Scares - How did you deal with them?
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Scares - How did you deal with them?
Now Im sure this happens to a lot of people a lot of the time, especially when training. Its all about getting used to the machine etc etc, BUT how do you deal with scares?
My little problem, just back from a nice solo, coming into land, about 20 feet off the ground, I accidently put in too much right pedal and the heli started to spin. Cue panic, put in the left pedal but put in too much and it went the other way. Took me a couple of seconds to get my head together but by which time I had raised the collective and was 100ft up and half way across the field. Got myself together and got the heli down and checked my pants!!
It knocked me back a bit and since it happened I keep thinking about it a lot. Whether youre a student or an experienced pilot, how do you deal with those scares?
Cheers lads,
My little problem, just back from a nice solo, coming into land, about 20 feet off the ground, I accidently put in too much right pedal and the heli started to spin. Cue panic, put in the left pedal but put in too much and it went the other way. Took me a couple of seconds to get my head together but by which time I had raised the collective and was 100ft up and half way across the field. Got myself together and got the heli down and checked my pants!!
It knocked me back a bit and since it happened I keep thinking about it a lot. Whether youre a student or an experienced pilot, how do you deal with those scares?
Cheers lads,
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It's all part of the learning curve. The best thing you can do is sit down and go through why it happened, how it happened, how to recognise the clues so it doesn't happen again.
Many students don't have the maturity (I'm not suggesting this is you!) to accept they made a mistake, or even learn from them.
Don't let it mess with your head and affect the rest of your training.
DM
Many students don't have the maturity (I'm not suggesting this is you!) to accept they made a mistake, or even learn from them.
Don't let it mess with your head and affect the rest of your training.
DM
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Haha Oh I definatly know I made a mistake! Just have to learn from it. Get some money together and go back and finish up. Just the skills test and Ive got my PPL(h). So Im a happy man for the most part.
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
Everyone has a "moment", whether it's as graphic as airbourne's or a little less dramatic. Two points; (1) Learn from it and understand why it happened so repeats are less likely, (2) If you do find yourself repeating it, get some professional assistance from an instructor or someone with more experience. You'll be amazed how many people do bizarre things in a helicopter for no apparent reason.
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Chat about it with an instructor, or someone more experienced, that way you'll get it off your chest and stop it from eating away at you.
Analyse what you did wrong, sort it out, and make sure you learn from it.
And finally make sure you go flying again asap so you don't knock your confidence.
Joel
Analyse what you did wrong, sort it out, and make sure you learn from it.
And finally make sure you go flying again asap so you don't knock your confidence.
Joel
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It sounds like you completely lost control of the helicopter, which kind of alarms me a little, as I have really never seen or really heard of this happening(at least for the length of time you indicated). You probably should not fly again until you get a little more dual time. No offense, but what you describe sounds dangerous, not just a little scary.
Last edited by helonorth; 20th Apr 2009 at 02:34.
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I remember an occasion in training when low level around salisbury plain, solo, and was about to pop up to do an oblique terrain crossing to starboard over a ridge, pulled up and rolled right, heard a load bang and started yawing a shed load to the left, poohed my pants, rolled wings level expecting a tail rotor related failure and discovered that the starboard yaw pedal had snapped off almost level with the deck! Found that a boot tread onto the stub of the pedal did the trick.What to be learned from this training incident? - wear brown underpants!!
Deal with scares by knowing your stuff - inside out, and that starts with minute detail of your flying machine, avoided brown pants many a time by understanding whats going on and with what.
Deal with scares by knowing your stuff - inside out, and that starts with minute detail of your flying machine, avoided brown pants many a time by understanding whats going on and with what.
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Making mistakes/scares
As an instructor I've seen students make quite a few mistakes, most of them normal learning mistakes with the odd one or two a little scary.
What I found with experience was that the better the student was prepared for the lesson the less likely there was of a scary moment.
Hence a good preflight brief is most important in which you can point out possible/potential mistakes which lead to scary moments.
I never rushed anyone into going solo, better to do a few more dual hours
and gain more confidence and ability than to risk an accident/scary moment.
Airbourne if this scare has knocked your confidence then do more dual time untill both you and your instructor are happy for you to go solo again.
remember that it,s not a race, but do get back in the air as soon as possible.
Saying all that some students no matter how much prep you do with them
and no matter how well they fly, still catch you when your guard is down
by doing something silly/scary. Only experience can prepare you for these
moments--self preservation is a great thing.
