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LOCATION: Leesburg, Virginia (JYO) DOG: Dziga, 2 year old Brittany, male, 45 pounds PILOT: Michelle DOG WRANGLER: Jeff Cook (me) PLANE: Cessna 172P |
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LOCATION: Leesburg, Virginia (JYO) DOG: Dziga, 2 year old Brittany, male, 45 pounds PILOT: Michelle DOG WRANGLER: Jeff Cook (me) PLANE: Cessna 172P |
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Flight #1: 30 minutes - Michelle flew, I sat in back with the dog
Flight #2: 20 minutes - I flew, Michelle was safety pilot, dog in back alone
We flew early morning to reduce heat & turbulence. Dziga was able to jump up into the back seat of the 172 the first time, but banged his legs and waited for me to help him after that. I put a blanket on the seat to give him some traction. (He didn't use it for anything else, thankfully.) He wore a $15 harness designed for automobile seat belts, and I strapped him onto the back seat. Some dogs get jittery from the noise and motion, but even with no hearing protection he seemed very calm. I sat next to him on the first flight, and at one point gave him some water from a squirt bottle.
After takeoff, I released his harness. He's very accustomed to riding in the back seat of my car, and nudged the window a few times so he could stick his head out (we didn't open it). On the second flight, he was in the back alone. He did get a little anxious, though he's used to that in the car. I was able to reach behind me and unstrap him after takeoff. Landing was uneventful, though it would have been smart to strap him back in. Very successful day.
