lack of confidence solo flight

I know and remember that feeling all too well. I used to repeatedly
ask my instructor how long it was going to take, where I would
experience that "just like jumping in the car" feeling... I feel very
comfortable now (nearly 300 hours).

I think checklists and staying ahead of the plane are critical to a
stress-free flight!

As an owner, I have tried, in the past to run through my checklists by
memory... The problem is... Flying once a weekend or every other
weekend isn't conducive to good memorization! I have found myself
cruising around locally, long before I realized that I didn't turn my
transponder on, or I forgot the alt static air check, or... The
realization of forgetting something puts you in an immediate mindset of
being behind the plane, and it feels like constant catch-up from that
point on.

Finally, I should qualify my feeling of "very comfortable" and suggest
that it shouldn't be confused with "complacent". I'm constantly
looking for that place to put er' down, in an emergency, and I'm
constantly keeping a scan of the environment outside (looking for
traffic), as well as the environment inside (engine performance).

Flying is always a mental workout, and it often leaves me feeling like
I could use a nap when I'm done. The feeling of, "just doesn't feel
right......", will definitely go away with experience.

Best of luck!
Todd

"Jay Honeck" wrote

In this state of mind, carving around the pattern like the plane was on
rails, an extension of my thoughts and motions, would usually result in a
good landing...and I would go off to work whistling all day.

I'll bet it left you wanting some cake, too! ;-)
--
Jim in NC

captainsj wrote:

I have flown for a couple of years on and off . I am to the point in my
training that I have completed several local xc solo flights. I am
getting ready to complete my solo xc"s and go for my checkride. But my
problem is that it is very hard for me to just drive out to the airport
that is only 2 mile from my office, get in my plane and go flying. It
just doen't feel right.......... I am just a little uneasy or I don't
know what, luckily I have a great instructor " First Officer Roy
Madewell" of Sacramento, CA who has all of the confidence in me and is
very patient. He has directed me to this internet group for possibly
someone with the same problem. Thanks for any input.

Well how do you feel on those occasions when you overcome that gluey
resistance, and you go flying? Pretty good? That's the feeling to remember
when you are facing that inner reluctance to go. I mentioned this feeling
once, to a friend and she said,

"Oh please. Go! You know damned well you'll have a great time."

and she was right.

Gregg

"three-eight-hotel" wrote

As an owner, I have tried, in the past to run through my checklists by
memory... The problem is... Flying once a weekend or every other
weekend isn't conducive to good memorization!

I had always heard that memorizing all but the most basic lists is not a
good idea, because you want the definite challenge - confirmed bit going on,
with no possibility of leaving anything out, due to stress or workload.

What say ye all?
--
Jim in NC

"captainsj" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have flown for a couple of years on and off . I am to the point in my
training that I have completed several local xc solo flights. I am
getting ready to complete my solo xc"s and go for my checkride. But my
problem is that it is very hard for me to just drive out to the airport
that is only 2 mile from my office, get in my plane and go flying. It
just doen't feel right.......... I am just a little uneasy or I don't
know what, luckily I have a great instructor " First Officer Roy
Madewell" of Sacramento, CA who has all of the confidence in me and is
very patient. He has directed me to this internet group for possibly
someone with the same problem. Thanks for any input.


D00d, you say you've been dinking around for a couple year at this... So, it
doesn't sound like you get out real regular. So, each time you get to the
airport, it's still pretty new - at least in the sense that you haven't
really settled in. You might try and arrange to fly a few days in a row if
possible to help get in the groove.

Another thing is, I bet you have been real focused on getting the rating
when you do fly- it's been a while since you started - are you getting
"get-there-ites"?
Take some time out for some fun flying. Forget about hours, checkrides,
blah, blah, blah. Got a buddy with a ticket you can split the cost with? Go
somewhere just for the fun of it? Got a buddy with a taildragger? Anywhere
arund you can get some dual in a Citabria or something like that? Just for
the fun of it?

Good luck!

--
Geoff
the sea hawk at wow way d0t com
remove spaces and make the obvious substitutions to reply by mail
Spell checking is left as an excercise for the reader.

On 12/12/2005 15:28, Morgans wrote:

"three-eight-hotel" wrote

As an owner, I have tried, in the past to run through my checklists by
memory... The problem is... Flying once a weekend or every other
weekend isn't conducive to good memorization!

I had always heard that memorizing all but the most basic lists is not a
good idea, because you want the definite challenge - confirmed bit going on,
with no possibility of leaving anything out, due to stress or workload.

What say ye all?

I had an Ultralight instructor that used to pressure me into running
through the checklist by memory (as in the pre-flight checklist, for
example). I was never comfortable doing that.

There are some cases when due to time, you need to do from memory - at
least initially, like during an engine failure.

I'll do my climb, cruise, descent, etc. checklists from memory, then
double check with the hard copy (just to make sure nothing was missed).
This way, while running down the memory checklist, I'm not moving
back and forth from panel to checklist to panel to checklist. It actually
makes it go much more smoothly, at least for me.

The bottom line for me is that checklists are good.

--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Sacramento, CA

"captainsj" wrote:
It
just doen't feel right.......... I am just a little uneasy

I frequently experience the same feeling of apprehension, even though I just
bought my first plane. I think it comes from all the reading of safety
articles in magazines and on the web. I want to know what to do if an
emergency happens, and for some reason, thinking about what I would do to
handle a situation makes me get apprehensive.

It extends to the most ridiculous levels at times. When cold starting the
engine, I'm thinking "OK, you're going to have a failed start and that raw
fuel is going to ignite in the intake. The battery will probably die and
then I'll have to jump out of the plane and put the fire out." I now take
the approach of not buckling up until after the engine is started, and I
keep the fire extinguisher next to me until ready to taxi. Pretty extreme,
right?

Anyway, even though I am thinking things like this all the time while
flying, I continue to do it anyway because I really enjoy it. Eventually I
have backtaxied to the end of the runway, and there is nothing left to do
but put the throttle to the wall and launch!

When I was doing my PPL training there was a quote that was given to all the
students: "Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even
greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness,
incapacity, or neglect."

Basically, I think that feeling of uneasiness is just a healthy respect for
the nature of aviation.

Matt

As everyone else says, this is normal and you just need to find a way
to control it.

In my case, it gets worse the longer the interval since last flying.
The solution for me has been working methodically, thoughtfully, and
carefully through the preflight and the checklist. By the time I hit
the runway, I'm mentally ready to fly, and of course the post-flight
euphoria is worth every moment.

David Megginson wrote:
Lessons aren't like real flying -- even when you're flying solo, you're
still flying to please/impress/not-disappoint someone else, not
yourself. I suggest that you grit your teeth and just get over the
final hump of the PPL (think of it like lying in a dentist's chair),
then plan some medium-length (~300 mile one-way) day trips to new
airports just for yourself, to see if you actually like flying for its
own sake. At first you'll still be trying to please an invisible
instructor sitting beside you, but that will fade.

When you write "my plane", do you mean the plane you've rented, or are
you already an owner?


All the best,


David

Yeah, I am an owner, bought a 182. It's a lot of fun. Thanks for the
words.