Nerves

david0tey

david0tey

Line Up and Wait
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Mar 2, 2012
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Fox-Three
I have had my private for about 6 months now and have flown plenty of flights with friends and family with no issues. My first couple of flights I got a little nervous because of the increased responsibilities of being the sole PIC. However, those nerves quickly faded and I have been fine ever since. Then, the other day I had planned a trip with a friend to the Outer Banks for the day and I started getting nervous again! It was honestly the strangest thing I have ever experienced. The night before, I was almost as nervous as the night before my checkride. I couldn't sleep and I lost all confidence. I kept playing these scenarios in my head of things that could go wrong and I couldn't shake it. It got to the point where I told my buddy that we were staying local. The weather was perfect by the way:mad2: I was just wondering if any other fairly new private pilots have experienced similar situations. Any advice? Thanks.
 
I go through the same thing so you are not alone! I am a week or two away from my private check ride and I still get nervous sometimes to where I just won't go fly. I can usually shake it but sometimes I have to talk to my CFI about it because it drags me down. Then after the talk we go fly dual and I am already to go once again. I actually think it is good to get nervous as it means you respect it. I used to race motocross and when I stopped getting nervous at the starting gate I knew it was time to quit as I was starting to do stupid things. So just to let you know you are not alone! You know you know what to do, so just go do it. It will pass.
 
simtech said:
I go through the same thing so you are not alone! I am a week or two away from my private check ride and I still get nervous sometimes to where I just won't go fly. I can usually shake it but sometimes I have to talk to my CFI about it because it drags me down. Then after the talk we go fly dual and I am already to go once again. I actually think it is good to get nervous as it means you respect it. I used to race motocross and when I stopped getting nervous at the starting gate I knew it was time to quit as I was starting to do stupid things. So just to let you know you are not alone! You know you know what to do, so just go do it. It will pass.
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Damn son, that's pretty good advice from a newbie. Welcome!
 
The mind is an incredibly powerful thing -- funny how an emotion can suddenly dominate one's thinking like that. I don't have my PPL yet, but if I take the "the only hour that matters in your logbook is your next one" saying seriously (or however that saying goes), then it's probably very reasonable to be nervous from time to time no matter what your experience level. No advice from me, other than observing that reasonable doses of nervousness can be a good thing.
 
I was a nervous pilot the first 100hrs. I took a 10 hour tailwheel/ aerobatics course and it did wonders for my confidence. I ended up flying a lot more aerobatics and have owned and flown several sport, aerobatic and warbird airplanes over the last 35 years. When you have complete mastery of an airplane in any flight attitude you won't be nervous. Also it will take awhile to figure out weather and get comfortable with it. Don
 
Was there anything about planning the flight, such as very uncertain weather, that made it difficult to make a decision or would have required you to do something you had not previously done?

Perhaps there was some aspect of this flight that seemed to you to demand a higher level of piloting performance than past flights.

Did the nervousness eventually dissipate? If so, do you recall if it did so during preflight or later in the airplane?
 
I had between 120 - 140 hours, then flew solo for a few takeoffs and landings. Honestly, I was very nervous. It was only my second solo flight since last August at my checkride. No idea why. Oh and always the night before an XC I can't sleep / get nervous. You are not alone.
 
I never get nervous about flying (I do it for a living), but I do get nervous about aviation. I'm senior at my company and what if the economy keeps like it is and we go belly up, what if one of our 50+ planes crashes and people die and we go out of business, what if we just go out of business?

I can't replace my income, how would I provide for my family? How could I afford for my two boys to still go to college? Would my house get foreclosed? Where would we live? What would I do?

The nervousness for me comes in waves and leave as quickly as they came, but they'll be back...

To put them out of my mind I just think of something else and assure myself things always work out.
 
I had few days like this. Never noticed a pattern to it. Once, I was scared sh*tless to do pattern work. Not sure why. After checking weather, calling my CFI, and chatting around with some local pilots, I went up for a very uneventful flight.

Few times taking friends up, I was worried but this time rationally. There was airmet Tango out there, and these were first time fliers. I told them about expected turbulence, they didn't care. So, I was worried, not them.

I guess you should just remember your training, consider all external factors, and decide to go or not.
 
Those nerves go away after you walk away from your first crash...:rofl: Seriously though, experience will lead to unusual circumstances and emergencies. When you had one or two you can gauge your reactions to them better and you'll get over it or decide to quit depending on how you react.
 
