Pre flight nerves.
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Pre flight nerves.
I have flown for many years, but recently looked for any excuse not to fly.
Has anyone experienced pre flight nerves this bad.
Not looking for sarky comments, but if someone has experienced this, how have they overcome this.
Has anyone experienced pre flight nerves this bad.
Not looking for sarky comments, but if someone has experienced this, how have they overcome this.
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Hey!
I allway's get preflight nerves, some days mild some days severe.....
Once in the cockpit.... All Gone....
Flown the mission, back home... HEY IM STILL HERE!!!!
Light up a cigarrete and start thinking... Am i trying to kill my self... (With the ciggi of course!)
We get exposed to thousends of risks a day, flying is one of them... Is it dangerous.. Well, yes... How dangerous depends on the mission, the pilot and the machine you fly, WX, Etc...... How dangerous is driving home? Well it is dangerous, and it is also dependant on alot of factors... You might as well end up strucked by lightning!!!
So as long as you fly, Keep your head in the job, look outside. don't do stupid things (like some times i do, but less and less with time), and keep visiting PPRUNE!
The only thing i know is that the nerves in preflight are OK.. They help you understand what you are getting into.... It makes you reduce the risk in your flights...
Nerves while flying is another story...
Nerves on preflight are not proportional to what's going to happen, we are not future looking species. Nerves on preflight are indication that you need 100% of your head.... Nerves while flying arre BAD.. Cause you are devoting part of that 100% thinking about your nerves instead of the flight.
At least this is what i think..
Once in the cockpit.... All Gone....
Flown the mission, back home... HEY IM STILL HERE!!!!
Light up a cigarrete and start thinking... Am i trying to kill my self... (With the ciggi of course!)
We get exposed to thousends of risks a day, flying is one of them... Is it dangerous.. Well, yes... How dangerous depends on the mission, the pilot and the machine you fly, WX, Etc...... How dangerous is driving home? Well it is dangerous, and it is also dependant on alot of factors... You might as well end up strucked by lightning!!!
So as long as you fly, Keep your head in the job, look outside. don't do stupid things (like some times i do, but less and less with time), and keep visiting PPRUNE!
The only thing i know is that the nerves in preflight are OK.. They help you understand what you are getting into.... It makes you reduce the risk in your flights...
Nerves while flying is another story...
Nerves on preflight are not proportional to what's going to happen, we are not future looking species. Nerves on preflight are indication that you need 100% of your head.... Nerves while flying arre BAD.. Cause you are devoting part of that 100% thinking about your nerves instead of the flight.
At least this is what i think..
Spice - this is reasonably well documented in the military - suddenly after years of operational flying, the realisation that flying can be risky finally breaks through from the subconcious where it has been suppressed to the conscious where it manifests itself as fear of flying. I think it's a bit like stage fright in that if you don't think too hard about what you are doing, the scary reality can be ignored. Rationalising your fears is the way to cope - put the perceived risks of flying into perspective by comparing the much more real risks of driving to the airfield or crossing the road.
Crab,
I know two people killed in car crashes and dozens that croaked in helicopter crashes. Is it I run around with incompetents and the unlucky or is it that helicopter flying takes a toll each year?
I know two people killed in car crashes and dozens that croaked in helicopter crashes. Is it I run around with incompetents and the unlucky or is it that helicopter flying takes a toll each year?
The moment when I start thinking about the risks is when I found myself at 7000' and NOT at the controls...
Am I the only one who don't like to fly high (say more than 4 or 5k AGL) in helicopters?
Regards.
Aser
Am I the only one who don't like to fly high (say more than 4 or 5k AGL) in helicopters?
Regards.
Aser
I´m suffering from a general fear of death lately, especially since I have a 6 months old son. A child should have a father.
Had a close call in a car accident 2 months ago.
I can´t stand the idea that I won´t see him grow up.
Had a close call in a car accident 2 months ago.
I can´t stand the idea that I won´t see him grow up.
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A lot of things make it come alive!
First... Did you got a close call lately?
Second.. Did a good friend was taken by flight?
Third... Are you getting more emotional lately?
Fourth... A new family member?
Fifth... Did a friend/family asked you to stop lately?
Sixth... Are you getting too much time to think?
