My first lesson

TexasAviation

TexasAviation

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Mar 9, 2014
Messages
214
Display Name
Display name:
TexasAviation
Well, I finally took my first flying lesson.

I wish I could say it was inspiring — a breathtaking, bird-like sense of freedom that I'd been dreaming of — but I'd be lying.

I'd been planning to train in a Cessna 150, but always in the back of my mind I wondered whether my instructor and I would be too heavy to fly it. At about 450 pounds total, the weight and balance didn't work out. No surprise there.

So we took the club's Archer up instead. Not that big a deal. It'll cost me more to train in, but it's more comfortable and more like the kind of plane I'll want to fly after training anyway.

The downside was that after studying the airspeed numbers, systems, gauges etc. in the Cessna, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar Piper. That threw me for a loop.

A bigger problem, though, was airsickness. On a gusty day, I felt queasy the whole flight and ended up losing my breakfast near the end of the 1.4-hour flight. I felt like only about 60% of my brain was focused on learning the aircraft and 40% on my stomach the whole time.

Basically, I felt foggy-brained and not "in the moment" at all. I was overwhelmed by all the sensations of moving in three dimensions, controlling the plane, knowing where even basic things like the tach are located, etc.

Despite all this, I'm not discouraged at all. I know it's just going to take some time ... and will be a lot better once my body adjusts to the sensation of flying and I actually familiarize myself with the aircraft I'll be in.

Going forward, we're going to try to fly in the evenings when the air is less choppy.

Can't wait for the next lesson!
 
Ok you just said it all right there. You cannot wait until the next lesson. Your body will adjust. Give it a few hours and if you cannot walk the earth looking up at the sky wishing you were up there I suggest you take up golf.
 
Congrats on the first lesson. You will get your "air legs" soon as you do more lessons. For the moment, keep your food intake small/reasonable and a bit on the bland side. And be sure to hydrate well and consider brining a small water bottle on your flights to sip from.

Enjoy the Archer it's a very good plane to learn in and travel in.
 
Gongrats. Keep the first few flights to an hour or less. Keep your view outside and not on the panel,stay hydrated. Good luck
 
I didn't feel that great after my first flight either and in my first few i threw up once as well! You get over it and its fine.
 
maybe a small percentage of that uneasy feeling was nerves? flying in the evening is a great idea, should be smoother and one less thing to worry about for now. I also like the added comfort of knowing e x a c t l y where everything is located on the panel...sometimes I bounce back and forth between a few different planes with different configurations and it takes me a few to get used to it again. have fun!!
 
Don't worry about the airsickness. That will subside with time. I am new to flying as well and the only thing that bothered me was steep 45 degree turns, but after 14 hours in the air it isn't an issue anymore. Push through it, you will be fine.

It took me 35 years to get back into flying, and there isn't much that will stop me now. Good luck, once you get into it a little more you will see there's nothing like it.
 
TexasAviation said:
Well, I finally took my first flying lesson.

I wish I could say it was inspiring — a breathtaking, bird-like sense of freedom that I'd been dreaming of — but I'd be lying.

I'd been planning to train in a Cessna 150, but always in the back of my mind I wondered whether my instructor and I would be too heavy to fly it. At about 450 pounds total, the weight and balance didn't work out. No surprise there.

So we took the club's Archer up instead. Not that big a deal. It'll cost me more to train in, but it's more comfortable and more like the kind of plane I'll want to fly after training anyway.

The downside was that after studying the airspeed numbers, systems, gauges etc. in the Cessna, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar Piper. That threw me for a loop.

A bigger problem, though, was airsickness. On a gusty day, I felt queasy the whole flight and ended up losing my breakfast near the end of the 1.4-hour flight. I felt like only about 60% of my brain was focused on learning the aircraft and 40% on my stomach the whole time.

Basically, I felt foggy-brained and not "in the moment" at all. I was overwhelmed by all the sensations of moving in three dimensions, controlling the plane, knowing where even basic things like the tach are located, etc.

Despite all this, I'm not discouraged at all. I know it's just going to take some time ... and will be a lot better once my body adjusts to the sensation of flying and I actually familiarize myself with the aircraft I'll be in.

Going forward, we're going to try to fly in the evenings when the air is less choppy.

Can't wait for the next lesson!
Click to expand...

1.4 hours is way too long, especially for a new student. Your mind closes down after 30-45 minutes...after that, you hear but don't learn. Your CFI should know that.

Save the longer flights for the cross-country phase...for learning the basics, less than an hour in the air is optimum.

Bob Gardner
 
Congrats on the first lesson and good luck on the rest of your training!
 
Try to go for more frequent shorter lessons in beginning. Eat smaller meals, mainly protein with a longer lead time before flight. Keep hydrated.

You'll get acclimated soon enough.

Congrats.
 
Early mornings are good too. Good luck on the flying.

Any chance the W&B for the 150 works for less than full fuel?
 
Congrats on the start of a pretty rewarding journey. Don't let the airsickness hold you back - you will learn to manage it and will eventually overcome it. I struggled a lot with sickness when I was learning to fly. These days it's pretty damn rare I'll get air sick.
 
