First Lesson!

[christopherleesmith]

So I've now got my first lesson booked (Thursday and midday), and I'm really looking forward to it!

Does anyone have any ideas of what to look out for, things to pay close attention to when first starting out ect

Cheers folks,

Chris

[fwjc]

You'll probably be better off posting this in the Private Flying forum.

But - don't be put off if the weather beats you, when you're first learning you'll get better learning in reasonable conditions.

Don't expect to remember everything that you are told, but try to remember as much as you can. Review it later, in your head, until your next lesson. I drive a lot, so this is when I review lessons.

Do ask questions, clearly not a problem for you.

Do make sure you've eaten something before you go; helps with concentration, plus make sure you're hydrated. Saying that, I always pay a visit just before I fly, nothing worse than busting for a pee to kill your focus.

[629bus]

I still remember my first lesson clearly, 12 years ago... Awesome day! 6000hrs Later sitting in he right seat of a B777 :)

[4015]

fwjc is spot on (and 629bus is a rather lucky guy/gal)

Don't get too hung up on what to remember and learn just yet, the first lesson is breaking you in gently! Just enjoy the ride, your instructor will take you through some basic things (gentle turns, climbs, descents).

It will seem to go very, very quickly!

Enjoy!

4015

[thing]

Just enjoy it! Good luck and welcome to the money pit.

[Jan Olieslagers]

I gladly confirm the earlier: make sure of an absolute state of relax. Eating and drinking and relieving are important points. Clothing is, too: dress as you would for changing a wheel on your car, and get a habit of wearing light shoes. You will (not on the first lesson, perhaps, though) need to work and feel the rudder pedals, so barefoot won't do but neither will heavy boots.

Oh, and wear (or not) the same glasses as you would for driving. Do not believe sunglasses are a must, or fashionable. I NEVER wear any, neither for driving nor for flying. If you take glasses, they would be mentioned on your medical (you DID make sure to have your medical, first of all, I trust?) and you might be required to carry a spare set - that is a rule over here, at least.

Still regarding the state of relax: arrive early. Take a walk round the field, take a good look around. It will be nice to recognize that church spire or the power plant, and realize how different they look from above. (the church spire will be visible from perhaps 5NM or so, the power plant might easily be from 50 NM, depending on the weather).

As an afterthought: and don't be too disappointed if your lesson gets cancelled. There may be a zillion reasons, instructor reported sick, plane bent on previous flight, a/d closed due to weather or runway flooding, you name it. My first flight planned after the winter stop had to be cancelled cause I couldn't get the bird out of the bloody hangar: the doors were frozen closed.


Above all: enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

[piperboy84]

At this time of the year with the sun low perhaps take a baseball cap, if your like me and don't like wearing sunglasses, a cap is good for bowing your head a bit when the sun zaps you a bit to brightly for comfort on final.

Above all enjoy a safe flight !!!!

[Mark 1]

Most trial lessons are not much more than pleasure flights with the participant just wanting an 'experience'. If you make it clear that you are seriously interested in learning to fly, you will probably get a better briefing and more engagement with your instructor.

I would normally take someone like you straight into 'effects of controls - part 1' and give them time to absorb the new environment and learn enough to manoeuvre the aircraft back from the training area to the airfield.

The main thing is to enjoy the experience and come back for more.

[Morris542]

The main thing at the beginning is to enjoy the experience. See if it lives up to your expectations and recognise that potentially you will be spending a lot of money with that instructor and flying school.

[waldopepper42]

One thing that worked for me (though most people probably thought I was just playing at fighter pilots) was to find a time when the aeroplane was not in use and just sit in the seat going through all the checks, familiarising myself where everything is so that I didn't have to look for it whilst flying. The other advantage is that you can learn this whilst it is costing you nothing, rather than whilst the expensive tacho reading is burning away the £s! (that's what the tacho records, isn't it - the rate that your money is leaving your bank...? :-))

Good luck and enjoy!

[Helicopterdriverguy]

Good Luck,

I've only got 10 hours into my training about to start Navigation now and i have just passed my Air Law with 92.5% :).