Aspiring Ppl Student's Concern

[yeongmsc]

Hi,

I am a 27 year old Singaporean. I will like to do a PPL.

I have taken a 1/2 hr intro flight and have a slight concern.

I have some 'butterflies in my stomach' when the instructor did a sudden descent or a tight roll, especially during the first 15 mins into the flight, and twice during the flight I had to close my eyes for a couple of seconds. However this feeling went away after we were on approach for descent. This into flight was done in a Cessna 152, which offers me very little confidence, at least initially, as it was a very small aircraft.

Will this pose a problem in my learning?

Thank you

Christopher

[Turbine King]

No worries

Your instructor should gauge your reactions and train you accordingly
It may well be you that you are anxious on your first flight

They should not be trying to upset you

[captain_rossco]

Good man!

If you've never flown light aircraft before then it happens to loads of people. If you still feel like crap 7-10 hours in, have a word with yourself and see if it's worth continuing.

CR

[Simon150]

I don't know many people who didn't feel queezy on their first flight in a light aircraft. I am up to 120 hours now and still get a touch of the butterflies in turbulence - especially if somebody else is flying.

Its something to goes away quickly with exposure - don't worry about it.

Apparently its not uncommon for RAF pilots to send a good portion of their training spewing their guts up. As far as I remember - they get spun around in a simulator for a couple of weeks to get it out of their system!

[garywoodrow]

I felt just like that on my first flight, but the second was ok, i was even allowed to take off .. well i felt alright until the sudden climbs, rolls and decents the instructor did .

[Stumpyotoole]

butterflies are normal...

yeongmsc: the cockpit of a light aircraft is a very unnatural environment for someone who has never experienced flight without hundreds of other people around them! There is a whole new dimension which the body has to cope with, namely moving up/down along with left and right. when the two are combined, it takes a while for your body to programme this in as 'normal'. Your instructor should explain things to you as they do them, so there shouldn't be any unexpected manouevres! Don't be put off by queasiness, you will get used to it - its much like driving a car, you are less likely to feel sick when you are concentrating on driving/flying. As simon 150 said, nearly everyone feels odd initially - its true!
with regards to your worry about the C152, why not see if the school offers any other type (for example a PA28-slightly larger and generally with 4 seats - which can seem a little more stable when its bumpy). In defence of the 152, they really are the workhorses of the general aviation world - the trusty 152 may be small and (in majority of cases) a little worn and tatty, but they are incredibly forgiving aircraft - many a student has perfected his/her manouevres in the 152 for precisely this reason. Each aircraft has its own individual good and bad points, C152 included, but there is a good reason why there is one in pretty much every flying school in the country!
keep at it!

[j_davey]

i was like that at the start, 35 hours later i can still be upset by the odd stall or two.. its just something that you will get used to.

[dimitris_m]

Isnt it funny that one of the simplest maneuvers can be the most upsetting one? Sudden pitch down, that did it for me. No stalls, no steep turns, nothing... Negative G's was the way to my stomach. You'll get used to the feeling man, dont worry about it. Now i find myself trying to make a pencil fly around in zero gravity, if you know what i mean... Cheers Steve...