QXC Flight *Nervous* !.........Advice needed !

[Memphis_bell]

Hi Guys,

My second thread...on a similar subject. Ok, so i am nervous as hell about my QXC which i should be flying shortly...however i am sooooooooooooo nervous ! I have 15+ hours of solo flying..including long nav-ex's, but for some reason, the QXC really does freak me out ! I would again be greatful for some good advice on this concern.......

Also, my passion for flying is deep rooted, i mean, it's literally my life and i revolve everything around it...but when i hear stories about incidents, like the recent North Weald accident involvoing a twin, and also personally knowing a pilot who died in a plane crash 3 years ago, it really worries that it could happen to me...which yes, it could ! But sometimes i feel like the worry of it kinda takes over, and affects things like my confidence opn undertaking tasks such as my QXC. Can anybody please give me some good advice on this too......................

Many thanks for taking the time to read guys,

:ok:

[CraigJL]

Also, my passion for flying is deep rooted, i mean, it's literally my life and i revolve around everything around it.Then you really should know you have a much higher chance of getting killed in the car on the way to the airport than flying out of it.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Statistically solo students are very very safe - instructors are paranoid about the standards they expect before sending a student up on their own, the tasks demanded of them are deliberately fairly undemanding, and the students are usually terrified of screwing up so are the most careful they'll be in their entire flying careers (except possibly when they become instructors and start sending students solo themselves!).

Just relax and learn to enjoy the flying! And do it all exactly as you've taught. And if you get lost, either turn a VOR/DME on, or call for a practice pan.

G

[OMGisThatJohn]

You've done everything you will do already, a dozen, if not dozens of times. When you announce "Student Golf Blah Blah Blah" the controllers will give you all possible attention and help.

Just remember what you've been taught. I recall on my QXC I became "temporarily unsure of my position" and a position fix was as easy as it was with the instructor in the aircraft.

You'll be fine and it will - honestly - be the best flight you've had so far.

Also, if you have any issues before the flight, ensure that you discuss them with your instructor. Being nervous in an aircraft during any flight isn't great.

[Memphis_bell]

Guys thankyou very very much for your thoughts on my problem....its giving me just what i need...a kick up the :mad: I jsut need to learn to enjoy the experience, as suppose to be frightened of it !

[Lagentium]

Nervousness isn't a problem Memphis, it's natural! Remember the performance curve in Human Performance and Limitations, but if you become too stressed it may become detrimental to your performance. Try and pick out some decent features on your track etc. I thought I was off track on my QXC but then trusted my judgement as I knew where I was and was just extremely nervous! If you are familiar with VOR cross cuts why not plan one half way on each leg? But that will raise your workload, but mainly remember your instructor wouldn't send you if you aren't ready, imagine being in their position? I'd never ever let a student go if I wasn't 100% happy with their capability!!!! If in doubt get on the radio as I'm sure you know that anyway! I had 121.5 in COM2 incase I did anything daft, please give us all a report of your successful QXC once you have done it and got those signatures

Cheers, Jim

[BackPacker]

In general, as others said, remember ATC is there to help you. So you can call them up for anything that worries you. Make sure you tell them you're a student on the QXC (or just use the prefix "student" before your callsign) and tell them what's happening and what you need. If you forgot the proper R/T phrase, just use plain English. If you're unsure of position it's not a practice pan, but a full-blown regular pan, by the way.

And don't let yourself get suckered into a situation (e.g. by the weather or some non-understanding ATC person) where there is no, or no easy way out. Like the student at Southend (I think it was) who was told to hold on final and made a hash out of that.:uhoh:

[Lagentium]

What happened there BackPacker? Holding on finals?

[BackPacker]

It was a few years ago and I have no other information than what I read on here and in the AAIB report, but as I recall this early solo student was told to hold while already descending on final approach. C152, full flaps, didn't add enough power, probably confused by the whole situation, and it ended in a fatal stall/spin accident.

I think this was one of the reasons the "student" prefix was reintroduced by the CAA/NATS.

Edited: A search on "Southend student accident" gives a number of threads from a few different fora. Here are a few of those:
http://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/283976-boy-pilot-died-after-tower-gave-suprise-instruction.html
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/283737-orbiting-final.html
Both contain the link to the AAIB report.