If you have any difficulties which bother you discuss it with your instructor untill you are satisfied.
Fly safe
Pv
What I found with experience was that the better the student was prepared for the lesson the less likely there was of a scary moment.
Hence a good preflight brief is most important in which you can point out possible/potential mistakes which lead to scary moments.
I never rushed anyone into going solo, better to do a few more dual hours
and gain more confidence and ability than to risk an accident/scary moment.
Airbourne if this scare has knocked your confidence then do more dual time untill both you and your instructor are happy for you to go solo again.
remember that it,s not a race, but do get back in the air as soon as possible.
Saying all that some students no matter how much prep you do with them
and no matter how well they fly, still catch you when your guard is down
by doing something silly/scary. Only experience can prepare you for these
moments--self preservation is a great thing.
If you have any difficulties which bother you discuss it with your instructor untill you are satisfied.
Fly safe
Pv
Last edited by Paddyviking; 20th Apr 2009 at 16:34.
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Helonorth, I did not ‘completely lose control of the helicopter’ If that had happened, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I did what I was always trained and taught to do. FLY THE HELICOPTER! I am not a total expert, I am a student so mistakes will happen as they happen with any student. I came on to Pprune, a site that I am a member of for nearly 9 years to ask the good people here how they deal with scares but your reply doesn’t help me and I personally think its over the top.
All the others,
The basic message coming through here is more dual time, which I fully intend to do. Go back and get some more dual. Go and check all the basic flying stuff and do loads of take off and landings until I can do it in my sleep.
All the others,
The basic message coming through here is more dual time, which I fully intend to do. Go back and get some more dual. Go and check all the basic flying stuff and do loads of take off and landings until I can do it in my sleep.
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Okay , maybe it's over the top, but if I saw one of my students yawing erratically, climb 100' and "end up half way across the field", I would wonder why I let you solo, turn you over to another instructor and do some soul searching about what the hell I was thinking. I tried to be nice.
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No, you didnt try to be nice, you went out of your way not to be nice but to be critical of every action I took. I dont need your 'high and almighty' opinion. Its not what I sought when i started this thread. But I am really not surprised. You must have been the perfect student pilot, and never made one mistake in your life. Do us all a favour, and come down off your very high horse.
Once again, for the other members posting here, I thank you for your input.
Once again, for the other members posting here, I thank you for your input.
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airbourne
Just to say I have never flown a helicopter but I was just groundcrew rigging loads and refueling helicopters in the RAF, have been solo in a Venture T2 though. I have to say that if I was on that airfield and an out of control aircraft was in difficulty then I would be looking at 1. Where to run and 2. What is it going to hit. If I was you I would get some more dual time in to go through the process as to why this happened so it doesnt happen again or if it does you will be better prepared. Im not on my high horse at all here, I just wouldnt like to be reading about another statistic. I hope you get back in the air very soon and enjoy your flying
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Airbourne
I had a situation a couple of years ago in a 22 shortly after gaining my PPL. A phrase regarding robbos 'fly like a bird, sting like a bee' you hear it alot and i think most pilots have had a moment at some time or another.
I suffered numerous sleepless nights and some serious soul searching as to whether i wanted to continue flying.
Thanks to some excellent FI's my confidence restored i now love flying again, and i learnt a hell of alot in those few seconds and looking back i'm glad it happened.
I would rather get bitten, walk away, learn from it and improve as a pilot ......................
I had a situation a couple of years ago in a 22 shortly after gaining my PPL. A phrase regarding robbos 'fly like a bird, sting like a bee' you hear it alot and i think most pilots have had a moment at some time or another.
I suffered numerous sleepless nights and some serious soul searching as to whether i wanted to continue flying.
Thanks to some excellent FI's my confidence restored i now love flying again, and i learnt a hell of alot in those few seconds and looking back i'm glad it happened.
I would rather get bitten, walk away, learn from it and improve as a pilot ......................
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This reminds me of a similar incident I had as a student. I had finished some solo circuits and was on the grass about to return to the flying school when a gust of wind caught the helicopter. I never knew precisely what I did or didn't do, but I lost control of the helicopter. So I did what I had been told to do under such circumstances - I got away from the ground and things I could hit! In other words, I raised the collective. At around 30 ft, I sorted it all out, turned into wind, and came back down to a hover. I was now in a bit of a quandary, as I suspected that the wind was too strong for me, and that as soon as I turned I would lose control again. At that point my instructor called me on the radio, told me to land, and said he'd come and get me...which he did. He was grinning, and said I'd handled it well.
