Student ppl Nervous

[rd339]

Hi all,

New to this forum so please bear with me.
I'm a student ppl flying C152's and C172's and have approx 30 hours at this point.
Last summer I flew solo for the first time, and due to weather etc, have not been doing much solo since then - the odd bit here and there, but generally am flying most weekends with instructor.

In recent weeks have been doing more solo flights, and after my instructor did a few circuits with me, and a little flying outside the zone, he has told me that I'm in good shape and to go off to the local training area for a "spin", and "enjoy" it.
So at this point I have approx 3 hours solo, but every time I fly solo I am nervous - worried that this flight will be the one I screw up etc. What if cannot find the airport, or get caught for some other reason. My instructor is adamand that I am fine and all I need is confidence in my own ability - of which he maintains he cannot give to me, but can only show confidence in me by sending me solo.

I'm concerned that this nervousness that I have, which seems to come and go - fine when out enroute to my destination, but returns somewhat when reapproaching the airfield, joining th circuit etc. Last evening, the controller made me do a go-around at about 300ft short finals to let in a commercial jet - this made me very nervous, but I handled it, and put full power, waited for airspeed to increase etc, then retracted flaps in stages.
A few seconds after that I realised I still had carb heat on so took it off, and made another circuit and landing fine.

Is this nervuosness normal? I feel so much more confident when the instructor is beside me (even though if we are doing stalls, or even very steep turns, I find the apprehension retuening - even with him there).
Will it get better?
I sometimes say to my wife when discussing the flight's events that maybe I'm not cut out for this flying business, and am only paying for a nervous hour in the air.
I am always thinking of what-if's, and also thinking I don't want to be the one who screws up - since our club have a 100% safety record thankfully.

Have any other students felt like this, or for those with great and vast experiences, is this a normal feeling, or maybe an indication to give the whole business up?


Many thanks in advance for any advice.

Regards
Jon

[bern444]

Is this nervousness normal?

Certainly was for me - and still comes back if I have a gap for whatever reason.

B

[Squawk7143]

I felt the same way, it is caused by over analysing everything. Eventually you will settle down as you gain confidence.

cheers,

Sq

[worrab]

It's a challenging one, but there are a number of considerations.

The circuit is a very busy place for a student PPL. There's always something to do and at the outset there never seems like enough time to do it. It sounds ludicrous, but it may be worth rehearsing the circuit (with actions!!) in your head. Imagine sitting on the threshold and applying full power. Get the rudder in. Have you got full revs? Are all the engine gauges in the green? Is the airspeed indicator moving? Now we're looking for rotation speed... and so on. Whilst it's in your imagination it's all free flying. Imagine EFATO. Imagine trimming the aircraft for the various stages of the flight. Imagine calling downwind and running through BUM(P)FICH (How fast can you accurately complete the checks?). Do you have a clear strategy for throwing away the landing at 300ft? Later?

Personnally (and it is a personal thing) I find I can learn a lot by doing this - and there's plenty of time to check things I'm not sure about.


Consideration 2 is perhaps a harder one. There are a couple of schools of thought about whether you should be solo. One is that if the instructor thinks you're alright, you probably are. The other says that if either the instructor or you are unhappy then you should keep him in the cockpit. "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots". Again, personally, I tend to be conservative, but then I'm not in a hurry. Much as I'd like to get into the RH seat of a regional aircraft, I suspect I'm past that and will have to settle for flying being a hobby.


The experiences you've had are fairly common and show that you're learning. You will make mistakes, and few flights are error-free (probably all could have been executed better). And if it's any consolation, my instructor once showed me how to do a missed approach/go around with the carb heat well and truly ON.

[bingofuel]

Nervousness/apprehension is absolutely normal, provided it is not adversely affecting you. Have a chat with your Instructor, if he is worth his salt he will understand and offer sage advice. Be reassured, we all make mistakes, just try to make sure that they are small ones and do not develop into big ones! PM me if you 'fancy a chat'

BF

[rd339]

Hi,

Thank you all for your replies - they are most helpful.