Most important lesson considering the subject of this thread: Whatever happens, fly the airplane. Speed is life. Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. Etc.

[Memphis_bell]

Sounds accurate (Stall/spin) - ideal situation for a spin to ocuur in those circumstances - although thankfully i fly PA28 with low spin capabilities and have just had a brush up nav ex which included base-final stall/spin awearness !

[tmmorris]

Tried to demonstrate a stall to my 8 year old son last week in a PA28 and true to form, it simply wouldn't do it - just mushed down with the stall warner blaring. He had been nervous about it and I wanted to show him it was a non event.

Tim

[BackPacker]

If mishandled a PA28 will spin just as well as any other aircraft. But even a simple wingdrop may end in tears if you're at 300 feet AGL. So don't think "This will not happen to me" because you're flying a PA28.

Fly the airplane!

[Memphis_bell]

Agree with you there buddy - i've actually sat in a fully developed stall with serious buffeting (final stage) for over 15 seconds ! I've never done it, but i have heard getting a PA28 into a spin is VERY VERY VERY difficault, but eventually they do spin...but i'm guessing you would have to be doing everything you could to induce it !

[BackPacker]

Memphis, have you ever stalled a PA28 with an aft CofG? Or just two-up (you plus instructor)? Try it. CofG position makes a lot of difference in stall/spin characteristics. It's also the reason that the PA28 in the "U" category has tighter CofG limits than in the "N" category. Fly an aircraft that has an "A" (aerobatics) category certification and the CofG limits become tighter still.

And remember if you fly the PA28 solo instead of dual, the CofG actually moves *aft* since the front seats are in front of the empty CofG. So stall characteristics are slightly more pronounced solo vs. dual.

[Memphis_bell]

Yes i know the stall/spin capabilities of aircraft change as CofG changes etc etc...although i wouldnt think it wise for me to induce stalls whilst under training solo just yet (or ever unless aerobatics training)...safety and responsibility is of upmost concern to me, not machoism.

Yeah flown quite a few aircraft in the Aerobatics category, been really lucky - Extra 300, Pitts S2b, Grob Tutor, Chipmunk and Bulldogs (last 3 being with the ATC) i know all these are very easy to stall.

Anyway, this thread is deviating from my original intention, so can i get a training fix back to my original thread !..........

[500 above]

Just relax and learn to enjoy the flying! And do it all exactly as you've taught. And if you get lost, either turn a VOR/DME on, or call for a practice pan.

Tell them the truth - solo student 'temporarily uncertain of position'. D & D (or indeed any unit) will help you. Don't mask it with a practice prefix, be honest with them and upfront. They will know, especially with the student prefix in the UK!

Never be ashamed to ask for help.

Agree with the relax and enjoy part.

[mad_jock]

Absolutely nobody is going to get upset if you are lost calling a pan or for that matter a mayday with D&D.

They will be more than likely chuffed to bits with you for doing it if you are lost.

You won't get any paper work from the CAA. You won't get told off by any of the controllers.

You might get a phone call from D&D or any other ATS that you might of used with a concerned voice on the other end asking if you are OK.

[AdamFrisch]

Then you really should know you have a much higher chance of getting killed in the car on the way to the airport than flying out of it.

This is something we often say to calm nervous fliers, but it's actually not entirely correct. Yes, it's correct for airline travel, but for GA aircraft it's not. Flying/riding in GA planes has about the same statistics of injury as riding a motorcycle, i.e. considerably higher than riding in a car. Not that we want to scare people unnecessarily, but we should also not be disingenuous with this info.

[GeeWhizz]

The QXC is the best feeling throughout the entire PPL course. OK so you've flown in the circuit where you can be watched, done a few solo Nav Ex's, and probably landed at another aerodrome with your instructor. The QXC is the first time you'll really feel like a pilot! You'll take off, fly your route, and land somewhere else! Nothing unusual, is that not what gaining a PPL is about? You've done your time and earned your reward.

My only word of caution is that the QXC is a loooooong day. You will feel tired at the end, and on top of that school will slap the fee in your face (along with beer I hope, in a celebratory way of course;)) So get a good nights sleep and a healthy breakfast.

You will know the route (at least most of it), you'll be familiar with the radio frequencies too. There's nothing that will be any different than what you've already done before. If anything goes awry and you feel too uncomfortable, tell someone. Anyone: ATC, D&D, G-BLOGGS you heard call up somewhere near you, whoever. They will definitely want and be able to help.

