First lesson - Tips?

[Nicholas Giese]

Well, after years of being an armchair pilot in Condor, I've finally booked my first-ever soaring lesson for this weekend. If anyone has any general tips they'd like to pass along, I'll gladly listen! I'm sure the first flight will be very memorable.

-Nick

[Tom Gardner[_2_]]

On 16/07/13 04:21, Nicholas Giese wrote:
> Well, after years of being an armchair pilot in Condor, I've finally booked my first-ever soaring lesson for this weekend. If anyone has any general tips they'd like to pass along, I'll gladly listen! I'm sure the first flight will be very memorable.

Talk to your instructor. Tell them what you like and dislike,
know and don't know, want to experience and want to avoid.

And, of course, have fun!

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, July 16, 2013 3:24:00 AM UTC-5, Tom Gardner wrote:
> On 16/07/13 04:21, Nicholas Giese wrote:
>
> > Well, after years of being an armchair pilot in Condor, I've finally booked my first-ever soaring lesson for this weekend. If anyone has any general tips they'd like to pass along, I'll gladly listen! I'm sure the first flight will be very memorable.
>

Two tips:
1. Read the darn book. If you show up for the lesson knowing that this is lesson one, that you will be doing how the controls work, but you've already read the book, you know how the controls work, you understand primary and secondary effects of the controls, and now you're there to put it in place in the air, you will be miles ahead of the game. Flying is for doing in the air things you understand on the ground. The same goes for the rest of your training.
2. Take charge early. You are doing more judgment training than flight training really. The instructor helps you to learn to fly, he or she does not really "teach you to fly."

[shkdriver]

On Tuesday, July 16, 2013 3:24:00 AM UTC-5, Tom Gardner wrote:
> On 16/07/13 04:21, Nicholas Giese wrote:
>
> > Well, after years of being an armchair pilot in Condor, I've finally booked my first-ever soaring lesson for this weekend. If anyone has any general tips they'd like to pass along, I'll gladly listen! I'm sure the first flight will be very memorable.
>
>
>
> Talk to your instructor. Tell them what you like and dislike,
>
> know and don't know, want to experience and want to avoid.
>
>
>
> And, of course, have fun!

A lot of the skill of flying is a motor skill, like snow skiing, or kayaking, and as such it is repetition that hones the skill, as well as intellectual work,
So, Fly as much and as often as you can.

Scott.

[son_of_flubber]

Nobody told me to look at the horizon (and not at the instruments) until after my first flight. We followed some great thermaling with an epic full spoiler sled ride (due to airsickness).

[Piotr Szafranski]

Worth discussing with the instructor - how much rudder control you should use. Get the feel "how much of a leg" it takes.

I was way too gentle with the rudder, could not follow the tug at first. Heard (afterwards) that this happens more often with the Condor pilots (who usually fly with the rudder controlled by the stick).

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:34:44 AM UTC-4, wrote:
> On Tuesday, July 16, 2013 3:24:00 AM UTC-5, Tom Gardner wrote: > On 16/07/13 04:21, Nicholas Giese wrote: > > > Well, after years of being an armchair pilot in Condor, I've finally booked my first-ever soaring lesson for this weekend. If anyone has any general tips they'd like to pass along, I'll gladly listen! I'm sure the first flight will be very memorable. > Two tips: 1. Read the darn book. If you show up for the lesson knowing that this is lesson one, that you will be doing how the controls work, but you've already read the book, you know how the controls work, you understand primary and secondary effects of the controls, and now you're there to put it in place in the air, you will be miles ahead of the game. Flying is for doing in the air things you understand on the ground. The same goes for the rest of your training. 2. Take charge early. You are doing more judgment training than flight training really. The instructor helps you to learn to fly, he or she does not really "teach you to fly."

I completely agree with BB with respect to reading the books.
One thing that really slows the training process is when basic knowledge like terminology has to be taught as part of the flying lesson.
Letting your instructor know you have some familiarity based upon some Condor experience will be useful. Don't expect everything you think you have learned to transfer.
Ask your instructor what you should do to prepare for your next lesson if he does not give you an assignment.
Dirty little secret- prepared students get extra attention and enthusiasm from their instructors.
Plan on flying regularly. This is the most important step to good progress after staying on top of teh academic portion.
And be prepared to have a bunch of fun in this new adventure.
UH

[Ralph Jones[_3_]]

On Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:21:28 -0700 (PDT), Nicholas Giese
> wrote:

>Well, after years of being an armchair pilot in Condor, I've finally booked my first-ever soaring lesson for this weekend. If anyone has any general tips they'd like to pass along, I'll gladly listen! I'm sure the first flight will be very memorable.
>
Sun hat, soft, no button on top.

