T minus 22 hours 45 minutes

[eman1200]

til my 'discovery' flight. I'm so nervous lol. I'm re-reading chapter 3 of the AFH about basic flight maneuvers, hopefully I'll impress my instructor on straight and level flight. ok, hopefully I just don't do something stupid.

other than 'have fun', any thoughts/recommendations? man my adrenaline is PUMPIN.

 

[N801BH]

Ha..... You are already hooked......

Welcome to aviation....

 

[Seanaldinho]

other than 'have fun', any thoughts/recommendations? man my adrenaline is PUMPIN.

Relax. Take it in. If the guy flying the discovery flight is a CFI LOG IT.

 

[Corpsmaide]

High wing!

 

[GauzeGuy]

til my 'discovery' flight. I'm so nervous lol. I'm re-reading chapter 3 of the AFH about basic flight maneuvers, hopefully I'll impress my instructor on straight and level flight. ok, hopefully I just don't do something stupid.

other than 'have fun', any thoughts/recommendations? man my adrenaline is PUMPIN.

The most expensive flight you'll ever take.

Relax! lol

The bigger issue, IMHO, is that you need to make sure whoever you are working with is a good fit. Starting out, everyone drinks from a fire hose, so you'll want to make sure you are working with someone good to help you through the process. Oh yeah, and don't forget to have fun as well!

 

[eman1200]

High wing!

ugh, I don't want to open this can of worms, but I was thinking of doing 2 discovery flights, one at JQF in a cessna and another at 8A6 in a piper, just to experience both. but for tom'w, it's high wing.

 

[LDJones]

ugh, I don't want to open this can of worms, but I was thinking of doing 2 discovery flights, one at JQF in a cessna and another at 8A6 in a piper, just to experience both. but for tom'w, it's high wing.

Nothing wrong with that. Just get a logbook and have the instructor sign off the training. It all counts!

Enjoy the flight!

 

[flav8r]

ugh, I don't want to open this can of worms, but I was thinking of doing 2 discovery flights, one at JQF in a cessna and another at 8A6 in a piper, just to experience both. but for tom'w, it's high wing.

That's a great idea, that way you'll understand why us High Wing guys are always right....:wink2:

Have fun and enjoy yourself....

 

[GAZOO]

be prepared to part with a lot of hard earned $$...

 

[Jayhawk]

be prepared to part with a lot of hard earned $$...

And wonder why you didn't start parting with them sooner

Enjoy the flight!

 

[AggieMike88]

That's a great idea, that way you'll understand why us High Wing guys are always right....:wink2:

Instant shade at the fly-ins.

And 2 doors is somewhat addicting.

 

[MachFly]

ugh, I don't want to open this can of worms, but I was thinking of doing 2 discovery flights, one at JQF in a cessna and another at 8A6 in a piper, just to experience both. but for tom'w, it's high wing.

That is a very good idea, do it.
When I started flying I took 4 discovery flights, 2 in SR20s (different avionics and different schools), 1 in C172R, and 1 in a DA20.

 

[Silvaire]

Two fingers on the yoke - these things practically fly themselves.

 

[ProspectingCFI]

Good luck and have fun. Be sure to report back

 

[Botskys]

I'm jealous. ^^^^^
^^^^^Also have fun!

 

[jspilot]

til my 'discovery' flight. I'm so nervous lol. I'm re-reading chapter 3 of the AFH about basic flight maneuvers, hopefully I'll impress my instructor on straight and level flight. ok, hopefully I just don't do something stupid.

other than 'have fun', any thoughts/recommendations? man my adrenaline is PUMPIN.

Make sure you look outside the plane- don't stare at the instrument panel. You'll be tempted to stare at the instrumants but you'll miss thr scenary then. If you look outside you may actually get to see the fantastic way the world looks from above! After my discovery flight I was asked how pretty it was up there. I said, it was nice but honestly I was staring at the instruments so much to make sure we did not crash that I missed most of the scenery.... Man did I have a lot to learn!

Oh by the way, have fun.

 

[eman1200]

1 hour 15 minutes. I am a nervous wreck.

