Sport Pilot Talk

N918KT

Well, this Sunday I scheduled a SP flying lesson with Royal Karina Air Service at Trenton Airport!!! I'm excited!!! I haven't took a flying lesson since January 2010. The flight school is going to pair me up with the Chief CFI. The lesson will consist of 1 hour of ground school and 1 hour of flying.

I have some questions though. What should I expect during the lesson? If I go flying can I ask the CFI if we could land at a certain airport or does the CFI decides what we are gonna do? Bottom line, can the CFI take requests, so to speak?

Second, in the past, I tend to get scared or nervous when flying. I don't know why but I do. Please don't tell me to forget about flying because I'm scared to fly. Just tell me how to deal with it when the fear strikes me.

BTW sometimes, I try to relieve myself with statistics on the safety of flying and the fact that flying is safer than driving.

drseti · Joined: 28 Nov 2009 Posts: 1387 Location: Lock Haven PA

N918KT wrote: Well, this Sunday I scheduled a SP flying lesson with Royal Karina Air Service at Trenton Airport!!! I'm excited!!!

Excited is good -- after all, you're doing this because it's fun. Hold on to that thought; it will help you to overcome your anxiety. Enjoy!

Quote: can I ask the CFI if we could land at a certain airport

Probably not a good idea. The purpose of an introductory lesson is to give you a change to evaluate the instructor and the school (and for the instructor to evaluate you), to make sure it's a good fit. It's a time-limited flight, and most instructors have a standard route and syllabus they try to follow on and intro lesson. If you turn this flight into a cross-country to a specific destination, you deny both you and the CFI the opportunity to do the desired assessment of each other.

(You'll have lots of opportunity to go to desired locations later. Patience!)

zdc · Guest

Read the book titled "The Gift of Fear". I've been flying for 30 years and I still get an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach before a flight.

designrs · Guest Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 144

As you experience flying and learn more about it your comfort level expands. It's a continuous and gradual process. In the beginning everything is new, the machine, the operations, and the forces of flying on the body. It's conditioning of the mind, body and motor skills. As you learn certain exercises will challenge and expand your comfort zone. A few weeks later those same exercises will feel completely comfortable and automatic. Right now just take the time to get comfortable. You need to fly regularly.

designrs · Guest Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 144

Your CFI will most likely have flown introductory flights with many new students with feelings similar to yours. Probably the best thing would be to just communicate with your instructor both on the ground and in flight about how you are feeling. The CFI should then be able to structure the experience to best suit you.

What to do when you feel fear? Realize that flying is inherently safe, and that the things that you fear are the same things that your CFI has well under control, by having practiced flying for quite some time. The flying skills required are now basically automatic, safe and reliable repetition for the CFI.

Enjoy the ride!! :D

Targetbuster · Guest Joined: 04 Mar 2011 Posts: 36 Location: Sultan wa

I think anxiety and flying go together in large part. For me it is helpful because it focuses me. But as I was sorting it out, I did ask myself the question (on several occassions) "is this really what I should be doing?". I finally found my answer one day as I was flying solo amongst scattered clouds. Some were scattered low, hanging below me as if I were at 20K ft, others were in my way as I danced around them to remain VFR. I was just awestruck at the beauty I was being allowed to see, in a way that no one other than a pilot can appreciate.
It's worth it, hang in there and greet those anxious preflight moments with stubborn resolve. They truly make you a better and safer pilot, IMHO. :)

drseti · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 1:26 pm Post subject:

Here's a snippet from the latest issue of NAFI (National Association of Flight Instructors) Mentor, dealing with fear:

Quote: When a baby learns to walk or swim, he has no fear of falling. He simply uses a hands-on technique (especially to pick himself up when he falls) to find out what things are and how they work. The fear of failure doesn't begin until "grown-ups" interfere and clutter his exploration of his environment. They help the child learn to be scared by shouting, "Watch out, you're going to hurt yourself." The child started with the belief that he could continue to achieve through the interest that he had in doing something, the interest in what he was doing by learning not achieving. The tide of learning turns when achievement becomes the true goal.

The baby whose parents simply stay close, holding out both hands as a safety net, is most successful. With adult learning, similar encouragement is reinforced by simply showing trust that your student can "do it."

ArionAv8or · Guest Joined: 20 Mar 2010 Posts: 271

Targetbuster wrote: I finally found my answer one day as I was flying solo amongst scattered clouds. Some were scattered low, hanging below me as if I were at 20K ft, others were in my way as I danced around them to remain VFR. I was just awestruck at the beauty I was being allowed to see, in a way that no one other than a pilot can appreciate.

Very well put sir!

N918KT · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:03 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the insight guys!!! I will let you guys know how my flight goes.

bshort · Guest Joined: 09 Jul 2010 Posts: 59 Location: Ca

I tend to get a little apprehensive during flight. I think the key is to not let this apprehension talk yourself into staying on the ground. Many times I've let exactly that happen. I know repetition is key, plus I also know everything I need to be doing, it's just that silence of solo flight and fear of the unknown. Your not alone in this.

N918KT · Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:41 pm Post subject:

Hey guys, I'm back from flying!!! The flight today was very fun!!! But the only disappointment was that I didn't go flying in the Storm Century LSA because it was too windy today but I did go flying in the Cessna 172.

Me and my CFI had at least an hour of ground school. Amazingly, I remember alot about flying and the CFI was impressed. Probably because I used to fly and control on VATSIM.

We then went up in the Cessna 172. I did most of the radio calls today and we flew into Pennsylvania and back into NJ and then flew around some more doing turns and things like that. Then we flew back to Trenton Airport and did a touch and go, a go around, and a full stop. I was surprised that the CFI let me land the plane!!! I put down the flaps the carb and landed on my own! I think that was the most fun part about flying today.

During the lesson I have to admit that the CFI did tend to touch me alot such as patting on the back, and even poking me to get my attention. I didn't like the touching so I politely told him to stop and he didn't mind. Do CFIs tend to touch their students alot for a reason? Or is it only my instructor?

Overall, a heck of a fun time. I wasn't scared too much or maybe not at all today. I have another lesson this Thursday morning so I can't wait!!! Hopefully I will get a chance to fly in the Storm Century LSA.

N918KT · Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 9:19 am Post subject:

Wow, it's been like 2 days already and no one commented on how was my flight! I guess no one cares about how my flight went. :(

Also is it normal for CFIs to touch their students such as poking and hitting lightly to get my attention? Cause the touching bothers me and I don't like it.

drseti · Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 9:28 am Post subject:

N918KT wrote: is it normal for CFIs to touch their students such as poking and hitting lightly to get my attention? Cause the touching bothers me and I don't like it.

Physical contact is not only unusual in flight instruction, it is also totally unnecessary. A good instructor should be able to touch you with his or her words, nothing more. But, remember that flight instructors are individuals, with individual teaching styles. Similarly, students have individual learning styles. If this instructor's style includes physical contact, and that is incompatible with your personal learning style, then certainly you should find yourself a different instructor. You're entitled to get what works for you.

N918KT · Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 9:31 am Post subject:

I see, drseti. I politely asked him to stop and he did for the most part. Hopefully he will remember not to touch me again.

designrs · Guest Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 144

I've had flight instructors tap on the guages to remind me of what needs attention,
airspeed, altitude, heading, etc.
Sometimes non-verbal communication is faster, easier and leaves the headset free to monitor radio communications.
Of course that is totally different than touching the student.