Were You Ever like This?

[Sunfish]

Confess! I was up at 4 effing AM because I'm doing my GFPT (Don't laugh) today and I can't sleep. I'm flying at the moment like a sack of s**t.

I almost clobbered a Warrior joining the circuit yesterday morning through being dumb (ie: "Join Downwind for 13Left" does NOT mean "join downwind" it means follow the farking VFG instructions for joining downwind 13Left).

Did a bit better in the afternoon.

Do any of you gods of the air get nerves?

[QNIM]

Gday Sunfish
If you new how many times pro's f##kup you wouldn't worry so much, it's just that we have had far more practice at covering them up.
Cheers Q :O

[126.7]

Sunfish, not really sure what your after here, but I will throw my two bobs in.

Firstly, I think everyone who takes their flying serious gets nerves at the start. When we learn to drive a car it is not so scary as we have spent most of our lives as back seat drivers.

My first advice is to go out to the flying school and sit in the plane! Take your checklist, touch each item as you go through it. Sitting in the aircraft will cost you nothing but will work at taking the unfamiliarity away. Thereby reducing nerves.

Secondly, while flying we cannot just pull off the side of the sky, stop and read the rules, then continue. We are constantly in motion, although I did here of a Tigermoth taking off in 45kt winds that was stationary. Being in constant motion means we have to know the rules, and yes they do change from time to time. However, it is not something to be nervous about. I do suggest that a person familiarises themselves with local procedures before we go flying, otherwise why do it. How can you be learning how to fly the plane when you are nervous about the procedures.

One way to get around this is to use flight sim or even a cardbourd cutout of a cockpit at home. Go through the arrivals and joining instructions every second night. I used to perform FLWOP while jogging, I would even find a field to land in.

Thirdly, whilst understanding your ups and downs is great for your learning curve, ie to know when your on the plateau and need something of a challenge. You should not tell yourself you flew like sh*t. As long as you realise what you did wrong and work a way to not do it again.

Back to start, I was a passenger in a plane in which the Pilot (PPL) decided to fly downwind for 28R at AF. Being in MBZ there was no tower. I noticed an aircraft coming towards us, I looked at the windsock, and as sure as sh*t it was blowin for a 10L landing. Turn to the field I yelled, to take us to the dead side of the circuit before we were dead. All worked out Ok, the pilot had a bit of problem with the ol ego, but al was sweet.

Learn, Keep learnin, and when your a passenger switch on to what is going on.

[ZK-IAG]

Hi Sunfish,

Before you start reading: very tired, busy week, friday drinks at work, hopefully this will make some sense!

I'm about 90% of the way through my PPL; hardly qualifying for 'skygod' status...certainly haven't earned the right to call myself a 'pilot' (probably more a 'foetus pilot' if anything). I however get a bit nervy at certain times when training solo when there is no 'comfort blanket' of my instructor. My first dose of this was when I was on my first solo and a Fouga Jet crashed in the vicinity...

I think a certain amount of nervous cautiousness can be a good thing in aviation. I tend to think twice when I'm 'sitting pretty' in the cockpit and use mental down-time to do checks, drills etc... My instructor always says 'if you find yourself not doing something then there's something wrong!'

I'm not sure if this is any help at all, but that's where I'm at with regards to flying. I still get nervous and still stuff up sometimes. That's the problem with being human!

Cheers
ZK-IAG

[TLAW]

Hey Sunfish,

We must be neck and neck - I'm going for my GFPT next month. I was up early this morning AND yesterday morning hoping the weather would be fine at Bankstown - nope.

Here is a short list of Dumb Things I Have Done if it makes you better;

Sucked on the fresh air vent instead of the stall warning inlet.

Listened to ATIS just to extract the information code without listening to anything else.

Discovered the door was ajar to attempted to open and close again - during the run up while the engine was at 1700 RPM.

Said 'roger' when I meant 'affirm.'

Left my mobile phone switched on until the 'bipbipbipbip' through the David Clarks drove me nuts.

Turned the control yoke instead of using the rudders when taxiing.

Tried to raise the flaps before adding power on a go-around.

Hearing 'line up' as 'cleared to take off' even though I read back 'line up.'

Being told to follow the Cessna on upwind and following the wrong Cessna.

Being told to follow the t-bird and replying 'traffic in sight' without having the faintest idea what a t-bird was.

Good Luck mate.

[Sunfish]

Many thanks TLAW, I've done all those things myself (can you get a sexually transmitted disease from testing the stall warning on a C150??).

Have you ever left the chock in and had to shut down and remove it? The alternative (apply full power and roll smoothly over the chocks) is for some strange reason frowned on by instructors.