Many Many Many Things... The truth is that you have to choose. Weather flying makes what you are, defines you, makes you a better person, or is it making you miserable, just for the fact of thinking or feeling chills??, If There are more negative thinkings than positive... It might be time to switch work to another occupation.
If you decide to stay in flight, make it YOUR mission to reduce the risks.... neutralize them... Make them as low as possible. THis will make you a good pilot.
(I am not a good pilot, but i am working on that )
But if you just can't quit flying, and it makes what you are... The chills are normal... At 7,000 at pre-flight, on nights.... Just don't let them take a toll on you. Life is short, and you wont be able to fly all your life...You might as well die of cancer, car crash, lightning struck, or many other things.. One thing though...... Flying DOES require ones 100% concentration and head in the game......
I had periods when one or many of this questions or things came along, and i choose... I choose to fly, because flying makes me happy, it is part of me, i can't stand life without flying (specially helicopters).. I just cant....
------
GoodGrief... Will you stand the idea that your son might become a pilot?, a formula 1 driver?, a climber?, A diver????... Airhsow Pilot?.... What then?
Look all i am saying is that if the chills are hard enough you might had to switch works, but really really think before you do it..What's causing it. Is the cause as honest as i think it is?
Second.. Did a good friend was taken by flight?
Third... Are you getting more emotional lately?
Fourth... A new family member?
Fifth... Did a friend/family asked you to stop lately?
Sixth... Are you getting too much time to think?
Many Many Many Things... The truth is that you have to choose. Weather flying makes what you are, defines you, makes you a better person, or is it making you miserable, just for the fact of thinking or feeling chills??, If There are more negative thinkings than positive... It might be time to switch work to another occupation.
If you decide to stay in flight, make it YOUR mission to reduce the risks.... neutralize them... Make them as low as possible. THis will make you a good pilot.
(I am not a good pilot, but i am working on that
)But if you just can't quit flying, and it makes what you are... The chills are normal... At 7,000 at pre-flight, on nights.... Just don't let them take a toll on you. Life is short, and you wont be able to fly all your life...You might as well die of cancer, car crash, lightning struck, or many other things.. One thing though...... Flying DOES require ones 100% concentration and head in the game......
I had periods when one or many of this questions or things came along, and i choose... I choose to fly, because flying makes me happy, it is part of me, i can't stand life without flying (specially helicopters).. I just cant....
------
GoodGrief... Will you stand the idea that your son might become a pilot?, a formula 1 driver?, a climber?, A diver????... Airhsow Pilot?.... What then?
Look all i am saying is that if the chills are hard enough you might had to switch works, but really really think before you do it..What's causing it. Is the cause as honest as i think it is?
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Originally Posted by Aser
The moment when I start thinking about the risks is when I found myself at 7000' and NOT at the controls...
Am I the only one who don't like to fly high (say more than 4 or 5k AGL) in helicopters?
Regards.
Aser
Am I the only one who don't like to fly high (say more than 4 or 5k AGL) in helicopters?
Regards.
Aser
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You don't leave this place without God's permission! I just do the best I possibly can. The rest is out of my hands, so I sit back and enjoy the ride.
Phil
Phil
Sasless - of course you are the statistical anomaly that proves the case - I bet the guys who compile the stats that say there are more people killed in car accidents than in aviation every year are just kicking themselves that they didn't ring you up to check that your case is different.
ASER and helieagle - try not to think about a fire at 10,000' agl - even if you could get 10,000 ft/min RoD it would still be burning for over a minute by the time you landed.
ASER and helieagle - try not to think about a fire at 10,000' agl - even if you could get 10,000 ft/min RoD it would still be burning for over a minute by the time you landed.
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spice island,
It happens to all of us, and is a possible sign of too much thinking. I found it especially when I had a tough assignment - spins with that not-so-good student, for example, or an especially big cross wind day when things have to be just right to be ok.
Can I suggest a little refresher with an instructor you really trust (a tough one, where when he/she says you are ok, you truly believe it deep inside.)
It happens to all of us, and is a possible sign of too much thinking. I found it especially when I had a tough assignment - spins with that not-so-good student, for example, or an especially big cross wind day when things have to be just right to be ok.
