Safety is not a suggestion at Hannan-Airlines. It is the absolute, non-negotiable priority on every single flight. Please read this briefing in its entirety before your departure from Hanscom Field (KBED).
Your safety begins well before the engine starts. There are a few things we need from you to ensure a safe and enjoyable flight.
Why we ask your weight
The Piper Archer PA-28-181 has a maximum gross weight of 2,550 lbs and a useful load of approximately 900 lbs. That useful load must cover fuel, passengers, and baggage. Every single pound matters.
When we ask for your weight, we are performing a federally required weight and balance calculation. This is not optional and it is not personal. An aircraft loaded beyond its limits, or with an out-of-range center of gravity, can become uncontrollable.
Please provide your actual weight honestly. We are not judging. We are calculating physics. The laws of aerodynamics do not care about feelings, only facts.
Pack light, fly safe
The Piper Archer has a small rear baggage compartment with a maximum capacity of 200 lbs. Space is extremely limited.
Dress code & health
FAA regulation 14 CFR 91.17 prohibits the pilot from flying within 8 hours of consuming alcohol or with a blood alcohol content of 0.04% or greater. We strongly recommend that passengers also refrain from alcohol for at least 8 hours before flight. A pressurized cabin is forgiving. A Piper Archer at 6,000 feet is not.
The Piper Archer PA-28-181: your chariot for the day. Here is everything you need to know about the aircraft before you climb aboard.
Single-Engine, Four-Seat, Low-Wing
| Type | Single-engine piston, fixed gear |
| Seats | 4 (1 pilot + up to 3 passengers) |
| Wing Configuration | Low-wing (you walk on it to enter) |
| Max Gross Weight | 2,550 lbs |
| Cruise Speed | ~128 knots (147 mph) |
| Home Base | KBED - Hanscom Field, Bedford, MA |
| Flight Rules | VFR (Visual Flight Rules) |
The Piper Archer is a low-wing aircraft, which means you step onto the wing to enter the cabin. Step ONLY on the designated walkway area (the black non-skid surface on the wing root). Never step on the flaps, ailerons, or any control surfaces. If it moves, do not stand on it.
The cabin door is located on the right side of the aircraft. It opens outward and upward. To open from inside: lift the handle and push outward. The pilot will demonstrate this before every flight. You should be able to operate this door by yourself in an emergency.
Both front and rear seats are equipped with seat belts and shoulder harnesses. These must be fastened at ALL times during flight. There is no "seat belt sign" on a Piper Archer. Consider it permanently illuminated. The shoulder harness is not optional. In the event of a sudden stop, it is the difference between a story and a statistic.
You will be provided with an aviation headset. This serves two purposes: hearing protection (the engine is loud) and intercom communication with the pilot. The volume knob is on the headset or the intercom panel. Adjust it until you can hear the pilot clearly. Do NOT touch the radio transmit button. More on that later.
Adjustable air vents are located on the instrument panel and overhead. Use them freely. They are your best friend if you start feeling warm or queasy. Fresh air solves a remarkable number of problems at altitude.
We plan for the best and prepare for the worst. Statistically, you are safer in this aircraft than on the drive to the airport. But knowledge saves lives, so pay attention.
Know your way out
The primary exit is the cabin door on the right side of the aircraft. In an emergency, lift the handle forcefully and push outward. If the door is jammed due to airframe deformation, the front windshield or side windows can serve as emergency exits. The pilot will brief you on alternate exit methods specific to the aircraft configuration.
You must be able to open the cabin door without assistance. If you have any difficulty operating the door handle during the pre-flight briefing, tell the pilot immediately.
Brace for impact
In the unlikely event the pilot calls for an emergency or forced landing, assume the brace position:
Location & operation
A Halon or dry chemical fire extinguisher is located beneath the pilot's seat or on the cabin floor between the front seats. The pilot will point out its exact location during the pre-flight briefing.
To operate: Pull the safety pin, aim at the base of the fire, squeeze the handle, and sweep side to side. Remember the acronym PASS: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep.
After discharging a fire extinguisher in the cabin, ventilate immediately by opening the air vents. The fumes in a small cabin can be incapacitating.
Automatic & manual
The aircraft is equipped with an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). This device activates automatically upon impact and transmits a distress signal on 121.5 MHz and 406 MHz, allowing search and rescue teams to locate the aircraft.
The pilot handles all radio communications, including emergency calls on frequency 121.5 MHz (the international aviation emergency frequency). In an emergency, the pilot will declare "Mayday" and squawk 7700 on the transponder.
Your job: let the pilot fly and communicate. Your silence is genuinely helpful.
If we land somewhere unexpected
In the event of an engine failure or other emergency requiring an off-airport landing, the pilot will select the best available landing site (fields, roads, etc.) and brief you on the brace position.
After landing:
Extremely unlikely but prepared
A water landing is exceedingly unlikely on our typical routes out of KBED. However, the FAA recommends briefing it regardless.
