Discovery Flight today...unexpected results

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 12:53:44 GMT, kontiki
wrote:

Many people (actually myself included) may think their 'natural'
flying talents are more prolific than they actually are, especially
those that may have spent a lot of time flying sims

Theres no doubt that I went into it thinking that my time on sims
would give me a leg up. And theres also no doubt that all the time
I've spent on sims didn't mean a damn thing after rotation...LOL!

-----------------much snipped-------------
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.
-----------------some snipped-------------

If you have the same problem that I do, and sometimes have a little
difficulty recalling seldom used words, you might consider a brief page of
crib notes at the back of your check list--at a towered airport, where you
are confused about the taxi route, the nomenclature (IIRC) is "sequenced
instructions" and an airport diagram is a nearly indispensable asset as
well.

Peter

"DGS" wrote in message
...
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.

Unless the wind was nearly straight down the runway, that much wind could
very easily exceed the demonstrated crosswind component for landing--and
there are some considerations for taxiing as well. What type of aircraft
was used?

kontiki wrote:
The student does have a level of responsibility
to communicate with the instructor and the instructor has the
responsibility to respond to and accept the student. From
this relationship the learning process takes place.

I'm not sure I'm comfortable with your advice. This was a discovery
flight; they didn't really *have* a true instructor/student relationship
yet.

Yes, one could have formed from this, but one of the outcomes of the
discovery flight is to decide whether the particular instructor is
suitable.

Your advice sounds kind of like telling people who don't click on a first
date that they should go see a marriage counselor.

.... Alan
--
Alan Gerber
PP-ASEL
gerber AT panix DOT com

DGS wrote:
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.

Run away from this guy. He had a nervous student/passenger, and then he
performs some stalls? Never mind whether that part actually bothered you
or not, he had NO business doing this based on what he already knew about
your reaction to the flight.

.... Alan
--
Alan Gerber
PP-ASEL
gerber AT panix DOT com

DGS wrote:
Another thing that left a bad taste in my mouth. After the flight was
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.

Actually, this IS a big deal.

First off, it's a violation of regulations. You both needed to have your
belts secured. And, on a turbulent day - as you described - it's a safety
issue; the belt helps keep you in the seat, and helps keep you in control
of the aircraft.

Second, it implies that he didn't use a checklist. My checklist shows
this in two places -- before engine start, and before takeoff. I suppose
it's possible that he used a checklist that didn't have this somewhere, it
doesn't seem likely to me.

Besides the flight safety issues, this will also affect your training.
You want to be trained by somebody you want to emulate, since you will end
up emulating your instructor. You're better off being trained by somebody
who takes this more seriously, to ensure you're trained to take it
seriously as well.

.... Alan
--
Alan Gerber
PP-ASEL
gerber AT panix DOT com

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?

It gets better. Lots of us have been through this.

Death grip on the controls? Overcontrolling? Terrified in turbulence?
It's pretty common.

One day during my training, I found myself on a solo in some moderate
turbulence. When I noticed that I was annoyed and not scared, I realized
that I had turned the corner.

My advice: keep trying. Consider another instructor, as several of us
have suggested, but don't worry about your reactions to the flight
situation. They're pretty common, especially on turbulent days, and
you'll do better as you get more experience.

.... Alan
--
Alan Gerber
PP-ASEL
gerber AT panix DOT com

"DGS" wrote in message ...
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.

Do you really mean that the shoulder belts weren't used?

I can not imagine doing stall demos without lap belts. It is something ANY
pilot would notice. It is even a requirement on your Flight Test to brief
the examiner (as though they were your passenger) and make sure their belt
is secured.

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 03:30:18 +0000 (UTC), Alan Gerber
wrote:

Second, it implies that he didn't use a checklist. My checklist shows
this in two places -- before engine start, and before takeoff. I suppose
it's possible that he used a checklist that didn't have this somewhere, it
doesn't seem likely to me.

He didn't use a checklist...that I know for sure. Was going to
ask...didn't...should have.

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:09:56 -0500, "Peter Dohm"
wrote:

"DGS" wrote in message
.. .
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.

Unless the wind was nearly straight down the runway, that much wind could
very easily exceed the demonstrated crosswind component for landing--and
there are some considerations for taxiing as well. What type of aircraft
was used?

Piper Warrior II