Can I suggest a little refresher with an instructor you really trust (a tough one, where when he/she says you are ok, you truly believe it deep inside.)
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Spice Island
Some years ago, as part of a pre-employment screening process. I had to go to a 3 day psychiatric analysis . During the 3 days we had multiple interviews with variously a psychiatrist, 2 psychologists and an ex DC10 Pilot who was also a psychologist.
The normal run of testing, psychometric, etc. Ended on the second day, the 3rd day was various interviews and a de-brief.
During the de-brief the DC10 guy told me, that their statistics had shown that a majority of pilots have a fear of flying at a subconscious level.
This fear is documented in the report sent to the hiring company. And that most companies never reveal any of the findings to the subject. Just make a decision as to hire or not, and then the file is encoded with a factor for records if hired, and then the main file is destroyed (Legal issue)
However, a few companies go through the report with the pilot if he’s been hired.
The biggest issue arising during this event is when the pilot is told he’s scared of flying. Naturally it doesn’t make sense to the pilot. If he/she were scared of flying, why would they seek a job as a pilot? …They’ve never felt fear of flying!
Apparently it’s there in many of us. Just at a deep level. The DC10 guy explained that in his old airline. They believed that any major life event could trigger this covert fear and had established a policy where anyone known to have been thru a listed event was automatically stood down for a period of time. This was done transparently, in the sense that you found yourself on a reserve bid or standby…
I can’t remember all the listed events, but mostly along the lines of divorce, death of a spouse or parent , major health scare etc…
His opinion was that the surfacing of this fear, driven by some kind of event. Would disappear as quickly as it came…No time scale given, but I got the impression it wouldn’t take too long once the emotions become regularized.
You don’t say if you’ve been thru one of these life events or not.
But hopefully, this will just be an episode, and one day soon you’ll wake up feeling fine..
All the best….170’
Some years ago, as part of a pre-employment screening process. I had to go to a 3 day psychiatric analysis . During the 3 days we had multiple interviews with variously a psychiatrist, 2 psychologists and an ex DC10 Pilot who was also a psychologist.
The normal run of testing, psychometric, etc. Ended on the second day, the 3rd day was various interviews and a de-brief.
During the de-brief the DC10 guy told me, that their statistics had shown that a majority of pilots have a fear of flying at a subconscious level.
This fear is documented in the report sent to the hiring company. And that most companies never reveal any of the findings to the subject. Just make a decision as to hire or not, and then the file is encoded with a factor for records if hired, and then the main file is destroyed (Legal issue)
However, a few companies go through the report with the pilot if he’s been hired.
The biggest issue arising during this event is when the pilot is told he’s scared of flying. Naturally it doesn’t make sense to the pilot. If he/she were scared of flying, why would they seek a job as a pilot? …They’ve never felt fear of flying!
Apparently it’s there in many of us. Just at a deep level. The DC10 guy explained that in his old airline. They believed that any major life event could trigger this covert fear and had established a policy where anyone known to have been thru a listed event was automatically stood down for a period of time. This was done transparently, in the sense that you found yourself on a reserve bid or standby…
I can’t remember all the listed events, but mostly along the lines of divorce, death of a spouse or parent , major health scare etc…
His opinion was that the surfacing of this fear, driven by some kind of event. Would disappear as quickly as it came…No time scale given, but I got the impression it wouldn’t take too long once the emotions become regularized.
You don’t say if you’ve been thru one of these life events or not.
But hopefully, this will just be an episode, and one day soon you’ll wake up feeling fine..
All the best….170’
Many years ago while flying a Cessna Caravan over a part of Washington State known as the "Alps" due to the rugged mountains in the area....beautiful night...VFR on Top....full Moon shining...clear as a Bell for vis...stars showing....glass smooth air...looking down on the craggy tippy tops of the mountains barely poking out of the cloud which went to the bottom of the valleys....I realized I was bore sighting (more or less) the only engine on the airplane.
Instantly overwhelmed by the "What in the Hell am I doing here" sensation. Immediate realization that an engine failure of that only engine would be fatal to all directly concerned. No way we could make a forced landing with any rational hope of survival.
We're talking a significant anxiety attack here.....a truly uncomfortable feeling. It was a conscious acknowledgement of a situation where the odds greatly favored the House and not the Gambler.