[FONT=Monospace,Courier]KJQF 011855Z 30009G17KT 10SM SCT060 22/01 A2991[/FONT]

 

[ebykowsky]

Very flyable weathrr--should be fun!!! You'll be taking many more flights in the future... and it just gets more and more fun from here!

 

[OldDeadOne]

1 hour 15 minutes. I am a nervous wreck.

[FONT=Monospace,Courier]KJQF 011855Z 30009G17KT 10SM SCT060 22/01 A2991[/FONT]

Good for you to check out the weather before thinking of going out,I hope you do this every time you want to fly

 

[flhrci]

have fun!

David

 

[rottydaddy]

til my 'discovery' flight. I'm so nervous lol. I'm re-reading chapter 3 of the AFH about basic flight maneuvers, hopefully I'll impress my instructor on straight and level flight. ok, hopefully I just don't do something stupid.

other than 'have fun', any thoughts/recommendations? man my adrenaline is PUMPIN.

Don't worry about impressing anybody or embarrassing yourself. An intro flight is just that- an introduction to manipulating the controls. For the instructor, it's the first opportunity to see what kind of potential student you are, but not to "grade" you.
You'll probably find it easier than you think to just fly the plane, but the experience, overall, may be a little overwhelming. Nobody gets it all the first time, so don't worry about that.
No matter how it turns out, as long as you feel like doing it again, you can consider it a huge success.

 

[Concorde]

How did it go ?

 

[flav8r]

How did it go ?

Apparently they're still trying to pry him out of the cockpit but he just won't let go of the yoke.

 

[LifeInverted]

be prepared to part with a lot of hard earned $$...

And never go back and count up how much you've spent

 

[Jayhawk]

And never go back and count up how much you've spent

So true.

OP, how was it?

 

[flav8r]

And never go back and count up how much you've spent

This is by far the best advice I've seen yet..
I made the mistake one year of adding up all my receipts for the past year and realized that I could
have bought a boat or nice car with the amount that I had spent on flying that year alone.
Ever since then I've learned to enjoy the flying and try not to pay too much attention to the
amount being spent on happiness that is otherwise priceless.

 

[ebykowsky]

This is by far the best advice I've seen yet..
I made the mistake one year of adding up all my receipts for the past year and realized that I could
have bought a boat or nice car with the amount that I had spent on flying that year alone.
Ever since then I've learned to enjoy the flying and try not to pay too much attention to the
amount being spent on happiness that is otherwise priceless.

My mom had me keep a running total of how much I'd spent on training so I would see just how expensive it is. Ultimately I had to pay her back

 

[eman1200]

holy cr@p. ok I'm back home now and my heart rate has finally slowed to a cool 120bpm. give me a few to gather my thoughts and I'll give y'all the play by play. brb.

 

[bordman]

holy cr@p. ok I'm back home now and my heart rate has finally slowed to a cool 120bpm. give me a few to gather my thoughts and I'll give y'all the play by play. brb.

If you're like me it was much different then you imagined it. Im just getting into it as well. I hope you loved it as much as I did. It just gets better with every lesson.

 

[eman1200]

ok, so it's perfectly clear to me now that I know NOTHING about flying a plane. everything that I've read over the last 2 months or so went right out the window. other than having a really good idea of where the main instruments were and their basic function, I simply didn't know what to do once I got in that plane. sure, I could basically keep the wings 'somewhat' level, but I lost or gained massive amounts of altitude every time I touched the controls. I was so frazzled in that plane. there were pretty big gusts of wind and lots of bumps and turbulence, which being my first time in a little cessna FREAKED me the F out. I was so focused on 2 things, trying to do coordinated turns using the rudder, and trying my hardest to focus outside. so I'd focus outside, then take a quick look at the instruments and realize we're descending at 1000fpm, or climbing at 600fpm, and then I had to try to adjust but then keep watching the vsi and...well, yadda yadda yadda, it was simply INFORMATION and ADRENALINE OVERLOAD. I dropped the f bomb several times (which I forewarned my instructor that I have a pretty bad Jersey mouth) because of the bumps. I mean, holy crap, there was just so much going on I couldn't find time to focus on any one thing.

we did a couple of 30 degree turns in each direction and a full 360 degree turn, all of which I lost or gained massive amounts of altitude on. I feel like I got to the 30degree bank mark pretty good though.

