Discovery Flight today...unexpected results

DGS wrote:
Hi all. I'm a 39 year old guy who has loved flying and dreamt of
being a pilot for a long time. This year I finally realized that I
had more than enough money to start and figured I owed it to myself to
book a discovery flight with every intention of seeing it through to
my private pilot's license. I've also spent a ton of time through the
years on various PC based flightsims, and on them I've flown a variety
of aircraft and understand the instruments and navigation.

I've flown many times, and a good friend of mine has a Piper Saratoga
that I've flown in several times and even took the wheel for short
periods of time during cruise. I've never experienced anything other
than joy for it.

My flight instructer quickly introduced himself to me and did a very
short inspection of the plane. He then told me that I would basically
be piloting the plane through take off, the cruise through the
practice area, and landing. At that point I essentially broke out
into a cold sweat. I was able to get the plane taxied and off the
ground, and never at any point did I make any real mistakes or have
any bad maneuvers...but I was clear EXTREMELY nervous...to the point
of sweating. My instructor picked up on the fact that I was nervous,
and kind of just kept repeating "It's really not good to be too
nervous...that can be a problem" and other words to that effect. Once
we levelled off at 2500 feet he had me do some slow turns...still
nervous...death grip going on big time. He wants me to turn the plane
all the way around and go the opposite direction back towards the
airport. I'm turning the plane, but I don't know...I was just so
nervous of turning too hard. It was also a windy, choppy day so many
times the actual feeling of the wind throwing the plane around just
made me scared to maneuver it.

At that point the instructor decided I'd had enough and took back over
the controls. Immediately...nerves gone. The chop...didn't care a
bit. Total relaxation through a landing which even my instructor
admitted was a difficult one for him. I felt pretty dumb for being so
nervous.

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. It simply can't
be good for my ability to make decisions in the air and I know that
scarier things like stalling and landing are coming up.

On the other hand...I also don't know about the instructor. He wasn't
overly helpful in combatting my nerves, and I have a feeling that the
right words of encouragment, or for that matter the occasional
instruction or "you're doing fine" maybe would have helped. In a lot
of ways I felt like he kind of just threw me out there before I was
ready mentally...I don't know.

Any feedback or experiences anyone can share? At this point I'm
really torn about trying again, while on the other hand still not
necessarily ready to back down from the challenge. Does this get
better? Or worse?


-- There's a good and a bad part to my answer.
First, allowing a new student to have complete control of the airplane
from the gitgo is my recommended procedure to all instructors that come
within the range of my voice.
That's the good. Here's the bad.
Your instructor failed to properly prepare you psychologically for what
you were about to attempt. This was the reason you suffered through the
flight the way you did.
Properly preparing a new student to take control of an airplane is a
REQUIRED step in good flight instruction. Failing to take the time to do
this step can, and in many cases exactly duplicates what you experienced.
The instructor has to explain THOROUGHLY to a new student that even
though it will be the student who has control of the airplane, the
ULTIMATE CONTROL of the airplane will still be in the hands of the
instructor.
The student must thoroughly understand two things before the engine is
started. First, that the instructor, REGARDLESS of what the student
might do with the airplane, will NOT let anything get to the point where
it is dangerous. Secondly, and this is extremely important; that nothing
the student will be allowed to do will result in the deviation of the
airplane from normal flight.
This second item is vastly important. Almost all new students have an
ingrained apprehension of unusual attitudes being entered by them doing
something wrong with the airplane. This absolutely MUST be addressed and
dealt with by the instructor.
Once a newbie understands that the airplane isn't going to turn upside
down by their actions and that if they still have control of the
airplane they have done nothing dangerous, newbies will be relaxed and
receptive. The Instructor HAS to take all fear and apprehension out of
the equation. Only after this has been done, can the new student relax
enough to try a first attempt at controlling the aircraft.
I always took a minute or so before letting a new student start the
engine for the first time. I'd smile, and in a quiet voice say something
like this;

"Hey....relax and have fun. Trust me on this. I won't let you do
anything....and I mean ANYTHING, that is dangerous and that I can't
undo. We're going out there and you are going to be able to fly this
airplane. You might not be quite as good as I am but you're going to be
fine. When I'm finished with you, you're going to fly BETTER than I do,
so relax, follow my directions, ask as many questions as you want to,
and we'll do this thing together"

On your issue; I'd mention your nervousness to the instructor before you
fly again. One thing that might help you is to remember what I've said
here in this answer as you walk out to the airplane. It's THIS
relationship you want with your own instructor. If this one isn't giving
it to you, get one who does.
As for staying or leaving flying; hell...you just got here; stick around
and have fun. I'll tell you what I've told every student I've ever had
in an airplane with me. "If I can fly this airplane...YOU can fly this
airplane. Let's go do it!!"
Dudley Henriques