The descent into cloud for the Instrument approach was a relief....workload increased, mind got back to business and not considering my own individual mortality.
I hold with the concept that the Good Lord will call us home at some time not of our choosing....kicking and screaming..dragging our feet and holding onto the door frame will not matter....we will leave here when called. I also believe that if we jump into a well, the same Good Lord, is not bound to fetch us out either.
A bit of fear shows itself as caution and is both normal and healthy. It is okay to peek into a well and consider how deep and cold the water is....just don't go for a swim and count on someone to happen along and crank the bucket up for you.
Instantly overwhelmed by the "What in the Hell am I doing here" sensation. Immediate realization that an engine failure of that only engine would be fatal to all directly concerned. No way we could make a forced landing with any rational hope of survival.
We're talking a significant anxiety attack here.....a truly uncomfortable feeling. It was a conscious acknowledgement of a situation where the odds greatly favored the House and not the Gambler.
The descent into cloud for the Instrument approach was a relief....workload increased, mind got back to business and not considering my own individual mortality.
I hold with the concept that the Good Lord will call us home at some time not of our choosing....kicking and screaming..dragging our feet and holding onto the door frame will not matter....we will leave here when called. I also believe that if we jump into a well, the same Good Lord, is not bound to fetch us out either.
A bit of fear shows itself as caution and is both normal and healthy. It is okay to peek into a well and consider how deep and cold the water is....just don't go for a swim and count on someone to happen along and crank the bucket up for you.
There was a time when I would have flown anything, anywhere, anytime. There was a time when the thought of *not* wanting to fly was simply inconceivable, preposterous! But that time has passed. I know more now, maybe too much...too much about our mortality and the things that can go wrong with our fragile machines.
Like SASless, I too know many more people who've died in horrible aircraft accidents than autos. That's probably because I've associated with aviators all my life so the odds are simply higher. But that may not mean anything; we all drive cars, don't we?
I don't get consciously nervous when flying, but I certainly am more aware of the risks. It's hard not to- I mean, I know all of the dumb mistakes I've made in the past while accepting that I am absolutely capable of making every one of them again.
All emotional/psychological stuff aside (conscious and sub-) and statistics be damned, at this stage I'm just more "less enthusiastic" about jumping in the plane and blasting off than I used to be. Now I don't fly a helicopter unless I have to. If someone else/younger is available to take the flight, I let them especially if it's an Ops Check or test flight. Scared? Nah. More cautious? Yeah. I'm a firm believer that God will call me when He's ready. But neither will He prevent me from doing that which speeds up our meeting. (I had a bad fall not long ago in which I *should* have died but didn't even get hurt. Luck? "Not my time?" Providence? Beats me. But I do not assume for one second that I could throw myself off that ledge a second time and land with no injury.)
Let the young invincibles blast off into the wild-blue with no fear. Us old guys know pain on a first name basis and aren't real crazy about experiencing it again. The aggravating part is that we know we'll have to sooner or later.
Like SASless, I too know many more people who've died in horrible aircraft accidents than autos. That's probably because I've associated with aviators all my life so the odds are simply higher. But that may not mean anything; we all drive cars, don't we?
I don't get consciously nervous when flying, but I certainly am more aware of the risks. It's hard not to- I mean, I know all of the dumb mistakes I've made in the past while accepting that I am absolutely capable of making every one of them again.
All emotional/psychological stuff aside (conscious and sub-) and statistics be damned, at this stage I'm just more "less enthusiastic" about jumping in the plane and blasting off than I used to be. Now I don't fly a helicopter unless I have to. If someone else/younger is available to take the flight, I let them especially if it's an Ops Check or test flight. Scared? Nah. More cautious? Yeah. I'm a firm believer that God will call me when He's ready. But neither will He prevent me from doing that which speeds up our meeting. (I had a bad fall not long ago in which I *should* have died but didn't even get hurt. Luck? "Not my time?" Providence? Beats me. But I do not assume for one second that I could throw myself off that ledge a second time and land with no injury.)
Let the young invincibles blast off into the wild-blue with no fear. Us old guys know pain on a first name basis and aren't real crazy about experiencing it again. The aggravating part is that we know we'll have to sooner or later.
