First trial lesson
Hi,
I just had my first trial lesson this past weekend, and would like to ask for some pointers as to what was normal/expected, and what was not (mainly to guide my future choice of actual flying school):
- instructor said he's already done the pre-flight check and, after a 5min briefing in a room we just boarded the plane and went to the engine startup check (I was hoping for a more thorough intro into pre-flight)
- I was allowed to taxi for a bit
- instructor did the whole take-off and leaving the circuit, only giving me a chance to try the controls once we left the ATZ (I fully expect that was normal, given this was first time)
- once further out, we climbed a bit, but the instructor did the climb without much explanation
- I was allowed to fly straight and level and do some turns. I found that I actually needed no rudder input in this Cessna 152 for the balance ball to be centered, it just went into a turn (is this normal/expected?)
- instructor put the volume of the radio very low during the flight, only putting it up to hearing level once we were on our way back
- I was allowed to fly to the first VRP, but instructor told me not to mind the compass at all, just select a point on the ground and go for it
- also, the instructor didn't much comment on altitude and I had the impression that we were randomly gaining or losing altitude up to 200ft, esp during turns (it was quite windy, so might be just that)
- once close to the airport, the instructor contacted the ATC and had control all the way back to the parking spot
- virtually no feedback from instructor apart from the casual question "How was it?"
I understand this was a trial lesson, so shouldn't expect much. However, I have heard stories of other people getting a bit more instruction, not just flying around, during their first lesson.
So, what is normal?