Trial flying lesson

Did you ever walk out on that glass floor at the CN tower in Toronto?
Over a thousand feet straight down to the ground!
On the way up there I read a sign telling me the 2.5 inch glass floor was
strong enough to hold 12 hippos.
Well let me tell you.....as I walked out on that floor and looked down, the
first thought that came to my head was,
"Oh Jesus...PLEASE tell me some damn idiot didn't sneak 13 Hippos up
here!!!"
:-))))
Dudley
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
Can you help with a few questions I have, having never been up in a
small aircraft and being scared of heights (well on tall buildings
anyway) But I do WANT to do this, don't get me wrong.

Don't worry -- fear of heights is completely different from fear of
flying.

Example: Last Monday, our CAP squadron received a tour of our
hospital's "Flight for Life" helipad, which is on top of a 9-story
building.

I was fine for a few minutes, as we checked out the cool helicopter,
and were given a great tour of the facility. As time passed, however,
I started to realize that there were no sides or fences on the building
(naturally -- it's a helipad!), and I started to feel that weird sorta
dizzy feeling you get when you're afraid of heights.

By the end of the tour, I was fighting an almost overwhelming need to
get off that roof. It was a beautiful evening, the moon was rising, and
the buildings of downtown and the University of Iowa looked beautiful
as the lights twinkled on -- but none of that mattered. I *had* to get
off that roof.

It was stupid, I knew it was stupid, but that's the way it works. Yet
I've flown over that helipad hundreds of times while landing at our
airport, and did so again the very next day. My wife and I have flown
over 1500 hours in the last 10 years, all over the country.

In fact, I have read that MOST pilots are afraid of heights -- so don't
worry about that aspect of learning to fly.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article . net,
"Dudley Henriques" wrote:

Did you ever walk out on that glass floor at the CN tower in Toronto?

I had a similar experience at the big tower in Aukland, New Zealand,
which also has a glass floor. Not quite as high as the CN tower, but
still I was barely able to bring myself to stand on the glass floor. It
was a very interesting experience, since I have no problem at all being
up in a plane, and even doing aerobatics.

I wonder if a hot air balloon would have the same effect? Something
about zero airspeed and no engine noise at altitude that strikes fear
into the heart of a fixed-wing pilot?

rg

I wonder if a hot air balloon would have the same effect? Something
about zero airspeed and no engine noise at altitude that strikes fear
into the heart of a fixed-wing pilot?

Hot air balloons are noisy. Think about having one or more very large
gas grill burners directly over your head at full blast!
Oh, and make sure you are not wearing any synthetic clothing.

I wonder if a hot air balloon would have the same effect? Something
about zero airspeed and no engine noise at altitude that strikes fear
into the heart of a fixed-wing pilot?

Actually, a pilot friend of mine just took his first hot air balloon ride
last week. With no history of fear of heights he experienced vertigo in a
bad way. And his wife had to sit down on the floor of the basket.

Their story was enough to remove THAT particular experience from "the list"
for me...

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 02:59:05 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

Actually, a pilot friend of mine just took his first hot air balloon ride
last week. With no history of fear of heights he experienced vertigo in a
bad way. And his wife had to sit down on the floor of the basket.

I didn't feel that way at all in a balloon ride, and I'm terrified on
ferris wheels!

The one time I was scared flying was in a Huey helicopter in Vietnam.
The pilot thought it would be safer to fly below treetop level. Now
THERE is a sensation of speed and altitude, 50 feet above the ground,
100 knots, and tilted 15 degrees nose down!

(I don't have that sensation in an airplane, presumably because it's
not tilted--or if it is, it's for the sake of landing.)



-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

Wouldn't cross that one off yet. It's an awesome experience for most
people - drifting with the wind with no sensation of movement, hearing
people talking and dogs barking a housand feet below. Definitely worth
a try.
--
Gene Seibel
Gene & Sue's Balloon Ride - http://pad39a.com/gene/balloons.html
Because we fly, we envy no one.

On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 16:36:11 -0700, Ron Garret
wrote:

I had a similar experience at the big tower in Aukland, New Zealand,
which also has a glass floor. Not quite as high as the CN tower, but
still I was barely able to bring myself to stand on the glass floor.

I once talked to a very experienced sailor who when she was first
married crewed for her husband on a fishing boat from Ecuador to the
Galapagos Islands and back. They towed an old wreck of a boat out with
them, to carry additional fish back. Every day somebody had to go back
in the dinghy to pump out the spare boat.

She was fine until they passed the continental shelf. Then she just
couldn't bear to get in the dinghy any more. The knowledge that there
was a MILE of water beneath her just freaked her out, even though she
knew perfectly well that she could drown in anything deeper than five
feet.



-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

She was fine until they passed the continental shelf. Then she just
couldn't bear to get in the dinghy any more. The knowledge that there
was a MILE of water beneath her just freaked her out, even though she
knew perfectly well that she could drown in anything deeper than five
feet.

That's an interesting angle on the "fear of heights" phobia. In my case
(and, I suspect, most others) I have to be able to actually *see* the
heights to be afraid of them!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"
"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 16:36:11 -0700, Ron Garret
wrote:

I had a similar experience at the big tower in Aukland, New Zealand,
which also has a glass floor. Not quite as high as the CN tower, but
still I was barely able to bring myself to stand on the glass floor.

I once talked to a very experienced sailor who when she was first
married crewed for her husband on a fishing boat from Ecuador to the
Galapagos Islands and back. They towed an old wreck of a boat out with
them, to carry additional fish back. Every day somebody had to go back
in the dinghy to pump out the spare boat.




-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

Did you ever walk out on that glass floor at the CN tower in Toronto?
Over a thousand feet straight down to the ground!

There isn't enough money in the world to get me up there. Hell, when I
stood UNDER it, I felt dizzy, just thinking about being up there!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:epoZe.401223$xm3.64671@attbi_s21...
Did you ever walk out on that glass floor at the CN tower in Toronto?
Over a thousand feet straight down to the ground!

There isn't enough money in the world to get me up there. Hell, when I
stood UNDER it, I felt dizzy, just thinking about being up there!
:-)
Yeah, I know that feeling!!! I think it has something to do with common
sense. :-))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Dudley