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dozens ?
Sassy - you say you know dozens that have died in helo crashes - Assuming you're not exaggerating through figure of speech, how many were in civvy crashes and how many in the mil, and during active service ? With the huge amount of hours attained during your flying career, do you think yourself lucky enough to be still with us ?? - Honest question.
TFS
TFS
I almost never get above 500 agl when over open country ...its high enough , having flared up to near 1000, to be able to do safe auto, its low enough to get down in seconds if it starts burning or shaking itself to bits AND you are low enough to check out the sunbathers in their gardens !!
girls of course
girls of course
TFS,
I am a small boy compared to some of the guys I have flown with (in counting of hours anyway). The Geriatrics in the crewroom at Warri (they know to whom I refer) are very long in the tooth hours wise (and short of the other kind as age takes it's toll). Some of those guys are at or above 20,000 hours of safe flying.
My continued existence confirms the old saying about "Drunks and Fools" which makes me doubly safe.
A quick glance through my Army Flight School roster confirms the presence of a Guardian Angel somewhere close to me.
20 KIA, 1 MIA, 2 Killed after the tour....one of them in a car wreck and the other during a weather check that went IIMC in a non-IFR aircraft.
The 20 KIA went this way...one ditched an OH-6 in the ocean after an engine failure and drowned, one ran into the ground doing a lowlevel recce and crashed, one had either an engine or transmission failure over 200 foot trees and burned to death in the crash, one had a catastophic failure shortly after takeoff and all died, one botched a takeoff in an overloaded Cobra and died when the MR blade passed through the cockpits during the crash, two were lost at night in bad weather, one died in a mid-air collision with a flightmate, one was killed at his base camp by enemy artillery, and the rest were shot down.
The MIA survived being shotdown but then fell from the skid of the rescue aircraft at a height of about 350 feet. He is presumed dead still but has not been located or heard from since the incident.
There were four guys from my unit that died after their tour in Vietnam due to helicopter crashes while still in the Army.
I knew five pilots that died flying for my favorite British helicopter company.
My least favorite US company wrote off two that I knew, the second most favorite has written off three I knew, one of my other outifts has killed one and crippled another.
There are some more that have passed that I knew as well.
The odd thing about the accident stats is they do not seem to vary much over the years....we keep killing ourselves in the same old ways at about the same rate.
Helicopter flying and helicopters in general are much less forgiving than fixed wing aircraft and operations.
I am a small boy compared to some of the guys I have flown with (in counting of hours anyway). The Geriatrics in the crewroom at Warri (they know to whom I refer) are very long in the tooth hours wise (and short of the other kind as age takes it's toll). Some of those guys are at or above 20,000 hours of safe flying.
My continued existence confirms the old saying about "Drunks and Fools" which makes me doubly safe.
A quick glance through my Army Flight School roster confirms the presence of a Guardian Angel somewhere close to me.
20 KIA, 1 MIA, 2 Killed after the tour....one of them in a car wreck and the other during a weather check that went IIMC in a non-IFR aircraft.
The 20 KIA went this way...one ditched an OH-6 in the ocean after an engine failure and drowned, one ran into the ground doing a lowlevel recce and crashed, one had either an engine or transmission failure over 200 foot trees and burned to death in the crash, one had a catastophic failure shortly after takeoff and all died, one botched a takeoff in an overloaded Cobra and died when the MR blade passed through the cockpits during the crash, two were lost at night in bad weather, one died in a mid-air collision with a flightmate, one was killed at his base camp by enemy artillery, and the rest were shot down.
The MIA survived being shotdown but then fell from the skid of the rescue aircraft at a height of about 350 feet. He is presumed dead still but has not been located or heard from since the incident.
There were four guys from my unit that died after their tour in Vietnam due to helicopter crashes while still in the Army.
I knew five pilots that died flying for my favorite British helicopter company.
My least favorite US company wrote off two that I knew, the second most favorite has written off three I knew, one of my other outifts has killed one and crippled another.
There are some more that have passed that I knew as well.
The odd thing about the accident stats is they do not seem to vary much over the years....we keep killing ourselves in the same old ways at about the same rate.
Helicopter flying and helicopters in general are much less forgiving than fixed wing aircraft and operations.