fears about horses. I respect her love of horses and encourage her to go riding - just leave me home. A true partner would never tell their mate to choose between someone and something they love. There is time for both.
 
Doug,
Congrats! Laurie has the bug. I have the best of both worlds. Now just need a gyro. Soon, I hope.

Stay safe.
 
You're a very lucky man, Doug. Do something special for her. Jewelry should be involved.
 
Two years ago at our Rotors Over the Rockies Event I was able to get her a ride in an MD helicopter. It was a beautiful machine and she even got to ride in the co-pilot seat so she could get the best view possible. She came down from that ride saying it was bumpy and scary and she never wanted to go through that again. I just shook my head and couldn't believe she could view this whole flying experience so differently than I did.


Tell your wife that if you took me for a ride in a MD helicopter I would marry you. Just let her know there is some competition out there.

I enjoyed your story Doug. Thanks. I hope your wife gets a smile out of that. :) Let her know I am completely heterosexual , not gay , not easily persuaded , but a guy can change you know. :)

Between you and me she is way to good looking to worry about competition but hey , an MD helicopter is pretty tempting :)

She can have the gyro.

Arnie
 
Doug loved your 'conversion' story. I think it is a very natural desire to have a partner who loves to do things with you, particularly those things that are a passion.

Although not necessary it really can put the icing on the cake so to speak, and those who do have partners that do share this together perhaps have a special little edge on those who don't.

Of course there are some out there who may just heave a big sigh of relief and keep it for something to be enjoyed between the boys.
 
Doug, thanks for sharing this story with the rest of us. Such an experience can really strengthen the bond between you two. I've also "been there" and "done that".

-- Chris.
 
Tell your wife that if you took me for a ride in a MD helicopter I would marry you. Just let her know there is some competition out there.

I enjoyed your story Doug. Thanks. I hope your wife gets a smile out of that. :) Let her know I am completely heterosexual , not gay , not easily persuaded , but a guy can change you know. :)

Between you and me she is way to good looking to worry about competition but hey , an MD helicopter is pretty tempting :)

She can have the gyro.

Arnie

Arnie,

I will share what you said with her because she will get a kick out of it. (and she will like the compliment) Thanks for saying that. I do agree with you!!!
 
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