I'm nervous every time I fly. But the more experience I get, the more I find I can control it. Like anything else I guess, the more 'out of the ordinary' things you experience, the more self-confident you get. Or, like Henning just said, you find out that you've reached your limitations. No matter how comfortable I think I am, I never ignore my gut feelings - when that Spidey sense is tingling I listen.
 
I've been a private pilot for all of a month, and still get nervous when I go up. It's mostly knowing that I am responsible for people I care about, in a situation only I can control. The first few flights, I only went to the practice area with other people on-board, then I planned a cross country with my girlfriend and we got a little ways out, and started second guessing myself, and I turned back. I felt embarrassed about it afterwards, but I just reassured myself that if something didn't feel right I shouldn't keep going.

Since then we did a cross country and it went great, and it'll keep coming together with more flights. Point is, I've been in situations where I pushed myself unnecessarily and got myself into trouble, so I don't plan to let that happen when I'm in control of an airplane.
 
Go fly a long, really long transcontintal cross country trip solo, one that logs you 30 hours+ in a week and has you fly through several weather systems and all types of terrain.
 
simtech said:
I go through the same thing so you are not alone! I am a week or two away from my private check ride and I still get nervous sometimes to where I just won't go fly. I can usually shake it but sometimes I have to talk to my CFI about it because it drags me down. Then after the talk we go fly dual and I am already to go once again. I actually think it is good to get nervous as it means you respect it. I used to race motocross and when I stopped getting nervous at the starting gate I knew it was time to quit as I was starting to do stupid things. So just to let you know you are not alone! You know you know what to do, so just go do it. It will pass.
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I used to race MX too up until about 3 years ago. I'd always get the butterflies before a start. Even after years of racing. Never have been so nervous in my life. But when that gate drops, and you hit the dirt it all goes away instantly.

Just go to your happy place and everything will be ok.

 
dell30rb said:
But when that gate drops, and you hit the dirt it all goes away instantly.
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That is the truth! Crazy how that works.. Just like my first solo this year, I was slightly nervous and as soon as I pushed the throttle in and the wheels left the ground I knew there was no turning back and I was so focused the nervousness faded away.

But now that I can go fly whenever I want, I find myself second guessing the trip. I don't know why, maybe it is all the crash videos I watch:mad2:! I start to think of everything that can go wrong and I back out. But again that is temporary just like the OP. He knows whats needs to be done to fly safely or he wouldn't be a pilot. It is always just the what if's, will I handle the correctly? Again I am still a student but pretty soon Ill have my wife on board and I know a whole new set of nervousness will kick in. But I honestly think some degree of nervousness has to be there or you can get your self in a sticky situation pretty fast! You know nerves is our check and balance, without it we would constantly do stupid things...well at least I would.
 
I've never had nerves be the cause of a cancelled flight, but I definitely have had them act up.

Put your trust into the training you've received, the familiar checklist routine, and the procedures that you use each time you fly. Occupy your mind with the fact that you do indeed know what you are doing.

You were allowed to make cross country flights as a student with no certificate...now you've passed your checkride and have many more hours than you did as a student. Just make sure your preflight is thorough, the weather is good, and your charts are in order.
 
There was another post about this a while back where I discovered a lot of people here get at least a bit afraid/nervous before a flight. Seems fairly common. I do find that the 1-2 days leading up to a cross country I spend a good amount of mental energy planning and reviewing. So much so that sometimes it does take some of the fun out of just going somewhere. But I think I'd feel worse being in the cockpit not having done the work to execute. Once I get off the ground and hook up with flight following I'm usually having a good time.

The thing that makes me most nervous is the approach and landing at an airport I've not been to before. I get concerned about untowered traffic and setting down on smaller strips accurately at small places and worried about the post-landing taxiing at larger places. (e.g. Class C)

Edit: I do think that Henning has a great idea on the long x-country. I wish there was a way I could do even an overnight, but I'm not sure how to set that up with a rental.
 
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steamee said:
There was another post about this a while back where I discovered a lot of people here get at least a bit afraid/nervous before a flight. Seems fairly common. I do find that the 1-2 days leading up to a cross country I spend a good amount of mental energy planning and reviewing. So much so that sometimes it does take some of the fun out of just going somewhere. But I think I'd feel worse being in the cockpit not having done the work to execute. Once I get off the ground and hook up with flight following I'm usually having a good time.

The thing that makes me most nervous is the approach and landing at an airport I've not been to before. I get concerned about untowered traffic and setting down on smaller strips accurately at small places and worried about the post-landing taxiing at larger places. (e.g. Class C)

Edit: I do think that Henning has a great idea on the long x-country. I wish there was a way I could do even an overnight, but I'm not sure how to set that up with a rental.
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Bring in donuts one day for the owners of the plane / flight school. Works great.