Now, Airbourne, let's look at what you did RIGHT. You put in opposite pedal, though in your panic you put in too much. OK, that's called inexperience; next time you'll keep calmer and react without over-reacting. Then you did exactly the right thing by getting away from the ground...but again, it sounds like you overdid it a bit. Then you sorted things out. Then you had a think about what had happened and came on here to ask some more experienced pilots. That all sounds pretty good to me.
The main problem seems to be that it's knocked your confidence, and for that reason - and that reason alone - I'd suggest going up with an instructor till you get it back. If, however, you can simply see it as one of those things that happens to an inexperienced pilot and learn from it, then I don't see why you need to do anything other than what you were already doing, ie practise until you get better at it. Note when I say this that I know nothing about you other than what you've said, and your instructor may see it differently of course.
IMHO, one or two people on here are making too big a deal of this...but they're entitled to their opinions. And if you ask on PPRuNe, you'll get all sorts of answers. But in my experience these things happen when you're learning to fly. I see nothing in what you've said that would make me worried if you were my student.
So get back up there, and safe flying.
Now, Airbourne, let's look at what you did RIGHT. You put in opposite pedal, though in your panic you put in too much. OK, that's called inexperience; next time you'll keep calmer and react without over-reacting. Then you did exactly the right thing by getting away from the ground...but again, it sounds like you overdid it a bit. Then you sorted things out. Then you had a think about what had happened and came on here to ask some more experienced pilots. That all sounds pretty good to me.
The main problem seems to be that it's knocked your confidence, and for that reason - and that reason alone - I'd suggest going up with an instructor till you get it back. If, however, you can simply see it as one of those things that happens to an inexperienced pilot and learn from it, then I don't see why you need to do anything other than what you were already doing, ie practise until you get better at it. Note when I say this that I know nothing about you other than what you've said, and your instructor may see it differently of course.
IMHO, one or two people on here are making too big a deal of this...but they're entitled to their opinions. And if you ask on PPRuNe, you'll get all sorts of answers. But in my experience these things happen when you're learning to fly. I see nothing in what you've said that would make me worried if you were my student.
So get back up there, and safe flying.
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Whirls speaks the truth!
Scared the pants off myself a couple of times when training - on one occasion i ended up in an OGE hover well above the sloping ground wondering what the hell had just happened (i later figured out exactly what had happened and certainly learned from it).
If you need a bit more dual to get your confidence back then take it. Listen to what your instructor has to say (he knows more than we do about your case) and learn from yourself about what happened. As Whirls says - you seem to have done the right thing but overdone it.
Get back out and enjoy!
Safe flying
Scared the pants off myself a couple of times when training - on one occasion i ended up in an OGE hover well above the sloping ground wondering what the hell had just happened (i later figured out exactly what had happened and certainly learned from it).
If you need a bit more dual to get your confidence back then take it. Listen to what your instructor has to say (he knows more than we do about your case) and learn from yourself about what happened. As Whirls says - you seem to have done the right thing but overdone it.
Get back out and enjoy!
Safe flying
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I remember my first engine off in hover in a 22, instructor said "wait till it starts to sink then pull firm on lever to settle on ground"
I pulled firm and hard on the lever but had forgot to wait for it to sink first, so we ended up 20-30 ft in the air. My instructor went white and said "errrrrr....this isn't good"..... luckily he rapidly brought engine back in and we recovered before we hit the ground, all so quick and over in seconds! Still remember it to the day and don't even need to think about enigine off's in hover now...
Still think about that plus my other "learning experiences" since, but now fly a Jetranger and love every minute of it!!! (I still regularly fly 22's and 44's also) ALL helicopters have their sting!!!
Its all a learning experience and I think you have had some great advice on here! With weather so good this week what are you waiting for? Call your instructor and jump in that 22 quickly!!!
I pulled firm and hard on the lever but had forgot to wait for it to sink first, so we ended up 20-30 ft in the air. My instructor went white and said "errrrrr....this isn't good"..... luckily he rapidly brought engine back in and we recovered before we hit the ground, all so quick and over in seconds! Still remember it to the day and don't even need to think about enigine off's in hover now...
Still think about that plus my other "learning experiences" since, but now fly a Jetranger and love every minute of it!!! (I still regularly fly 22's and 44's also) ALL helicopters have their sting!!!
Its all a learning experience and I think you have had some great advice on here! With weather so good this week what are you waiting for? Call your instructor and jump in that 22 quickly!!!