"DGS" wrote in message

At that point I essentially broke out into a cold sweat.

The instructor should have recognized this. It's a symptom of stress.
You'd get used to it as a student pilot (learning to fly is a psychological
workout and the sweats just mean your brain is working) but it's not
appropriate to stress somebody out on what is basically a familiarization
flight. Discovery flights are supposed to be fun.

At this point I don't know what to do. I've got the money, and deep
down for years I've wanted to do this. But I know that I can't
continue to be that nervous and continue my lessons.

The nerves go away with experience and confidence. As a student you will
quickly learn that you control the airplane, not the other way around, and
that makes all the difference. But, you'll still sweat from the mental
workout once in awhile during training. It means you've had a full flying
day.

Any feedback or experiences anyone can share?

You don't want that instructor. He might be the best instructor in the city
for other people, but, not for you. Find somebody else, tell them what
happened and get ready for a much greater experience.

-c