Nervous flyer who wants to face his fear and maybe one day become a pilot. San Diego, CA

N

nEthan

Filing Flight Plan
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Dec 23, 2024
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San Diego, CA
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nEthan
Hi everyone,

My name is Ethan, and I’m from San Diego, CA. I’ve decided to pursue my dream of earning my private pilot’s license, but I want to be honest about where I currently stand: flying makes me nervous. It’s not easy for me right now, but I know deep down that flying is something I truly desire to do.

I feel like if I don’t face this fear and push myself to get through it, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Even though flying is currently challenging and a bit torturous for me, the thought of never achieving this dream feels even worse.

I’m reaching out to this community to connect with experienced pilots who might be willing to help me take those first steps toward becoming comfortable in the air. I have taken 3 flights so far at Sling pilot academy and they have been really good to me. The only problem is that the instructors are really busy and don’t really have a lot of time to schedule. Also I would really like to find a pilot who is excited to help me become an aviator.

If you’re based in San Diego or nearby and would be open to meeting up or pointing me toward local resources, I’d be incredibly grateful. I’m determined to make this dream a reality and would appreciate any support or guidance along the way.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope to connect with some of you soon!

Best regards,
Ethan
 
Why does flying make you nervous? Are you afraid of the engine quitting? How about a wing falling off? Running into another airplane in the sky?

In reality those things happen but they are quite rare and even then there are ways to mitigate the risk involved. Most of the things that cause injury & death are caused by pilots making (stupid) errors. Learn to be safe from the start and refuse to compromise the rules of safety. VFR into IMC without proper training, flying aerobatics without training, showboating close to the ground for your friends, low, slow, & uncoordinated on base to final turns, flying without enough gas in the tanks, etc, are the things that get pilots hurt. These can be avoided and a wise pilot will do so.

There should always be a healthy respect and perhaps a bit of trepidation in pilots before every flight. This is why we make ourselves familiar with the surrounding area & brief take-off and land procedures for every flight. We use checklist & seek to do flight reviews that actually add to our knowledge base. Good pilots are always looking to learn what helps & what doesn't. I've had my moments of "why in the world am I up here today" but in the end I'm thankful for gift of flight & I'm so glad I was allowed to pursue it.
 
A few years ago, a young man came to me about his fear of flying. He had won a sales contest at his place of work, and the prize was a vacation in Mexico. But he was afraid to get on the airplane.

Determined to get over his fear, he scheduled an introductory flight with me. When we took off, he started to hyperventilate and express his fear, "Oh! Oh!" I asked if he wanted me to land, and he said no, he wanted to confront his fear. By the time we finished, he was enjoying himself.

But he was still very apprehensive about flying on an airliner. He asked if I would go with him on a short (about 20-minutes) flight to Minneapolis, where he had reserved a rental car for the trip back. On the jet, I explained what he was hearing and feeling. By the time we arrived, he was OK with it, and called his wife and said, "Book some trips!"
 
I was very nervous while I was learning to fly, sweating bullets every flight.
I also was fighting motion sickness.
I came to a point like you about 5-10 flights in that had to decide if I continue on.

I did and eventually got over the nervous feeling. Real glad I continued on. But for me it wasn't until I put about 500 hours on my own plane about 750 into flying. I now have almost 1600 hr since 2015. Still a little nervous sometimes. I rarely feel any motion sickness unless it is real rough which I don't fly in for long.
 
I was nervous and it went away after my fourth lesson. I say go for it!!
 
nEthan said:
I’m from San Diego, CA... I’m reaching out to this community to connect with experienced pilots who might be willing to help me take those first steps toward becoming comfortable in the air.
Click to expand...
San Diego, eh? @Tantalum
 
nEthan said:
Hi everyone,

My name is Ethan, and I’m from San Diego, CA. I’ve decided to pursue my dream of earning my private pilot’s license, but I want to be honest about where I currently stand: flying makes me nervous. It’s not easy for me right now, but I know deep down that flying is something I truly desire to do.

I feel like if I don’t face this fear and push myself to get through it, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Even though flying is currently challenging and a bit torturous for me, the thought of never achieving this dream feels even worse.

I’m reaching out to this community to connect with experienced pilots who might be willing to help me take those first steps toward becoming comfortable in the air. I have taken 3 flights so far at Sling pilot academy and they have been really good to me. The only problem is that the instructors are really busy and don’t really have a lot of time to schedule. Also I would really like to find a pilot who is excited to help me become an aviator.

If you’re based in San Diego or nearby and would be open to meeting up or pointing me toward local resources, I’d be incredibly grateful. I’m determined to make this dream a reality and would appreciate any support or guidance along the way.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope to connect with some of you soon!

Best regards,
Ethan
Click to expand...
I am not near you but I do have a few ideas. Flying a small airplane is a lot like operating a power boat. An airplane operates in a sea of air and on land. A boat operates on a sea of water and interacts with both the water below and the air above. Both the water and the air can be very powerful and can toss either vehicle about as you operate.

The structure and shape of a boat is what makes it safe in the water. As long as the boat remains intact and the pilot steers it properly in relation to the waves and wind (and the ground upon docking), both the boat and the people on board will be safe.

The structure and shape of an airplane is what makes it safe in the air. As long as the airplane remains intact and the pilot steers it properly in relation to the wind (and the ground upon landing), both the airplane and the people on board will be safe.

If you know someone with a small powerboat, about 16-20 feet long, I'd ask to go for a ride on it. Riding around in a small powerboat is a lot like riding around in a small airplane. Once you getvused to that you'll be better prepared for flying.

The big difference between a boat and an airplane is an airplane needs airspeed to fly. In gliders this is provided by an external tow, in an airplane by an engine and propeller. It is important to remember that any airplane is also a glider, and should the engine fail it will continue to glide properly without the engine as long at the pilot steers it properly. This is one of the things flight training is all about.

I hope this idea helps you.
 
If you're going for your certificate I'd STRONGLY suggest that you peruse as much as you can here about medical matters and see if there are ANY concerns about them, even if you think they were transient and not a factor now.
 
One day you’ll be advising if not training a nervous student of your own.

I’m baby pilot, just under 200tt. I still get nervous, and when a CFI yanks and banks to demonstrate maneuvers I get a little motion unsettled because I’m not on the controls.

The nervousness I feel going to the airport is like the nerves before a date you already know is going to go very well, not fear EXCITEMENT! I feel a great desire to be my best, locked in.

I texted my time building copilot, “dude, you’re a pilot, how cool is that?!” Good times.
I’m actually considering moving to San Diego to accelerate my time building. Weather and aircraft condition and available here is holding me back.

You’re going to surprise yourself. Good luck!
 
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