Trainee heli pilot - need advice
 

Hi

Ive done my second hour of flying and not enjoying it as much as I thought I would, Ive had air sickness and also feel a bit stressed and overwhelmed.

Does this subside with time? Getting my PPL (H) has always been an ambition of mine.

Go easy on me please!

After few hours in my basic training course in the army, i want to leave ! I think : I never can do what my instructor want.... That was 40 years ago and a little be more than 6000 hours of flight under rotary wings. Don't worry, be strong...And remind : Your eyes show you the way, your hand follow your eyes... ;)

Thanks, I need to get over being so nervous I think!

subject
 

Hang in there for a little longer...new experiences are not always what we were expecting. The first few hours as a student can be quite daunting, but will often seem to get much easier as you go on.

I can clearly remember my first few hours as being '****ting my pants' moments.....that was about 8500 hours ago.

Absolutely normal! I was queezy day after day until I could hover. Many rotary pilots hate big dippers / acrobatics / fast jets. Helicopters in the main are meant to be flown smoothly. I have never heard of anyone whose nausea hasnt settled with their hovering.

Many of us are still overwhelmed - if not all the time then at least when the going gets tough. Training and experience will convert the stress into respect for flying so please persevere - it is well worth it

As everyone else has said stick at it. 1988 first hour in a Chipmunk for AAC grading was sick as a dog. Sorted until on instruments then felt sick again ! 7500 hours later not a problem
Couple of tips, always fly on a full stomach and make sure you are well hydrated with water NOT Coffee or Tea you will be surprised at how hot you get in a training machine without noticing it. The bodies reaction to heat stress is nausea ! Last one always look up !
Stick at it, it is worth it

About 7 hours of my PPL we did autorotations and after an hour of that I was sure that I didn't like them one bit and considered packing up, 11,000 hours later I am still here, suggest you stick with it for a while to make an informed decision, as to decide anything after 2 hours makes no sense, cheers

Can you narrow down what you are nervous about? Being in the air; the motion; not doing well?

To keep at last one flight instructor in business the only answer can be
Yes keep on trying.

Succes SLB

Think Im nervous about messing up/crashing and a little overwhelmed by the height.

I agree with you 100%

Ive got another lesson tomorrow. Something scares me, I go at it full force to conquer it. It's reassuring to know this is normal for a newbie.

Mate, if you don't get nervous, you're name is probably Peake!! It takes tenacity and a lot of self belief, overcome the doubts and you'll nail it. :ok:

If you're not having fun in a helicopter you're not doing it right.

Try a different instructor. Maybe one more experienced.

Keep us informed
 

Totally agree with those saying stick with it. First few hours isn't just about disbelief that its actually possible to control the thing, but also the gibberish coming through your headset that makes no sense, and on top of all that, 'Where the hell are we?'.

It would be well worth looking at some ground school as well in between lessons, maybe Air Law or Navigation, as that will help adjust to life in the cockpit.

Please let us know how it progresses. I imagine you'll come to love it like the rest of us.

FF

Same here and I've been flying helicopters for a living since the late 1970s.... ;)

I thought that was just me

Stick at it for a while longer Chrispike. It's not a natural environment for humans and so your body will need time to adjust. Good luck with it :)

I got over my nerves very quickly. I reasoned that the Instructor sitting next to me didn't want to die, so he wouldn't actually let me do anything that was actually going to put the machine at risk. Once I thought of that, I was quite calm.

The first few hours are an interesting time.
Your brain is trying to reconcile the romantic notion of flying to the reality of a light piston trainer. The "reassuringly expensive" Robinson experience can also take some adjustment.
Suddenly a few feet off the ground feels incredibly far from mother earth and all those Hollywood movies where helos manage about 30 seconds before ending up in a fireball starts popping into your mind.
Everything tenses up and then the simplest of tasks starts feeling challenging.
Speak to your instructor. A good one will put you at ease.
Relax, this stuff is fun and you can only learn to hover once.
Enjoy it and don't put pressure on yourself.
The system usually works, your instructor won't give you more than he feels you are capable of and he won't want any black marks on his record.

Some people choose not to continue, they work out it's not for them or they get the romance out their system. It's not for everyone but stick it out, the bug does bite and afterwards you sometimes regret it did ;)

ShyTorque

classic---gave me a laugh... me too....:cool:

Remember what the very first hour in a car was like?

Clutch, rear view mirrors, accelerator, gears, traffic, indicators.........overwhelming, right?

Same in helicopters...
What uses up to 100% of your attention now-just to fly straight-becomes routine very fast.....