On Nov 10, 7:18*pm, wrote:
....When we got down on the ground I did not want the instructor to
notice
but my knees were shaking. I do not scare easily, I have had a lot of
other hobbies where danger is involved. My question to you experienced
pilots is this fear normal? I was really frightened. If you knew me
I'd never admit it to you. Is this something you can get over? This
experience left me wondering is this hobby for me?

Good evening , You ask some penetrating questions.
Here is my response to help you sort out the risks, as well as the
rewards, of soaring.
It's your call!
Safe soaring,
Bob Wander

PS: During turbulence of any kind, whether on aerotow or in free
flight, it's amazing how a really snug & secure lap belt shoulder
harness combination can make you feel that you can handle just about
anything that comes along. And on the other hand, if lap belt /
shoulder harness are loose, it makes one feel ... vulnerable. So
tighten up!

++++++++++
The following is excerpted from my book "Everybody's First Gliding
Book".

"Risk Management & Soaring.
If you are fairly new to soaring, chances are that you've spent some
time evaluating the risks that accompany the rewards of our sport.
Chances are also good that you have reached several conclusions, as
follow.
1) There are risks inherent in any air sport (including soaring) and
2) You don't yet know enough about the sport of soaring to recognize,
understand, and evaluate all of those risks.
This article will help you discover what the principal risks are, and
how you can manage them.

Risk is inherent in every human enterprise. Activity sports such as
skiing, tennis, and rock climbing entail risk. Humdrum daily chores
like driving an automobile or slicing an onion entail risk. Traveling
on a commercial airliner entails risk. Entering into marriage entails
risk. Having children entails risk. Career choices entail risk.

Even just sitting around, avoiding every possible identifiable risk
factor, doing absolutely nothing with your life, entails risk: The
risk that, if ever you come to your senses, you will be running out of
time to do worthwhile and satisfying things in the remaining lifetime
allotted to you.

In short, risk is everywhere. That's life! The trick is to strike an
acceptable balance between the risks and the rewards.

So... what are the major risks in soaring? Major risks are the risks
that pose a threat to life and limb. Here they are, and here is what
you can do to manage each risk.

An improperly prepared glider or towplane can hurt you in a hurry.
When you take to the air, your aircraft is nothing less than your life
support system. A glider that is improperly assembled (rigged), or
that is incompletely assembled, is a potential deathtrap. There is no
room for carelessness or oversight when it comes to preparing and
inspecting your life support system before flight. Ask your CFIG for
ground instruction on how to perform a pre-flight inspection and a
positive control check. Towpilots should apply the same level of care
to pre-flighting each towplane system (fuel, engine, prop, flight
controls, tow hook and tow release mechanism, tires and wheelbrakes,
etc.) not only for your protection but to protect their own skins too.
Naturally, the towline and rings should get careful scrutiny as well.
In some aerotow glider operations, glider pilots expect the towpilot
to keep an eye on the condition of the towline. I don't think that you
would be wise to buy that line of thinking, if only for the reason
that it isn't the towpilot who gets tossed into the stewpot when the
towline breaks - it's the glider pilot. Your job as a glider pilot is
to stay out of stewpots whenever possible, so make it a habit to get a
good close look at the towlines and rings.

Any launch, at any time, has the possibility of failing. Work with
your CFIG to develop skill and confidence in dealing with launch
failures, whether simulated or real.

After takeoff, climbout, and release, you and your glider are in free
flight. Mid-air collision avoidance requires you to remain alert and
to focus your eyes and attention outside the cockpit. Areas and
airspaces of concentrated air traffic include thermals with a gaggle
of gliders, Victor airways, the perimeter of Class B and Class C
airspace, airspace that is near airports and gliderports, Military
Operations Areas (MOAs), and other traffic concentrators. Acquire a
current sectional chart and ask your glider flight instructor and
cross country glider pilots to help you identify the high density
traffic areas near the gliderport where you fly. Hunt the skies for
other aircraft. See them and avoid them.

Another risk factor in free flight is internal - it is you, and the
judgments that you make (or sometimes fail to make). As a rule, air
sports are not particularly forgiving of general carelessness. If you
fail to maintain situational awareness, or if you fail to exercise
reasonable in-flight judgment, you can find yourself in a jam so
sticky that your budding stick-and-rudder skills are insufficient to
get you unstuck.

The approach to landing is one of the most critical flight phases, and
it is in this phase of flight that the majority of serious accidents
occur. The principal risks in the landing phase of flight include
collision with other air traffic, landing short of the intended
runway, and stalling and/or spinning.

Airports tend to concentrate air traffic in the same way that beehives
tend to concentrate bee traffic. Airports are where aircraft live when
they are not flying, and airports are where aircraft are usually
headed when they are flying. Arrive at your destination airport with
plenty of time and altitude to scope out the situation, detect other
traffic, and make an orderly approach and landing. Maintain the target
airspeed and coordinate your turns in the approach. Remember that the
traffic pattern is not an end itself, but is only a means to an end -
the desired end result is a safe landing. At the appropriate stage in
your flight training program, ask your CFIG for ground and flight
instruction in how to make a safe landing from an abnormal position in
the approach.

Management of your personal risk is your personal business. No one
else can manage this risk for you. That is one of the great
attractions of soaring: The decisions that you make are important
decisions. It is entirely up to you."