This month, we’ll discuss a topic that has not come up amongst flying clubs until recently. I was approached by a club seeking information on how to incorporate a Companion Co-pilot, or “pinch hitter” course, into their flying club. On the surface, it seems like a straightforward concept: provide non-pilot, frequent passengers, a crash course on what to do in the cockpit should the Pilot in Command become incapacitated. Let’s explore this further.
What exactly is a “pinch hitter”?
The purpose of a “pinch hitter” course is to provide informal training, both on the ground and in the air, of what to do should the Pilot in Command become unable to adequately fly the aircraft, generally because of a medical event. An example of when this would come in handy would be if you’re flying along with your non-pilot spouse and suddenly, as Pilot in Command, you suffer an incapacitating heart attack and can no longer fly the airplane. The “pitch hitter”, your spouse, would know the very basics of how to orient the aircraft, maintain altitude and attitude, manipulate the basic control functions, and call ATC for further help. A “pitch hitter” course provides exactly that training.
Several established courses exist to provide that level of training in the form of a specifically tailored ground school and flight lessons. AOPA offers such a ground school course, free of charge, which can be found here.
What should flying clubs know when considering a “pinch hitter” course?
First and foremost, the Flying Club Initiative’s guidance is not that a flying club should or should not provide such a course and instruction, but instead how a flying club could go about providing one while staying within the confines of the FAA regulations.
First, let’s discuss what a flying club cannot do, before we get into what they can do and how to go about doing so. The specific question posed to us from a couple of flying clubs was, “can our club CFI provide informal ’pinch hitter’ instruction to a club member’s spouse, that is not a member, in the club aircraft?”. The answer to that question is a resounding “no” for a couple of specific reasons which, as with anything in aviation regulations, is as clear as mud:
…instruction in a fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft or aircraft simulator that is consistent with the requirements to obtain a new skill, certificate, or type rating, or to maintain a pilot certificate or rating. For the purposes of this rule, flight training does not include instruction in a balloon, glider, ultralight, or unmanned aircraft; ground training; demonstration flights for marketing purposes; simulated flights for entertainment purposes…
The important part of this as it relates to a CFI instructing a “pinch hitter” is to obtain a new skill. The CFI is most certainly teaching a new skill, and the FAA would absolutely consider that as providing flight instruction regardless of whether it is towards a certificate. This would then require the CFI to verify the eligibility of the student and everything else that goes along with providing flight instruction.
That pretty much settles it. A club CFI cannot instruct a non-member in the club aircraft in any capacity. So, what can a flying club do with a “pinch hitter” course? A club can most certainly provide a ground school “pinch hitter” course, taught by a CFI or otherwise, to members of the club and non-members alike. The caveat to that is that ground school would have to stop short of utilizing “flight training equipment” unless the student’s eligibility is verified through the TSA. What this means is you can’t allow the participants of the ground school to sit in the cockpit and receive instruction on the ground or utilize a flight simulator for instruction. As stated previously, AOPA provides a “pinch hitter” ground school which can be found here.
Ultimately the very best course of action for anyone interested in a more in-depth “pinch hitter” course would be to contact your local flight schools and see if they offer one.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to the AOPA Flying Clubs team for additional information or to discuss further.
Thanks for flying with AOPA!