We say it again because the FAA says it twice: Do NOT inflate life vests until you are outside the aircraft and clear of the cabin.
Once we are airborne, your role shifts from prepared passenger to helpful co-pilot (figuratively, not literally -- please do not touch anything).
Your seat belt and shoulder harness must remain fastened for the entire flight. There is no "cruise" phase where you can unbuckle. Turbulence in a small aircraft can be sudden and severe. The harness keeps you in your seat and your head off the ceiling.
The Piper Archer has dual controls: a yoke (steering wheel) and rudder pedals on both the left and right front seats. If you are in the right front seat, there is a yoke directly in front of you. Do not touch it. Do not rest your feet on the rudder pedals. Do not lean your bag against the throttle quadrant. These controls are live at all times.
If you accidentally bump a control, tell the pilot immediately. Do not try to "fix" it yourself.
The "sterile cockpit" concept, borrowed from FAA regulation 14 CFR 121.542, means no unnecessary conversation during critical phases of flight: taxi, takeoff, landing, and any time we are below 1,000 feet AGL (above ground level).
During these phases, the pilot needs full concentration. Save your questions about that cool river below for when we are at cruise altitude. The pilot will let you know when it is okay to chat.
Under VFR (Visual Flight Rules), the "see and avoid" principle is fundamental to collision avoidance. The pilot is primarily responsible, but more eyes mean more safety. Here is how you can help:
Photography is absolutely welcome and encouraged. The views from a Piper Archer are spectacular. However: NEVER use flash photography. A flash can temporarily blind the pilot, especially during twilight or when flying toward the sun. Keep your camera on auto or turn the flash off manually.
Small aircraft are more susceptible to turbulence than airliners. If you begin to feel unwell:
This section exists because weight and balance is the single most important computation in general aviation. Here is why the pilot obsesses over it.
Center of gravity & controllability
Weight and balance is not just about total weight. It is about where that weight is located. The center of gravity (CG) of the aircraft must fall within a specific range defined by the manufacturer. If the CG is too far forward, the aircraft may not be able to rotate for takeoff. If the CG is too far aft, the aircraft can become uncontrollable in pitch -- and that is not recoverable.
| Maximum Gross Weight | 2,550 lbs |
| Empty Weight (typical) | ~1,625 lbs |
| Useful Load | ~925 lbs (fuel + people + bags) |
| Fuel Weight | 6 lbs per gallon (48 gal usable = 288 lbs) |
| Remaining for Passengers + Bags | ~637 lbs (with full fuel) |
| Max Baggage Compartment | 200 lbs |
With full fuel, we have roughly 637 lbs for passengers and baggage. With three adults and luggage, we may need to reduce fuel load, which limits our range. This is why the pilot asks detailed questions about weight and baggage before every flight.
If the pilot says we need to leave a bag behind, reduce fuel, or limit passengers, it is not because we are being difficult. It is because we are being safe. The pilot will always explain the reasoning, and the decision is final.
Passenger seating position directly affects the center of gravity. A heavy passenger in the rear seat moves the CG aft. The pilot may ask passengers to sit in specific seats to keep the CG within limits. This is a normal part of small aircraft operations and is not a commentary on anyone's size.
In aviation, clear communication is a matter of life and safety. Here is how the intercom and radio system works, and your role in it.
There are two communication systems in the aircraft, and it is critical that you understand the difference:
If you are in the right front seat: the yoke in front of you has a PTT button. Do not touch it. If there is a PTT switch on your headset, the pilot will disable it or instruct you not to use it.
There are a few phrases that cut through any conversation, sterile cockpit or not. These are always appropriate to say:
The flight is not over until the engine is shut down, the propeller has stopped, and the pilot gives you the all-clear. Here is how to safely exit the aircraft.
Follow these steps every time
Remain in your seat with your seat belt fastened until the pilot shuts down the engine and tells you it is safe to exit. The pilot needs to complete a shutdown checklist, and an unannounced passenger exit can be dangerous.
The propeller is not a fan. It will not cool you down. Stay away from it. A propeller can continue to windmill even after the engine is shut down. Never exit or approach the aircraft from the front. Even a slowly turning propeller can cause fatal injuries. If you cannot tell whether it has fully stopped, assume it has not.
At Hannan-Airlines, we treat safety with the seriousness of a Part 121 carrier and the attention to detail of someone whose own life depends on it. Because it does. The pilot is on every flight.
"We follow FAA regulations as a minimum. Our personal standards are higher. If conditions are not right, we do not fly. There is no schedule pressure, no boss to impress, and no passenger request that overrides a safety concern. The flight will happen when conditions are safe. Period."
If anything in this briefing is unclear, or if you have questions, concerns, or medical conditions you would like to discuss before your flight, please reach out. There is no such thing as a dumb safety question. The only dumb question is the one you did not ask.