Comments on PnP flying experiences
Thanks for the info, I will keep an eye on both the link and this forum if I can help out in any way.
In addition to the previous link for the PnP forums, you can go to the main web page for the Pilots'n Paws group by clicking
here. Also, it might be good if you could tag along as "co-pilot" with another pilot who has already flown PnP missions. Just one flight will answer a lot of your questions.
Sounds like total control would be had with a crate and leash, tied off. A larger crate would be hard to load and unload in an RV. Larger dogs seem like an issue for crates. How do you handle the larger dogs? Interesting.
Nick, while I am building an RV-7 (admittedly at a very slow pace), I must admit to you that right now I am using my 172 for my PnP flights. The back seat has always worked out for the size of dogs I've flown. Most of them have been Boston Terriers, and they have flown in kennels. But a very good friend of mine, based at the Moontown airport, has flown over 90 dogs in his 172 in the last two years! He usually uses a harness secured to the seat belts in the back seat for the larger dogs and uses kennels in the back seat for the smaller dogs. I'm not sure if you can see his album without being his FB friend, but he has documented in a
photo album every flight he has made since he started as a PnP pilot. In July, 2010, I put out a request on my email list for a pilot to fly a mission that I couldn't make, and Jeff answered and has been flying for PnP a lot more than me. He is also the President of EAA Chapter 190 that meets at the Moontown airport.
There are many RV pilots who fly PnP flights. Some of them are in these VAF forums and some are not. I believe Ron Lee(see post No. 8 above) has transported larger dogs in his RV-7A by loading the kennel bottom half into the baggage area, loading the dog into the bottom half, and then securing the top half of the kennel after the dog is inside. This method would probably require either a helper or a submissive dog. There are a lot of ways to secure a dog in an airplane. In my opinion, it is very important to have a positive way of securing the dog. You don't want FIDO to come up into the front seat with you just when you are ready to touch down. There are, however, several examples of RV pilots who have the dog in the passenger seat, sleeping with his head in the pilot's lap as they travel.
Most of the requests for rescue flights are for single dogs (or cats), and I have only made about 10 flights. An RV (two or four passenger) makes an excellent transport because of its speed. I could accept a lot more requests if my RV were finished and flying. And, by the way, contrary to what one of my friends suggested, I have never had a dog get sick or mess up my airplane. Knock on wood. In fact, the dogs have been better passengers than the people I have flown.
I hope this brief discussion helps to answer some of the questions that might be out there. Feel free to contact me by PM here if you need more info on Pilots'n Paws. After my heart surgery and the re-instatement of my Class III medical by Special Issuance, I felt a tremendous emotional need to "give back" to others. After each of the PnP flights I have flown, I have felt a tremendous joy from the knowledge that I have played a part in helping a deserving dog find a new home with folks who care.