Where in Texas are you? Today would have been a hell of a day for a first lesson.
Last I looked in Dallas it was 16 gusting 29.
 
bobmrg said:
1.4 hours is way too long, especially for a new student. Your mind closes down after 30-45 minutes...after that, you hear but don't learn. Your CFI should know that.

Save the longer flights for the cross-country phase...for learning the basics, less than an hour in the air is optimum.

Bob Gardner
Click to expand...

Ditto. I never go over an hour on a first flight (including taxi time), and usually shoot for something like 0.7 to 0.8 on the Hobbs meter.

Also, it is a bit unnecessary to be memorizing "airspeeds and gauges" before your first lesson. Both airplanes will have altimeters, heading indicators, etc. Details aren't important right now, so don't sweat it.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Where in Texas are you? Today would have been a hell of a day for a first lesson.
Last I looked in Dallas it was 16 gusting 29.
Click to expand...

Greenville, just east of Dallas. The flight was yesterday. It was fairly gusty (15 gusting to 20 kts, if I remember the METARS right) ... but not as bad as it would have been today, that's for sure!
 
dmspilot said:
Also, it is a bit unnecessary to be memorizing "airspeeds and gauges" before your first lesson. Both airplanes will have altimeters, heading indicators, etc. Details aren't important right now, so don't sweat it.
Click to expand...

I know. And the instructor isn't asking for it or anything. Just my OCD side coming out.

I like being overprepared. It's a bad habit of mine :)
 
TexasAviation said:
I know. And the instructor isn't asking for it or anything. Just my OCD side coming out.

I like being overprepared. It's a bad habit of mine :)
Click to expand...

I completely understand. I believe it's good to be over prepared.

Actually, I think it is good to learn the profiles. A must for instrument work on the IR. Not so much for the PPL as you need to be looking outside, but it is a good point of reference. Good luck.
 
When your ready for soft field work, go visit T42 just 5 miles south of Greenville. Excellent grass strip and Walt M. is a great host.
 
Sounds like my first lesson! The only time I've been airsick was the first lesson. It was a bumpy day and a handful of pepperoni wasn't the best preflight meal. Add in a little nerves and YACK was the result.

Your body will adjust. A banana and a ginger pill were my breakfast for early morning (smoother air) lessons after that first one.

Glad it didn't dampen your enthusiasm. Have fun! :D

TexasAviation said:
Well, I finally took my first flying lesson.

I wish I could say it was inspiring — a breathtaking, bird-like sense of freedom that I'd been dreaming of — but I'd be lying.

I'd been planning to train in a Cessna 150, but always in the back of my mind I wondered whether my instructor and I would be too heavy to fly it. At about 450 pounds total, the weight and balance didn't work out. No surprise there.

So we took the club's Archer up instead. Not that big a deal. It'll cost me more to train in, but it's more comfortable and more like the kind of plane I'll want to fly after training anyway.

The downside was that after studying the airspeed numbers, systems, gauges etc. in the Cessna, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar Piper. That threw me for a loop.

A bigger problem, though, was airsickness. On a gusty day, I felt queasy the whole flight and ended up losing my breakfast near the end of the 1.4-hour flight. I felt like only about 60% of my brain was focused on learning the aircraft and 40% on my stomach the whole time.

Basically, I felt foggy-brained and not "in the moment" at all. I was overwhelmed by all the sensations of moving in three dimensions, controlling the plane, knowing where even basic things like the tach are located, etc.

Despite all this, I'm not discouraged at all. I know it's just going to take some time ... and will be a lot better once my body adjusts to the sensation of flying and I actually familiarize myself with the aircraft I'll be in.

Going forward, we're going to try to fly in the evenings when the air is less choppy.

Can't wait for the next lesson!
Click to expand...
 
An Archer is a pussycat. You'll learn quickly in it. Just remember to switch tanks every 30 minutes.

I'll be interested in hearing your report on stalls in that thing. My experience is that they are so docile that they are hard to detect. If I hadn't done a bunch in a Cessna, I probably wouldn't have seen the break at all the first time stalling an Archer.

You'll have some habits to unlearn when you transition back to Cessnas. Archers steer much more positively than Cessnas on the ground and have much better visibility in the pattern.

Some of those Archers even have air conditioning, though it's rare. They do get hot in the summer. You'll quickly learn to close the door right before takeoff.
 
Glad you got your first lesson in. I had a student that had airsickness issues. The biggest thing to to let your instructor know. There are several things that you can do to help and it will get better with time. My student is now an instructor himself. You can do it.
 
I showed mt CFI my breakfast towards the end of my first lesson too. I got queasy for the next several lessons but eventually that went away.
 
I've gotten queasy before early on. Worst was a hot day doing turns around a point so not high enough to get out of the heat. I was fine when I did it but when my CFI took over I started feeling green about the 3rd time around. Another time was when there was basically no wind on the ground and about 35kts at 1000'. Turbulence was horrible. Both of us were bouncing enough to strain against our seat belts. My CFI doesn't get airsick but he admitted he felt a little off after that flight.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
bobmrg said:
1.4 hours is way too long, especially for a new student. Your mind closes down after 30-45 minutes...after that, you hear but don't learn. Your CFI should know that.

