When Dogs Fly

Many people travel with their pets. Not just little road trips to a neighboring state for the weekend. They actually fly, in the cabins of transport category and general aviation aircraft. Occasionally, I have had puppies on board my aircraft as cargo.

You see them all the time, dogs mostly, in those duffel bag sized carriers, with their heads poking out, sniffing all the smells of an airport. I have even seen them on a leash in the concourse!

When I worked for Diamond, we used to fly Tom Brokaw and his dogs from New York to his cabin out west.

There was this one guy, and his dog, that really stick out in my mind. I was teaching in Colorado at the time and this guy had a really nice Cessna 210 and the coolest Border Collie you ever did see. The dog would chase a frisbee all over the ramp/airport when you would throw it and then drop it at your feet to have it done all over again. He was an airport dog and was every one's friend. The dog was well trained and would respond immediately to any verbal command by his master. Even better, the crazy Collie loved to fly.

His owner would taxi the 210 to the fuel pumps, shut down and then open the door. Bounding out of the back seat, the Collie would circle the aircraft barking as if to tell the machine to stay put and then assume a position in the shadow of the airplane to stay out of the hot summer sun.

After fueling, the owner would open the door and holler, "Let's go Flying!", causing the dog to spring from his restful state and leap back into the back seat of the aircraft. The owner would get in and close the door leaving the window open, and of course the dog would do what any dog does in a vehicle with a window open.

Most General Aviation pilots make it a point to yell the word "clear " or "clear prop" just prior to engine start to ensure that there is nobody in the way of the propeller. This is the best part... The pilot yells "Clear!", and right on cue, the Collie, head out the window, begins to bark with anticipation as his master engages the starter. The engine roars to life and the dog seems to lean out the window a little more to catch as much of the slipstream as possible created by the now spinning prop.

I always wondered what they did on their flights that gave the dog the flying bug. I think this video might shed some light on the subject.