[Soartech]

Tips: You will find that aerotowing is easier than it is in Condor. US tow ropes are longer and the rudder is very effective in towing turns.
Also, get in the habit of looking to the direction you are going to turn BEFORE you turn to be sure the area is clear. In Condor, the (imaginary) back seat instructor does not whack you on the head. In real life, he might!
As someone said, take charge of your instruction. Keep a log of your training and skills. Share this with your instructor before each days flying so you spend your (costly) training time to best advantage. Take a look at several training syllabuses available on the web. Pick one you like and try to get your instructor(s) to follow it (unless they have one). Many do not.

[Jonathon May[_2_]]

At 17:36 17 July 2013, Soartech wrote:
>Tips: You will find that aerotowing is easier than it is in Condor. US
tow
>=
>ropes are longer and the rudder is very effective in towing turns.
> Also, get in the habit of looking to the direction you are going to
turn
>=
>BEFORE you turn to be sure the area is clear. In Condor, the (imaginary)
>ba=
>ck seat instructor does not whack you on the head. In real life, he
might!
> As someone said, take charge of your instruction. Keep a log of your
>trai=
>ning and skills. Share this with your instructor before each days flying
>so=
> you spend your (costly) training time to best advantage. Take a look at
>se=
>veral training syllabuses available on the web. Pick one you like and try
>t=
>o get your instructor(s) to follow it (unless they have one). Many do
not.
>

All good advice ,but remember you are supposed to enjoy it ,learning can be

a lot of fun if you relax and remember its not a job and if you take longer

than you thought no one is going to fire you.
I am a Brit so not sure how much it will cost but you can progress at the
rate
you can afford or take it in .Some times a break between flights of a week
or
so helps ,it's a muscle memory thing,kids are quick but can't always learn
the
decision making, older people know just what to do but can't coordinate it
all
Just enjoy it that's why your there.

[[email protected]]

On Wednesday, July 17, 2013 1:36:21 PM UTC-4, Soartech wrote:
> Tips: You will find that aerotowing is easier than it is in Condor. US tow ropes are longer and the rudder is very effective in towing turns. Also, get in the habit of looking to the direction you are going to turn BEFORE you turn to be sure the area is clear. In Condor, the (imaginary) back seat instructor does not whack you on the head. In real life, he might! As someone said, take charge of your instruction. Keep a log of your training and skills. Share this with your instructor before each days flying so you spend your (costly) training time to best advantage. Take a look at several training syllabuses available on the web. Pick one you like and try to get your instructor(s) to follow it (unless they have one). Many do not.

I'm curious- are you a CFI?
The pilot log book and associated check off lists are a record of the required training. Assuming a student is not flying with a new instructor all the time, there should not be much of a need for the student to brief the instructor on what he has accomplished.
UH

[son_of_flubber]

On Wednesday, July 17, 2013 1:36:21 PM UTC-4, Soartech wrote:
>>Take a look at several training syllabuses available on the web. Pick one you like and try to get your instructor(s) to follow it (unless they have one). Many do not.

Based solely on my experience as a student pilot with several different instructors, I concur with Soartech suggestion to push for a legible printed checklist style syllabus. CFI-Gs always wrote something in my log book, but they rarely if ever reviewed the entries and I doubt that they could read the handwriting.

[Soartech]

> I'm curious- are you a CFI?
Nope.
> The pilot log book and associated check off lists are a record of the required training.
> UH

This is my experience as part of a small club with several instructors. If there was an "associated check off list" our club did not use them and I don't see any in the SSA logbook.

I do agree that having fun is highly important. Start thermalling as soon as your instructor will allow you to. Maximize your solo time when you are cleared.

[Tom[_12_]]

Nicholas,

Unlike many activities, flying is a new, 3 dimensional experience, in a new environment. What you Don't know can hurt you. Knowledge is extremely important.

Here is an interesting article: http://www.eglider.org/NewsArticles/standardization.htm

Enjoy

Tom

[Piet Barber]

> The pilot log book and associated check off lists are a record of the required training. Assuming a student is not flying with a new instructor all the time, there should not be much of a need for the student to brief the instructor on what he has accomplished.

Skyline Soaring Club in Virginia has a training syllabus that is free for any other club to use.
http://skylinesoaring.org/TRAINING/Syllabus/

In our club, you are pretty much guaranteed that you'll fly with (at least) 5 different instructors from first flight to solo. For us, having everything documented for 61.87 requirements in a centrally-located place is absolutely essential to make sure everything is covered.

If you are receiving flight training from an organization that doesn't have something like this, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the instructor who is signing you off go through it with you.