Solo Issues/Anxiety/Panic

CHDAZPilot

Filing Flight Plan
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Aug 24, 2011
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Gilbert, AZ
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CHDAZPilot
Solo Issues/Anxiety

Well I just joined this site and looks like I can get a lot more responses & advice. I have got lots of feedback on another forum regarding this issue but nothing has done the trick yet. I'm NOT giving up though. Any help or advise would be appriciated.
 
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Wow thanks for that response. I really don't think I have a disorder as i have had successful solo flights. Just get a little scared sometimes. I am going to be talking to a therapist to talk to about this but I figured other pilots and student could give me some advice. I had received some good tips from some folks on another forum so I thought I would get some more opinions from another site.
 
Never had this problem, I can't speak from experience.

But it does take some people awhile to get comfortable and i'm sure the mini panic attack thing can happen if you're prone to that sort of thing.

Just keep racking up hours. Try going up with your instructor on a day with less than perfect conditions - a strong crosswind or a bumpy day or whatever. When it comes time to solo, go up on a nice day... it will feel like a piece of cake!

My primary training was in the windy months of march, april, may. When I go up on a smooth, calm day it still feels like cheating
 
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Never had this problem, I can't speak from experience.

But it does take some people awhile to get comfortable and i'm sure the mini panic attack thing can happen if you're prone to that sort of thing.

Just keep racking up hours. Try going up with your instructor on a day with less than perfect conditions - a strong crosswind or a bumpy day or whatever. When it comes time to solo, go up on a nice day... it will feel like a piece of cake!


Thank you!
 
Hey, CHD:

Been there, done that. I think most of have, at one time or another, had that sudden feeling of "who the heck am I to think I could ever control an airplane?"

Just go fly - a lot - and enjoy it. When the time comes that you are flying solo again, don't think of it as a whole flight, but rather, as a string of "next maneuvers" - easily-bitten-off chunks of a flight, each discrete one of which you know you can easily accomplish without difficulty.

And before you know it...

..it's all good!

---

Also, make a practice of having a really good workout before you go flying - great for the clear head and calm spirit.
 
Saying things like, "I honestly though I was dead and now in another reality. It was a really really bad first solo." doesn't look good.

Are you medically qualified to self-diagnose?

This is some serious stuff. This is beyond the realm of, 'everyone has a lapse every now and then'. Don't be so accomodating. And no, everyone does not experience this behavior.
 
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I am not qualified but I was honestly just looking for some kind advice like a few people are giving. Not negative remarks. I'll delete this now. Thanks for welcoming me to the site.

Couldn't figure out how to delete so I just edited everything out
 
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You are welcomed to this site. It is not my intention to be negative but open your eyes to how the FAA will perceive what you have said. Are you willing to risk your aviation goals because of a few careless remarks?

BTW: I know several persons who have very real and threatening panic attacks. What they experience is far beyond the 'more normal' occurence of a bit of anxiety. It is in this light which I read your opening post.

Again, ask an experienced aviator how CAMI would view what you had written.


Additionally, aviaiting can be cruel and harsh. For one, I have had it up to here about hearing of fatal crashes. I stopped counting at 15 how many pilots I knew who had suffered fatal injuries from a plane crash. We owe it to ourselves, our loved ones, and everyone not become a statistic. Diligence and practicing being safe is a key.
 
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You are welcomed to this site. It is not my intention to be negative but open your eyes to how the FAA will perceive what you have said. Are you willing to risk your aviation goals because of a few careless remarks?

BTW: I know several persons who have very real and threatening panic attacks. What they experience is far beyond the 'more normal' occurence of a bit of anxiety. It is in this light which I read your opening post.

Again, ask an experienced aviator how CAMI would view what you had written.


Additionally, aviaiting can be cruel and harsh. For one, I have had it up to here about hearing of fatal crashes. I stopped counting at 15 how many pilots I knew who had suffered fatal injuries from a plane crash. We owe it to ourselves, our loved ones, and everyone not become a statistic. Diligence and practicing being safe is a key.



