Discovery Flight today...unexpected results

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:55:30 -0600, Dallas
wrote:

From what you wrote, I'd say that the instructor accidentally triggered an
anxiety attack in you. I'd give him credit for recognizing it, but it
sounds like he didn't respond with an effective way to deal with it.

As others have said, try it again with another instructor, if you can. And
discuss with him what happened on that first flight while you're still on
the ground.

First of all. THANK YOU to everyone for taking the time to respond.
Needless to say it made me feel a lot better to hear that others at
least had similar experiences and that I wasn't just going nuts.

After many of the replies in here, I've decided to at least give it
another go, however I'm still undecided as to whether or not I will
stick with the same instructor. To be honest, I was scared enough to
where today I don't really even remember much about the whole thing,
so maybe I'm being too hard on the role the instructor played in the
event.

I am actually fearful that I had an anxiety attack...actually. I'm a
musician (used to be a professional one) and I can play in front of
2,000+ people and never feel nervous, however I've never experienced
the sort of white knuckle fear I felt yesterday. It was really scary
and also really unexpected. However, from talking to my family
(especially my dad who, even as a tough guy had to admit he'd been
pooping his pants as well) and listening to others in this group I've
got to at least give it another try. If I get that wigged out again,
I may reconsider. Somehow I have a feeling that knowing more what to
expect may make it a more pleasurable experience.

The REAL doubt that the experience gave me though, is making me wonder
how I will react when I have that first issue...the first failure, the
first cross wind landing, even the first time I'm lost and can't
figure out how to taxi to the correct runway. I do know that I have
to stay cool...so that's where yesterday's experience has turned me
into a doubter. Before yesterday, I figured this was a done deal.

I have an even greater respect for pilots now.

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:54:56 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

Hi all. I'm a 39 year old guy who has loved flying and dreamt of
being a pilot for a long time.

That says it all. Don't let a single bad experience ruin your dream.

It sounds like you went up on a bumpy, turbulent day, which can rattle
anyone. That feeling of being tossed around like a kite is still
uncomfortable, even after many years of flying.

Now that you've seen some bumps, you'll know what to expect on your next
flight. Explain this to your CFI, and try to make your next flight on a
calmer day -- you'll be amazed at the difference.

It was definitely a windy day...18 mph winds with gusts up to 40 mph.
Directly after rotation a major gust hit us and threw the plane at
least 10 yards to the right. That right there caused a major skip of
the heart and lump in the throat. I corrected the plane but just
feeling the wind shove that plane around the way it did definitely
freaked me out. I had no idea that you could FEEL it so much when
your hands are on the wheel...it was like driving a car through a snow
drift.

On 10 Feb 2008 21:18:35 GMT, Clark wrote:

At 39 y.o. your pretty used to knowing what you are doing and being in
control of your part of the world. Driving an airplane is a totally new
experience and you know that you haven't learned much about it. You also
have enough experience in life to know that the lack of knowledge can have
painful outcomes so you're nervous. It's perfectly natural.

My mom also raised this when I talked to her about this. At 39 it has
been years since I stepped outside my comfort zone.

I truly don't remember anymore what it felt like to learn to ride a
bike or drive a car. I don't remember it being that scary though.

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:14:41 -0800 (PST), Phil J
wrote:


You have described my first flight perfectly. Except on the takeoff,
I rotated early and we wound up sinking back onto the runway with the
wheels skidding sideways. Now that was exciting! Not a very
promising beginning. I spent the rest of the flight with a death grip
on the stick, trying to push my heart back down out of my throat. I
think my instructor realized that having me do the landing was not a
good idea because he didn't ask me to do it, and I was glad. Maybe he
was still shaken up by the takeoff.

I have dreamed of learning to fly my whole life. I expected it to be
fun and exciting when I finally got the chance to do it. It's very
disturbing and disappointing to discover that it's nerve-wracking and
scary. It makes you question yourself, and you feel like a failure
somehow. Like you are different from all those other guys out there
happily buzzing through the sky without a care in the world. Except
as you can see from all the responses you have gotten, your reaction
was totally normal. There is a big difference between simply riding
in an airplane and taking the controls and piloting it. And when you
have dreamed about something for so long, there is a huge emotional
resonance to it when you do it. It's a seriously important thing to
you, and you are scared to death that you might fail at it. That
magnifies and amplifies your nerves.