Somehow my examiner today thought I was not a clear and present danger to the community and let me pass the GFPT. There are still heaps of rough edges to get rid of though.

Hope all goes well.

[djpil]

Congratulations Sunfish - from here on its more fun (and more hard work too).

[druglord]

Sunfish and TLAW
I love your posts! They are so brutally honest. Most amateurs don't like to admit mistakes lest it makes them seem less of a pilot... a true sign of an amateur. Keep up the hard work!

[QNIM]

Gday druglord

The only difference between amateurs and pro’s is that no pro will admit to a stuff up, that should stick a cat among pigeons.

Cheers Q :p

[UATA]

Sunfish, Ive just started Turbine RPT with a regional airline and rest assured I have made some stuff ups on the most BASIC of things...... Decided to call myself Forrest in jest, thankfully I have been with some great , patient Training Capt's.

So long as you identify the fuk ups the skippers are happy, remember all of us have gone through it............

Stay confident and tell yourself you are in command.

Keep on :0

[TLAW]

Sunfish,

Congratulations!

The way I figure it, no examiner is going to pass you if you aren't up to scratch - that reflects badly on their rep, so if you passed, you must be doing something right.

I don't see the problem with leaving the chocks in, although I recently heard about someone leaving one wing tie-down on. The lesson must have been spin recovery.

You're right - I hope I can't get an STD from a 152, cos all the ones I've given oral have been awful old sluts.

[Ultralights]

great stories! yes, i am guilty of some! and so are Instructors.

one night while heading off for a night nav, i was pax in the back
of the arrow, the instructor and student got in, fired her up, made all the calls, and off we went, or so we thought, i was surprised when the instructor gave it full power and held it there for a few seconds and wondered why we went moving! sure enough, he had forgotten to undo the rear tie down. the taxi to the run up bay was done in complete silence!

[126.7]

Congratulations on the GFPT Sunfish. I think from the majority of reply's you have received, we all make mistakes. The trick is owning up to them and learning.

[kookabat]

Can I add one of mine???:O
...taxiing out solo in the 152 after forgetting to close the oil hatch on preflight... saw it just short of the holding point, had to shut down and get out to close it... :uhoh:

Adam

[Obiwan]

...taxiing out solo in the 152 after forgetting to close the oil hatch on preflight... saw it just short of the holding point, had to shut down and get out to close it...

Did that one too - it wasn't completely closed and popped open at about 100' AGL after takeoff. Instructor calmly kicked in a little rudder and it snapped shut. Learnt a neat trick for future use although I hope to never need it

[kookabat]

calmly kicked in a little rudder and it snapped shut.
Ahh that's a nice one...
One more: forgot to re-wind the trim after a glide approach, was surprised by the force needed to keep the nose on the ground... aborted take off...
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by pulling the mixture out instead of the throttle:ooh:

And this was on my second-ever solo... hehe:ugh:

Adam

[Obiwan]

I learnt to fly at SAS at Bankstown, they taught aeros from the first lesson - looping and rolling :ok:

Second loop and I was at the bottom of a shallow dive before applying power to do a loop. Problem was I was thinking of the throttle in terms of a choke, and pulled the power instead of applying it. Quick lesson in unusual attitudes recovery - yeah I caught it. Most have been all that played Falcon on the PC...

[ryanace]

Obiwan - learning aerobatics from the start sounds cool. Now that I've finished my PPL I want to learn aerobatics. Any hints on where or how to start?

[TLAW]

I've got the same idea as you Ryanace.

Anyone want to share their experiences of aerobatics at an early stage of their training?

A good school for it at Bankstown? Those little Robins look pretty hot...

[Obiwan]

There are a few schools that offer aeros, I've only done them with SAS, although I believe AFTS offer them as do Schofields.

disclaimer - I have friends working at some of these schools.

I felt that aeros from an early stage gave me more confidence. Experiencing unusual attitudes greater than 60 degrees (ie inverted!) etc. The Robin is a very nice aircraft - production is apparently moving to NZ as well.

[cubnut]

Just my two cents worth, but I would recommend not doing aerobatics as part of your training until after licence issue. By all means get someone to take you up and have a good session of aero's for fun, but there's heaps to learn about the basics before aerobatics. At the very least talk to your CFI about learning them. I have heard horror stories of instructors doing loops in lessons and the students never returning again.

Cub.

[Obiwan]

Did the instructor tell the student what he was doing first? Pushing over for some negative Gs or a loop to show off in front of a student is just plain stupid, but properly taught I found aeros from the start was beneficial.

[TLAW]

Sunfish,

After doing my pre-GFPT flight check yesterday I know exactly how you feel.

If a crosswind gust upsets your flare you should continue to land the aeroplane, not give up in disgust.:(