So what's the fuss... get the heck up there, fly it, then come back and tell us how amazing you were! :ok:

You don't need luck, so just take care!

[CharlieDeltaUK]

I suspect the fear/nervousness is not fear of a terrible accident or anything like that - the posts on this thread from the OP don't look like posts from someone who fears for his life. I suspect, having been there recently, that the fear is really a fear of simply not doing one's best in a pursuit which has already required significant effort and where one naturally wants to feel competent. It's not about whether you survive the day (hoepfully), it's about whether you reach the end of the exercise feeling like you have earned the trust of the instructor who sent you up and your own understandable desire to give a good account of yourself. You are probably thinking to yourself that it won't be long before you are let loose with a PPL and you want to feel comfortable exercising your hard-won privileges.

Is that a better description of why you are nervous? If it is, then the answer to your question will come from tactics which you can use to make it more likely that you won't do anything uncharacteristically bad (like getting lost) and ending up somewhere bad (like busting controlled airspace). Such tactics don't want to be too demanding because they will distract you from flying the aeroplane. My suggestion is that you have a plan B which is about "How to know I'm safe while I sort myself out" as a back-up to plan A which is obviously "How do I navigate from A to B in accordance with my PLOG". For me, Plan B looks something like this:


Look at the areas on the chart which are bad news (a danger area, for example). Think about what features you can use to be sure that you aren't there. For example: "If I stay north of the river, I know I can't ...."
Have a handy VOR in mind so that you can get a fix if you are unsure of position
There's usually no harm flying in a circle to take another look at the terrain around you - it can give you some time and it may enable you to get a visual perspective which sorts out your problem (eg finding that you have actually flow past your next reporting point). Just remember your heading when you start the circle so that you know when you have gone 360 degrees - otherwise, this tactic could disorientate you completely.
Some other ideas:


Use Google Earth before you leave to give yourself an idea what your reporting points look like from the air. You might find, for example, that your plan to turn overhead an airfield will be tricky if the airfield is a small grass strip which is a devil to spot even when there's no pressure. It's not cheating to choose points which are obvious - even if that means giving yourself a route slightly longer.
Hope that helps

[kevmusic]

Memphis_bell, there's some good advice here, particularly about using Google Earth. I did just that to prepare for mine, and it paid dividends. I too was really nervous but my instructor's confidence in me gave me confidence. However, he told me afterwards that he had other instructors all over the place, primed to listen out for me! Also, it has since struck me that the route my school uses (Headcorn - Goodwood - Lydd - Headcorn) is really easy, thanks to the proximity of the English Channel!

It was about three years ago, and I wrote about it here: http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/216764-most-protracted-ppl-ever-5.html#post4408221

Good luck! :ok: (BTW have you done a practice run first?)

[2high2fastagain]

Having got lost on my first QXC leg (and being bailed out by a sympathetic controller), my two penneth is

1. Make sure that you've got a good waypoint some 6-10 mins from the airfield and then make sure you pass it in sight and on time. After that, you can be reasonably confident that the rest of the leg will go to your plan and you probably won't be exposed to the horror of trying to reconcile unfittable landscapes to your map. It's a good feeling when you pass it, even for me now many hundreds of hours later. If you do get lost, then tell someone quickly. If they have a radar and some airspace to look after, I can assure you that they'll be absolutely delighted to give you a squawk and a bearing.

2. Keep the aircraft flying at a good speed - don't let distractions cause you to lose airspeed and risk the two nasty S things

3. My particular favourite, which my instructor drilled into me. Panic slowly.

[piperarcher]

I did mine about 6 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday. The best thing you can do is make sure you are fully prepared.

Make sure your PLOG has all the information you need, and note frequencies which might be able to help you (London Information, D&D, local airports which might have a radar service, the Farnborough LARS service if your in that area). Also, take copies of plates for all airfields en route so you can call them and look at their runway information in front of you. Also make sure you know the nuances of your route (danger areas, MATZ, gliding sites, large towns for VRP). Make sure you ask about the potential joining instructions for your destination.

The more you can do on the ground, the quicker you can make use of it up in the air, and the more confident, relaxed and successfull you will be :)