It took a lot of willpower for me to continue my lessons. Every time
I drove to the airport I had butterflies in my stomach. As I got more
time in the airplane, I got more and more comfortable. I am still
nervous, especially in landings, but it's not so overwhelming
anymore. The same thing will happen to you. You just have to endure
those feelings and get a few more lessons under your belt. Do it, and
you will feel glad that you didn't give in to the fear. And even
better, it will become fun.

Good luck to you.

Phil

What a great post...this one really made me feel better. What you
describe here is a carbon copy of how I feel, especially the part
about questioning yourself and feeling like a failure.

Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe wrote:
BTW - there is no problem shopping around for instructors - some will be
better for you than others.

There were four schools on my home field when I decided to start
training. I took flights with three of them. On the third flight, the
CFI mildly botched the landing, dropping it in pretty hard. On the taxi
in, he said, "Let me explain what happened and what I did wrong on that
landing." And then proceeded to dissect it and make it very clear. That
sold me on him as a teacher, and I did my primary with him. That sort of
analytical approach might bug the heck out of some people, but it was
perfect for my learning style.

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 10:43:23 -0800 (PST), WingFlaps
wrote:

On Feb 10, 10:09*pm, DGS wrote:


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?

My experience matches yours exactly. I was horribly nervous and my
first solo was not enjoyable I was so nervous. Trust me the training
will gradually take over and the nerves subside as you get comfortable
with flying the 'plane. Avoid an instructor who always grabs the
controls or has his feet on the rudder all the time -it will slow you
down. I'd say, don't get an instructor younger than you are. While
most can fly well they just don't understand how your behavior and
learning processes change as you get older. You need a positive
learning environment -nothing is a problem if you have a desire to
learn and the right learning environment. The only time I'm nervous
now is in bad xwinds with shear.

Cheers

Thanks for sharing your experience...it has already helped me more
than you can know.

You bring up something interesting...the age of my instructor. It
actually WAS somewhat disappointing to have an instructor who was
younger than me. I don't know...for some reason I didn't feel like I
was on the same page. I see YouTube videos of older flight
instructors who are so reassuring, enthusiastic, and helpful. I
wanted that. Don't get me wrong, my instructor was not a mean guy or
a bad guy. But he was quiet and didn't communicate with me much.

Another thing that left a bad taste in my mouth. After the flight was
over and we'd taxied back to the hanger he was climbing out of the
plane and realized he didn't have his seatbelt fastened. He laughed
about the fact that he had forgotten to do so. As I then followed him
out of the plane I realized that I hadn't had mine fastened either. He
then apologized for forgetting to have either of us do so, but I could
tell that it didn't really bother him. I dunno, I guess it's not a
big deal, but I really kind of want someone who maybe takes it all a
little more seriously.

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 10:19:11 -0500, ONLINE
wrote:

I can clearly remember each time having experiences like you describe:
serious nervousness, lots of sweat, a "death grip" on the yoke, even
shaking knees as I applied rudder inputs during turning maneuvers.
These symptoms gradually abated as I gained familiarity with the
environment and confidence in my abilities to manage it.

My saving grace that kept me from just chucking the whole idea then
and there was that I at least wasn't shaking. Even my instructor
found it odd that I was so nervous that I was sweating and was even
breathing somewhat heavily...but never shook at all.

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:25:07 GMT, kontiki
wrote:

Unless you just dislike the guy, it is also recommended to
talk to the instructor about your feelings and expectations.

If i stick with him I definitely will be discussing these things.
First I plan on calling another FBO at the same airport and talking to
one of their instructors first.

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:30:42 -0500, "T. McQuinn"
wrote:

I had a similar experience. But I stayed with the guy for another
lesson or two until he nearly scared me to death.

That's what I'm afraid this guy will do...he seemed like the type that
didn't mind a bit that he WAS scaring me to death. He also took great
pleasure after he took over the controls in performing some stalls. He
almost seemed a bit disappointed that they didn't bother me at all.
Nothing bothered me once HE had the controls...I was only effected
when I was driving.

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:12:27 GMT, "Blueskies"
wrote:

Did this 'instructor' share you passion for flying, or was he an hours builder looking for a way out to the airliner as
soon as possible?

Hard to tell but judging from his age and lack of compassion over the
situation it's very possible. I don't really know of a tactful way to
ask him this.