I agree with most of what was stated - especially in regard to going through things in my head as if I were flying. I sometimes find myself doing just that when I'm quiet and relaxed in the chair some evenings. I also tell myself that I have done all this before and its good, but once back in the cockpit the old nerves reappear. Granted possibly not as much as the outset when even steep descents bothered me, but still there nontheless.

Some little apprehension is good as I hope it keeps me from becoming complacent, which I would view as being dangerous, but my problem is that I think unless I can fully overcome these feelings I'll not progress as a pilot - after all the idea of this is to enjoy things - doesn't happen too much at the minute.

My instructor(s) are indeed great - but are now practically all of the feeling that I must just go and do it - "no point me sitting there with you - you will only build confidence when you go on your own". And they are probably right. Obviously I have a few hours solo so I can indeed fly the plane - its the other things like emergencies, lots of traffic in the circuit, getting lost or for example coming in on the wrong side of the circuit when approaching after a cross-country or the like that stick in my head.

BF - appreciate your invitation for a chat - I may take you up on same over the weekend - I'm off to work now for 4 nights so wont probably be back online until the weekend - but if you're on at that point I'll send a PM your way. Thanks again.
In terms of your comment regarding adverse effects - this is exactly what bothers me - is these nerves effecting my performance or is it just good to keep me on my toes.

My instructor, after discussing these things with him assured me he would not be sending me up unless he thought I can do it, and that the only way to regain comfort is to go up and fly on my own - he has no doubt in my ability to fly - I wish I hust had his confidence!

Thanks again

[yawningdog]

Hi RD3399,

Its a completely natural reaction to a completely unnatural environment. Don't worry about it. I went through a stage of feeling very uneasy whilst flying so I did a bit of research.

I wrote a 5 x page article on the subject for AOPA GA Magazine in 2006. If you PM me your email address, I can forward it to you.

[avonflyer]

It is a natural and sensible thing to be nervous in such a weird situation. I worry when I see over confidence as it shows a definate lack of imagination of what could go wrong and thus a potential lack of preperation.

I certainly had a very high heart rate throughout my training but take some confidence from your instructor he does not want a bent student or a bent cessna. He will only send you if he thinks you are ready.

It does get better with time and experience but even then the odd event comes along that "gets you going" but that is the challenge of the thing and once you have coped the feeling of success is worth everything

enjoy your flying

[RatherBeFlying]

I took a while for me to get through my nervousness after first getting my licence as that becomes a time when you must rely on your own decisions. It truly is a license to learn. The trick is to take on a little bit at a time.

So going out to the practice area on your own for airwork after demonstrating competence in the circuit sounds quite appropriate at this stage in your flying.

[Pilot DAR]

While flying, being nervous can be life saving, acting nervous, well, you'll get over that...

The safe flight is your first responsibility, everything else follows in behind that. Take what you can handle, make the rest wait. No one is perfect, and everyone else knows it. Other pilots and controllers will make allowances for you, if they know that you're doing your best. If you're concerned, tell the controller you're a new pilot, they'll help.

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. In that order. If you can't manage all three, do the first two safely. If you're really overloaded, just make sure that you get the first one right, and the rest will fill in.

The nervousness will not really ever stop completely - if it does, you're missing something. It will ebb and flow. You'll get pretty confident in a particular type, then be nervous again in more challenging conditions, or a different type, then you'll get used to that, and so on....

Don't worry about it!

[hatzflyer]

30 odd years later and I still get nervous ,but that's what keeps you alive.
Its the ones with no nerves that die!:ok:

[NorthSouth]

I aree with all the others - you SHOULD be nervous, if you're not you're probably not paying enough attention. Some of my most nervous students are now the best PPLs because they're constantly asking questions and trying to improve their performance. But yes, they do manage to enjoy themselves too!

One thing I would advise you to talk to your instructor about though:
Last evening, the controller made me do a go-around at about 300ft short finals to let in a commercial jetDifficult to interpret since I wasn't there, but in general that shouldn't happen to an early solo student. It might be worth your instructor having a quiet word with ATC to remind them of their responsibilities with early solo students.
NS

[reportyourlevel]

I'm not a pilot but a tower and radar controller at a UK regional airport.