Save the longer flights for the cross-country phase...for learning the basics, less than an hour in the air is optimum.

Bob Gardner
Click to expand...

Agreed.
 
I was selling Buicks too for my first 10 lessons or so. I honestly thought about giving up because it was so draining to me. But the instructor assured me that some people's bodies have to adjust and it will come around. That was 1300 flying hours and 20 years ago, so I guess I came around....

The advice to fly in the morning or late day (like an hour before dusk begins) is good. Flying during the hottest times of the day will degrade the experience a bit with turbulence, humidity, haze, etc. Your stomach will thank you, too.
 
I just recently restarted my flight training and have also experienced some motion sickness, especially whole doing steep turns as well as some turbulence. After last weekends flight where I had to turn things back over to my instructor, my CFI suggested these wristbands that work on an accupressure point on your wrist. Seems a little voodoo to me but I tried them and the last time we went up I felt great. Still to early to tell if they work or if my body just adjusted, but I'm going to keep wearing them because flight time is too expensive to waste by getting sick.

They are called SeaBands and can obtained at Target for about $8.

J
 
jksoft said:
I just recently restarted my flight training and have also experienced some motion sickness, especially whole doing steep turns as well as some turbulence. After last weekends flight where I had to turn things back over to my instructor, my CFI suggested these wristbands that work on an accupressure point on your wrist. Seems a little voodoo to me but I tried them and the last time we went up I felt great. Still to early to tell if they work or if my body just adjusted, but I'm going to keep wearing them because flight time is too expensive to waste by getting sick.

They are called SeaBands and can obtained at Target for about $8.

J
Click to expand...

They've been around a while and do seem to help for some people, including me when I had the issues. That's good they work, because there isn't really any motion sickness meds that are approved, though I guess you could take them as a student pilot since there's a CFI. But then you would only be masking the symptoms rather than letting your body adjust....
 
My wife always uses the Sea Bands when riding in the Saratoga, and sometimes in larger aircraft. We went to KLAS in a King Air 350 last month, and she decided to use them. I have never seen her get sick with them on. However, I have seen several gallon ziplock bags holding her lunch when she didn't wear them.
 
Congratulations!

1.4 hours is a lot for a first flight. I recall being exhausted after maybe 0.7 to 0.8 hours.

Nausea happens more when others are controlling the airplane... and in turbulence. It will pass with more experience.

I'd try shorter flights and perhaps morning flights... or perhaps evening if things get calm in the evenings where you are. Around here the evenings are full of cumulonasties.

As far as motion sickness remedies, more flight experience is #1. I doubt you'll need anything else in the long run.

For someone who will be PIC, there's not much else that the FAA approves of that really and truly works. Magnets work if you believe they will work but the results are anecdotal and the mechanism of action is medically dubious at best.

The ultimate solution is scopolamine patches, which are non-drowsy and work very well but the FAA doesn't approve of those for PICs because they act on the central nervous system and some people have adverse side effects. They are fantastic for passengers, however.

Anyway, you got started and that is great. Good luck and report back! :D
 
A journey of 1000 miles begins with but one step....Chinese Proverb.
 
I have been flying for 38 years, and the only time I ever got sick in an airplane was during my first year of training (at Florida Institute of Technology) when one early Sunday morning I went flying as an observer, without a breakfast, as the cafateria was closed. Never went up on an empty stomach again, and never had any problems with motion.
Also, it seems like with time I developed much better tolerance, and nowdays I will blast off on an early morning flight sometimes with only a cup of tea, and have a breakfast during the flight. No problem.
 
FYI, I'm at 17 hours now and (knock on wood) haven't had a hint of motion sickness for my last three flights. I think my body is finally adjusting to it, which means I'm progressing a lot faster in my training. Almost ready to solo!

The only thing that fixed it for me was spending more time in the airplane.
 
AggieMike88 said:
When your ready for soft field work, go visit T42 just 5 miles south of Greenville. Excellent grass strip and Walt M. is a great host.
Click to expand...
T42 is Ruth, California....Instead try T14. It is 7.1 South of GVT
 
Flying a 1.4 hour lesson in the Texas summer in an Archer would make me sick for sure! And I have 900 hours of F-4 back seat time!!!

I'm not a CFI, but I have to think that a first lesson should be 1.0 or less for just about anybody.

August is a terrible time to take beginning flying lessons in Texas, but if you're going to do it, don't fly between noon and 5pm!
 
My last couple flights and the one I have scheduled tomorrow is for early morning. I am an early riser anyway. Generally speaking no bumps to speak of nice smooth air at that time of day.

I have been a little queasy a few times but only threw up once. I wasn't going to fly that day went out for a big breakfast with my wife when the instructor called and said to get down there things were clearing up. Well after doing S turns, turns around a point, steep turns and some hood work I was not feeling well but cranked the air and sucked it up. I was good right up until my instructor asked if I wanted a barf bag then it was like....No....YES!!!!!

Finished just in time to get in the pattern and make a landing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top