I understand and I apologize for your losses.
 
Welcome to POA! Use the search functionality to search for threads with the word ANXIETY in them... We've had several good threads on this topic in the past, and you're not the only one to experience pangs of concern. See the thread 'When will the nerves stop?' in your search results.

And fly more, like Spike said!
 
Saying things like, "I honestly though I was dead and now in another reality. It was a really really bad first solo." doesn't look good.

Are you medically qualified to self-diagnose?

This is some serious stuff.

No pilot will deny that a certain amount of fear is an integral part of flying

Panic is the problem. Fear is normal but panic results in a loss of reasoning. Panic can make even the most uncomplicated tasks seem impossible. You make a few small mistakes and get way behind the airplane. And that will kill you, so the concern of others here is not at all unwarranted.

Fear and a little panic on your first few solo flights is not the end of the world. Just keep practicing and make sure you deal with the panic. Just remember if you're scared, its not a bad thing, it will keep you on your toes. As long as you stay alert, you'll be fine.

That said if, after practice you are still having real anxiety problems, you should not fly.
 
To all:

I understand I have some solo phobias to get over. Richard is right about me not throwing everything out there though. That could lead to some unwanted problems for me. I have had positive & confindent solo flights in the past 6 months so I know I can do it. Just need to be able to do it consistantly. I won't give up and look forward to making progress towards my PPL.
 
I personally believe fear and anxiety is normal when I recognize risks are higher than normal.

That's good.

That tells me when I need to make sure I know what I'm doing and that I'm need to be careful not to screw it up.

I don't let fear stop me,

There are precautions I can take, I've done it before, and thousands trained exacly like me, have been there before me.

If I don't like the way it looks, I go around. It's only dangerous when I forget that.

Those feelings also let me know I'm alive.

It's great when the source is planning new flying activities and /or getting to know a new lady friend.

Good Luck,
 
Nor did I mean to offend. I was serious, you have an acute case here and the most likely person to be able to help you out in my opinion is going to be a shrink who specializes in hypnosis. It is typically low cost and when effective, it is very effective.
 
To all:

I understand I have some solo phobias to get over. Richard is right about me not throwing everything out there though. That could lead to some unwanted problems for me. I have had positive & confindent solo flights in the past 6 months so I know I can do it. Just need to be able to do it consistantly. I won't give up and look forward to making progress towards my PPL.
If you have made solo flights successfully, you can use that positive experience to build a more positive mindset about your flying.
And don't dismiss Henning's suggestion. Sometimes the pros do some good.
 
OK I gotta pile on a little bit.

Nervousness and maybe a bit of anxiety come with learning to fly and will go away as your skills improve.

Panic and extreme anxiety are big problems and should be dealt with on the ground not in the air. There is nothing about flying that is better when you're paniced.

Story: My Dad was an instructor long before I came along. He had a student who started taking lessons to get over extreme fear of flying, which was caused by an airline accident that he was in. My Dad eventually decided to quit training him because he would freeze up in the cockpit when things got hairy (which happens a lot from a student's point of view). The student went and found another CFI and managed to get his PPL. He died a few years later in an airplane he was piloting.
 
Lets see...

Back in the olden days, my instructor told me about a new commercial student he had taken on - coming in for a landing the instructor suggested a short field landing so the guy wouldn't get bored. Crosswind got them out of line with the runway, the guy froze on the controls and wouldn't let go - took them into the trees alongside the runway. Dunno if the guy ever got his commercial ticket.

I googled the airplane I got my last flight review in - turns out it is in the NTSB data base - a student on the first solo panicked and decided to land in a field instead of on the runway. Substantial damage.

Another NTSB report I found, a student coming back from a solo cross country runs out of gas while on final – turns away from the airport – and (he was wearing a 'chute) jumps.

I assume you are doing better than any of the above…
 
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