Last evening, the controller made me do a go-around at about 300ft short finals to let in a commercial jet

I can't comment on the exact circumstances as I wasn't there, but I'd try to avoid this situation if possible. At my airport we always give student traffic more space and time and generally let them do what they want. I find this is almost certainly safer than trying to get a (possibly nervous) student to do something that they might not have done before or aren't confortable with. I know training traffic is lower priority than normal traffic, but it's often easier and safer to make the commercial crew take a minute or two's delay. Generally I find the professional crews quite accommodating in this respect.

Assuming you're in the UK, do you use the "student" prefix in your callsign? If you don't, then have a look at this AIC: http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/aip/current/aic/pink/EG_Circ_2007_P_083_en.pdf

Have you visitied the tower at your airport? Give them a ring, ask for a visit and bring biscuits. You'll be welcomed with open arms. They'll be happy to show you how they integrate the different types of traffic and what they are expecting you to do at different stages of your flight. We sometimes have PPL students come in and they seem to get a lot out of the experience. It's also nice to see the people on the other end of the radio and realise that they are actually quite nice people (not in all cases though!).

I know it's a bit different, but when I first started controlling I used to get nervous (both in simulators and live traffic, even with a mentor). Something that I found to help was to learn all the standard RTF and practise it out loud. If you've got a mate who's into flying they can be a big help here and it'll benefit you both. If you know the words and can sound confident it'll make you feel more confident. It also means you have more brain capacity for thinking about the important stuff.

I hope you find that useful and that I haven't contradicted any advice from your instructor or peers here. Good luck!

Edited to add:

I forgot to say that one thing I always tell visiting PPLs/students is that you are allowed to say "no". If you get an instruction from ATC that you aren't happy with, say so and ask for an alternative. A good controller will always have back up plans. Use the "student" prefix here to help you, something like:


G-CD: "G-CD downwind right runway 26 for touch and go."
ATC: "G-CD report final, number one, keep this circuit tight due ILS traffic at 6 miles."
G-CD: "Student G-CD unable, request alternative instructions."
ATC: "G-CD roger, orbit left present position until advised"
G-CD: "Orbit left until advised, G-CD."


Many people think that you have to do everything exactly as ATC say. Remember that you are reposnsible for the safety or your aircraft and if you think an instruction is unsafe you don't have to do it. Nobody can argue with that and if you make sure you stress that you're a student ATC should cut you some slack anyway.

[Julian]

Don't worry everyone gets nervous at some point.

And remember.....if you never screw up you never learn anything!!! :ok:

J.

[Better to remain...]

reportyourlevel,

Good post.

I took jammy donuts and they seemed to go down a treat!

I remember finding it very difficult telling ATC no. In the begining, certainly at big airports I felt it was a privelage just to be allowed to fly there and always felt I was in the way, if ATC told me something, well then I had to do it.

Not so, remember they are there to provide aircraft with a service, its a team effort and you work together. In time you will gain confidence, but if like me you'll always have a small level of anxiety, thats how I would describe it, mixed with a little excitment of course :}

I had an FO the other day who was a little tooo relaxed, this is not good as things can develop quickly, and they did :p. if your alert and ready, you will stay ahead of the aircraft.

Some good posts on how to manage your flying.

One thing I do is always (multi crew, but you can operate multi crew by yourself) talk through with yourself what you are doing next, so your always one, two or three steps ahead. Ok, the next event is joining the circuit, have I got the ATIS? no, ok orbit, or a few extra track miles, slow down a little, you always have the option to generate time, and with that time you can plan.

When I was training for my IR I would armchair fly at home running through all the drills, I would run through the entire flight in my armchair, engine starts, radio tuning, climb checks etc.

Some may laugh, but a good friend now Captain on 737 did exactly the same and it worked for us, it could work for you.

All the best and remember, flying is fun

BTS

[Tail-take-off]

Being nervous is healthy (I still get nervous after 12,000 hours) but only if it doesn't effect your performance. See the Yerkes Dodson law graph below.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/YerkesDodsonLawGraph.png

Try to keep yorself in the middle of the graph. If you feel yourself getting too far to the right reduce your workload (ie following the go around you describe consider leaving the circuit for a few minutes, calm yourself down, then try again).