I think my biggest problem was elevator control. I mean, I'm so used to a car steering wheel, so left and right were the natural feel. I had so much trouble getting a feel for pulling back or pushing on the yoke that, well, I basically didn't do it. arrrggh.

don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun (and scary but good scary too) but I just wish I did better. the landing was a lot of fun, the instructor did a great job (I think) in pretty heavy crosswinds. crabbing was awesome!

so, my adrenaline is STILL pumping, I had a blast, but I need a beer and this is going to be one of the tastiest beers I've had in a long long time.

 

[ebykowsky]

Now just think to yourself: "I'll be flying this plane on my own in a matter of weeks."

Oh, and it sounds like FSX could help you on a bunch of that stuff... it's not perfect, but it could certainly help. I played a ton of it before my intro flight, and the instructor said I did a great job with all of that. [Flak suit on]

 

[Concorde]

Sounds like you did just fine ! You be flying that plane before you know it. Now go get changed.

 

[bordman]

I felt the same way too. It's nothing like you think it will be. But i promise you this, it gets a little bit easier, and you learn a little bit more every flight. How long was your intro?

You'll learn things like how to trim and maintaining altitude gets pretty easy once you learn how to properly trim. I'm 3 (3.5 with the intro) hours into it so far and finding maintaining altitude and such is getting easier with every flight.

The feel of actually flying in the plane especially with turbulence, which I have had in abundance every flight so far, went away after my first real lesson for me. I also feel like I could do better every flight, and every flight, I DO! Keep at it and glad you enjoyed yourself!

 

[Jayhawk]

I dropped the f bomb several times (which I forewarned my instructor that I have a pretty bad Jersey mouth) because of the bumps. I mean, holy crap, there was just so much going on I couldn't find time to focus on any one thing.

Just wait til you accidentally do that with ATC

"77 kilo, how's the ride up there?"
"*$%#!"
"77 kilo, last unreadable, believe you said it was, *ahem*, pretty rough?"

Congrats on the flight, first flight's always like trying to drink from a firehose. I'd been flying on FSX and X Plane for years before I took my first lesson, and I was still overwhelmed the second the wheels left the ground. You'll be amazed how quickly you catch on over the next few flights.

And the guinness never tastes better than it does after the post flight

 

[Jayhawk]

Oh, and it sounds like FSX could help you on a bunch of that stuff... it's not perfect, but it could certainly help. I played a ton of it before my intro flight, and the instructor said I did a great job with all of that. [Flak suit on]

I'll back you up on FSX helping, I was still overwhelmed my first flight, but knowing what to expect and the general flow of things from flying the sim really helped. From lesson one I was handling takeoffs and landings, so the thousands of hours on it must've helped some. I see flight sims bashed a lot for being more harmful than anything else, but that hasn't been my experience. Took my instructor slapping a sectional over the panel to get me to stop staring at the instruments, but that wasn't a habit that carried over past my first flight.

Besides, I still fly VATSIM when I can't make it to the airport for whatever reason.

 

[KeithASanford]

Congrats on a great experience.

I'm about 14 hours into this venture and I"m not turning back. I did what you mentioned earlier, I took both discovery flights in a Piper Cherokee 180 and a Cessna 172P. Both were amazing. I opted for the Cherokee because it seems more difficult to master. I have, on occasion, taken the 172 up and contrary to what I thought would happen, it in no way distracted me from my Piper progress.

After being an X plane devotee all winter, I find that the more I train, the less I am interested in X plane. As far as procedures are concerned, I get more out of "chair flying" with my eyes closed than I do out of the flight sim. I think if I could figure out how to configure the Cherokee I fly in X plane to match the cockpit of the plane I actually fly, it would be of greater use to me. Either way, continue to enjoy!

 

[nddons]

Congrats! I earned my PPL down at EQY, but flew up to JQF all the time. Are you using FlyCarolina?