I have helped wash planes, do other tasks, etc and am no longer "subject to the rules" where I fly. I am taking a plane out for the weekend, though in reality I'll more than meet the per night min. of 3 hours. However, when I took the 150 for 3-5 days I certainly didn't meet the mins. It is all about who you know, your relationship with them, etc. Kindness goes a long way.

My favorite thing, of all things, is taking the plane away somewhere, staying in that place for the day (or overnight) and just HAVING the airplane keys in my pocket. I literally love the fact that I have not car keys but freaking airplane keys on me! It is just the neatest thing.
 
I get the nerves too. Especially if a chunk of time has passed since I've been up. Everyone has good advice here. You need to believe in yourself and what you have been taught. Crazy thing is I get more nervous when I fly by myself than when I have a passenger.

I couldn't agree more with Matthew. Whenever my spidey sense starts going I reevaluate everything and if needed, I cancel the flight without any hesitation. Your gut is one of the best things to follow when in doubt. It has kept me out of trouble quite a few times.
 
sacbluesman said:
I get the nerves too. Especially if a chunk of time has passed since I've been up. Everyone has good advice here. You need to believe in yourself and what you have been taught. Crazy thing is I get more nervous when I fly by myself than when I have a passenger.

I couldn't agree more with Matthew. Whenever my spidey sense starts going I reevaluate everything and if needed, I cancel the flight without any hesitation. Your gut is one of the best things to follow when in doubt. It has kept me out of trouble quite a few times.
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I have cancelled flights so many times due to wind or clouds. One time I waited for the clouds to clear, then took off, and faced crappy-ish weather and turbulence for three hours even though the weather reports said it was clear below 12,000 ft.

I don't have any spidey sense though.
 
Your flying anxiety will follow a U-function with time logged. When you first get your license you may be a little anxious about handling new situations. As you gain hours and experience, you may get too comfy and think you are invulnerable and risk doing some stupid things. As you get still more experience you will develop a more sophisticated respect for risk and safety. At least that was the way it was for me. The 200-400 hour mark was my 'stupid' phase. Nothing crazy, but I took some risks I wouldn't today. An IR helps manage some of the VFR risks by avoiding marginal VFR entirely. I'm more realistic about flying risk now. Less bold, more old...

Cheers.
 
Years ago I was given some golden advice during a training excercise. I was relatively new to the machine I was flying (HH3F) and my A/C commander told me: "Just concentrate on doing the things you can control as well as you can. The things you can't control will take care of themselves" Plan well, then go fly.
 
This is such a timely thread for me because I can totally relate. I've been a private pilot for about 7 months now, gone on many successful flights but I've been getting nervous before many recent flights. I believe my nerves focused around feeling like I needed confirmation that I was still a good pilot from a CFI. Last week I went for crosswind landing practice with a CFI and he confirmed that I was still a good pilot and pointed out the things I was not doing correctly during the flight. It literally helped me to regain all my confidence very quickly. The next day I went on an XC and that totally helped me feel confident again and reminded me how amazing flying is without anyone with you!

I think a healthy dose of nerves is probably a very good thing for use new Private pilots. I know I'm more cautious because I'm aware of my shortcomings and don't want to take any risks that will make the situation worse.
 
Henning said:
Those nerves go away after you walk away from your first crash...:rofl: Seriously though, experience will lead to unusual circumstances and emergencies. When you had one or two you can gauge your reactions to them better and you'll get over it or decide to quit depending on how you react.
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You know Henning this make a lot of sense man. Kind of like your first trip via ambulance after some horrific injury in a contact sport or perhaps your first fall on a street bike. It will test your love for the activity and if you love it enough to go back.
 
I know pilots with no fear, rode with one once. Won't do that again... Oh and I used to race the Southeastern motocross circuit with Kevin Windham ( He's the reason I went to college instead of pursuing a career racing MX, showed me reality :) ) I was with him the day he got off his Kawasaki and straddled a factory Yamaha ride at a track just south of McComb MS, known as WFO :)
 
I only get nervous until the wheels leave the ground. Then I get this sheet eating grinn on my face that remains until I land. No one could believe Im nervous having so much fun.
 
If your nervousness or anxiousness about flying carries on, get some time with your CFI. Just because you have your ticket, doesn't mean you can't use the 200 pounds of dead weight in the right seat. You like him, you trust him, get him to honestly evaluate your skills.
you're not going to overcome this for a long time. A little bit of anxiousness is good, a lot is a problem. Try to figure out why and your CFI can help.
 
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