Familiarity will also reduce your stress levels. Take the oppertunity to go along with qualified pilots on their flights if they have a spare seat. Get used to pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone a little (but not too much).

Hope this helps.

[Cumulogranite]

Dont worry about it, I still get nervous, we all do from time to time, that is why we are human beings and not robots, quite frankly I would be worried if you werent nervous as over confidence is a far worse mistress than being overly nervous. Remember you have been on this earth, stood on your feet for thousands of hours, and have only sliped the surly bonds of earth for 30 hours, it will take some time to get used to, just stay as you are and it will come. Promise!!!

[mary meagher]

Hello, Jon, I see you are learning in Ireland. Looking at the forecasts and remembering my flying over there, you are constantly having to postpone because of dodgy weather, which doesn't help.

I also find myself wondering how old you are? I began at the age of 50, and it took me much longer to gain confidence, rightly so, as the older you are the longer it takes. Conversely, if you have a young family, this may also make you nervous on their behalf.

Do not let your instructors insist that you go solo. I think they are mistaken; you should only go when you are happy to. There is absolutely no shame in taking longer to feel comfortable in what is a very complex and unnatural environment. I flew with instructors until I was really fed up with the b......d in the back seat (glider, that was) telling me to do horrid things. It was such a pleasure to go up without him, I could do exactly what I felt comfortable doing.

I also remember the Irish ATC being somewhat laid back in their attitudes.
You may enjoy taking a holiday say in Florida, or the UK, and experience a different approach. But don't let them insist on you flying solo until you are happy to do so, I truly feel this is very important.

You are doing this for enjoyment, right?

[WALSue]

Always good to read posts like this
Before my first solo was nervous - turned out to be really enjoyable
Nervous before my first solo nav - ended up being far easier than I imagined
Got my qual Xcountry coming up and I'm rather apprehensive to say the least!

[beatnik]

There is a saying in the theatre world that "the day you walk out onto stage without feeling any nerves, is the day to give up acting". It's what keeps you sharp - and gives you the buzz necessary to try your best.

Speaking as a low hour PPL, I would imagine the same maxim applies to flying. Each time I go flying I still feel quite nervous, but I remain quietly confident about my ability (but very aware of my limitations). I try to ensure that the plane is never "ahead" of me at any stage during a flight - and good pre-planning and prep before I leave the ground (TAFs/NOTAMS/navaids/frequencies/joining procedures) go a long way in that regard.

I hope that this nervousness never fades, as it may mean I should stop flying. ;)

[fernytickles]

I still get nervous, after 16 years and a few thousand hours. Its only natural, and a good method of survival (I hope!).

Try reading this... you might find some good insights from Brady

Earning My Wings: a video blog about learning to fly (http://www.eaa.org/apps/blog/learntofly/Default.aspx)

[Lightning6]

The day you stop being nervous is probably the day you will make mistakes.

The nerves tend to diminish as your experience increases, but they should never go away completely.

[rd339]

Thank you all for the input....

Yep - I'm doing this for the (apparent!) enjoyment. I'm 34 with a young family, and this definitely comes to mind when I'm flying - if something happens etc.

Irish ATC can be a little laid back certainly in the regional airports, but once you go to somewhere like Shannon or Dublin, they tend to be much more helpful, especially to a student. In addition, the smaller regional airports sometimes don't have the use of radar so they are relying on you just as much on you them to help you out. Obviously, I think the likes of a go-around at short finals was a bit dodgy coming from the controller, but it worked out ok.

In response to a previous post in this thread regarding the prefix student - yes this is indeed used in Ireland, and I always prefix my solo flights with it - and even if I don't get a response from ATC in a minute or two after giving them my position I retransmit again, sometimes emphasising the word "student" to at least make them aware that I am just that.

Thanks again all.

[Sprogget]

This is an interesting thread. I'm no ppl, instead, I'm a retired Paraglider pilot. Although I only flew for pleasure, there was always a real & present danger of injury or death due to the very nature of the aerofoil. Pilots can & do get killed every year in gliding.

Many times I have stood atop mountains & hills, trying to work out whether or not we had friendly skies on the day. Usually, I would be accompanied by a dry mouth & a thumping heart - certainly on the bigger sites & in the Alps where the UK conditions would be amplified many times over on the good days.