 

[eman1200]

Now just think to yourself: "I'll be flying this plane on my own in a matter of weeks."

Oh, and it sounds like FSX could help you on a bunch of that stuff...

at this point in time it doesn't seem like I could fly that thing on my own in 10 years. As for FSX, I bought it 2 months ago but never used it because I heard it gives you bad habits to start. as a golfer, I know the importance of not doing that, so I just held off.

Sounds like you did just fine ! You be flying that plane before you know it. Now go get changed.

hahah! yeah, I might have to 'check myself'!

I felt the same way too. It's nothing like you think it will be. But i promise you this, it gets a little bit easier, and you learn a little bit more every flight. How long was your intro?....

it was advertised as 1/2 ground work and 1/2 hour flight, but it was more like an hour of ground (combined before/after) and a good solid 30 in the air. we stuck around and talked for a while afterwords, so I was pretty happy.

Just wait til you accidentally do that with ATC

"77 kilo, how's the ride up there?"
"*$%#!"
"77 kilo, last unreadable, believe you said it was, *ahem*, pretty rough?"
......And the guinness never tastes better than it does after the post flight

hahha, yup, I have always been a curser but I know how/when to be professional when the time comes. and yeah, that was ONE TASTY GUINNESS!!

thanks to everyone for the feedback! I have to let this awesomeness settle down overnight, then put a game plan together for my next steps.

 

[AggieMike88]

eman, it sounds like a normal first flight. Especially when it's bumpy.

I think I know what was happening with the challenge to maintain altitude. And it's a perfectly normal and common error for first timers.

Flying is about finesse and light inputs on the controls. It's not uncommon for new pilots (including me when I started.) to over control by using big muscles in the shoulders and bicep. These are "power" muscles that make big movements. Especially if you have a very tight grip on the yoke.

You will learn over time that the correct way is to use the small muscles of your wrist and to keep a light fingertip only grip on the yoke. This permits fine small inputs and reduces over controlling. Just plant your elbow on the armrest, and remember to use wrist movements.

If you are still death gripping the yoke, interweave a pencil into the fingers of your left hand as you hold the yoke. That will quickly remind you that a large grip force is not needed.

You will also learn how to make the trim wheel your friend and make it second nature to reduce the force you are feeling in the yoke. When you are doing those simple turns, an appropriate amount of nose up or nose down trim will help you feel like a pro.

All-in-all, I think you did a great job.. mostly by getting out there and doing it. With zero experience, there's no baseline of what to expect. But by your 2nd or 3rd official lesson, you will have nailed these manuevers and be proud and excited on your progress.

Now get thee out there and commit some aviation!!

 

[eman1200]

eman, it sounds like a normal first flight. Especially when it's bumpy.

I think I know what was happening with the challenge to maintain altitude. And it's a perfectly normal and common error for first timers.

Flying is about finesse and light inputs on the controls. It's not uncommon for new pilots (including me) to over control by using big muscles in the shoulders and bicep. These are "power" muscles that make big movements. Especially if you have a very tight grip on the yoke.

You will learn over time that the correct way is to use the small muscles of your wrist and to keep a light fingertip only grip on the yoke. This permits fine small inputs and reduces over controlling.

You will also learn how to make the trim wheel your friend and make it second nature to reduce the force you are feeling in the yoke. When you are doing those simple turns, an appropriate amount of nose up or nose down trim will help you feel like a pro.

All-in-all, I think you did a great job.. mostly by getting out there and doing it. With zero experience, there's no baseline of what to expect. But by your 2nd or 3rd official lesson, you will have nailed these manuevers and be proud and excited on your progress.

Now get thee out there and commit some aviation!!

well said. that actually was one of my primary goals, NOT to whiteknuckle. I had 2 fingers on the yoke the whole time. when the flight was over, the instructor said that was one of the first things he noticed, and mentioned he usually suggests 3 fingers, so I tried fiddling around using 3 and believe it or not it felt much better. then, I actually grabbed the left yoke handle in my hand, and even that felt much better than 2 fingers. so next time I will try either the 3-finger or full hand approach, knowing that I won't white knuckle it, but might have more control than just 2 fingers.