The point is, I once expressed this nervousness to an old hand just prior to takeoff one day on the slopes of the Gorge Du Loup near Nice & He said to me; if you weren't, you wouldn't be normal. Just take your time & in the air, ask yourself if at the point of any difficulty, panic would be the correct reaction.

Best advice I ever received was that.

[alvin-sfc]

As Brian Le comber wrote in Talkdown, "The true love of flying, always contains a pinch of fear." Prior to readin those profound words, I thought I was the only one who was nervous and I felt a fraud, continuing to fly.
Youll"e be right mate.:ok:

[sprthompson]

Some very helpful comments here.

I am 9 hours into PPL and can't afford to fly so frequently (try to do an hour every 2 weeks), the problem with flying so infrequently is that for the first 10 mins (including the vital take-off!) everything happens very quickly and I find it hard to be decisive and to positively control the aircraft. Also find myself forgetting things like carb-heat and the correct speeds and focusing on the wrong things, like the birds irritatingly close-by instead of my airspeed.

Having taken some of the advice here (running through an imaginary flight in my head) I found in my last lesson I was very much on-top of things and could not only do everything correctly, but was able to enjoy the experience/views despite some slightly challenging weather. (tho I did call downwind when on final... :\)

Like somebody here said - it's free flying and I found that practicing in your head means the flying become more 100x less stressful and 1000x more fun.

[WALSue]

I understand your frustration sprthompson - I can usually only fly weekends and with the English weather that means one hour a month more often than not!
Stick with it though, you'll get there eventually.

Like that imaginary flight idea...although I already spend too much time day dreaming in work :)

[modelman]

I can understand your fear of not finding your airfield-been there myself:eek:
Why not get your instructor to take you out into the local area.Pick out some very prominent features and make notes of the headings required to get you back to the field.QDM can be useful if your field can support this.
You will be flying on your own so you can take plenty of fuel so need need to panic and you always have 121.5.
I think most people's fear is not getting lost but the misplaced feeling of 'shame' admitting it-no room for egos in safe flying IMHO,speak to ATC they are always very helpful and sympathetic (in my limited exp)

Go on,fill your boots
MM

[cumulusrider]

Hi Jon
As another poster said
Aviate
Navigate
Communicate

However to reduce the workload as much as possible we must make each of them as natural and easy as possible.
Some suggestions.
Try some gentle aerobatic instruction. Once you have done a few rolls and loops a steep turn holds no fears. It gives you confidence in aircraft handling and allows you to concentrate on other aspects.
Fly with other low hours pilots - one leg each. one could be operating the radio whilst the other is flying.
Fly from other sites or in other aircraft.
Remember a lot of communication is optional and not mandatory. Do you really need to speak to an advisory service?
Consider the balance between convidence and nervousness. I have been flying for 30 years and still my pulse rate rises as I start to roll.
Finally remember to enjoy it!
Good luck

[Molesworth 1]

The introduction of the student call sign was in response to an accident at Southend in a very similar circumstance - the student was asked to move to the live side (!!!) to let a faster aircraft though. The teenage student stalled and was killed.

I have 100 hours and fly with varying degrees of terror. Your nervousness is healthy - just keep listening to the instructor's voice which should now be n your head. Panic sets in when you don't know what to do. You won't panic because you have been trained and you know what to do.

Feeling tired after a long flight I sometimes think - help! I don't know that I have in me to land. But it's never a problem. Why? Because by now it's an automatic mental process.

[JEM60]

Years ago, I confessed to my instructor that it made me nervous at times, despite my ability [apparently] to perform well. His reply.'Good! Then you will treat it with the respect it deserves! It diminished, as others have said, but I never forgot his extremely wise words, which made me feel much better.

[Arclite01]

Jon

If you are scared of getting lost then do what I used to do - go outside the circuit - but remain visual - set yourself small tasks and learn the local area - stretch the distance more and more until you find you know a 50 mile radius of your base really well - do out and returns to strips and that builds confidence too........................

Nervous ?? - you bet I was - I'm better now but I don't think I'll ever relax completely

Enjoy

Arc