Any Pilots?

[MilitaryAircraft101]

I'm going for my first lesson in about a month's time, and was wondering if there was any pilots who would like to share any tips before I go out and make a large fool of myself...  Always loved the idea of ruling the skies, now it's my turn. 

[PR19_Kit]

From the 'Straight and Level' column in the back pages of 'Flight' magazine I've always remembered these words of wisdom.

'Remember that if you push the stick forward the aeroplane will go down. Conversely if you pull the stick back, the aeroplane will go down.....'  

[rickshaw]

Although not a pilot, my father dabbled.  He always advised:

There are bold pilots and there are old pilots.  There are no old, bold pilots though.

The more runway you have in front of you, the better of you'll be.

Keep both eyes open during your flight and look around, don't keep your head down, looking at your instruments.

Any landing you can walk away from, is a good landing.

[GTX]

any pilots who would like to share any tips before I go out and make a large fool of myself...

And why would we let you off the hook when we already made fools of ourselves (steering a tail dragged ain't as easy as it looks! )

[The Rat]

Any landing you can walk away from, is a good landing.

And if you can use the aircraft again afterward, it's a great landing.

Best advice I can give you is to take it seriously enough to learn well, but not so seriously that it becomes a chore to drag yourself to the next lesson. Stay away from computer simulators, they are okay later for learning some procedures but you can't learn to fly on one, no 'seat-of-the-pants' feeling. And I don't know of any real aircraft that has a keyboard instead of a control column. 

[tc2324]

Spent more than enough hours flying Chipmunks and Bulldogs with the AEF Sqns back in the 80`s and even got a couple of flights in the new, (well it was in the early 90`s), Tutor. As Rat pointed out, when it comes to the controls, ie. `stick in hand`, it`s a case of gently does it. None of this gripping the stick the yanking it in the direction you want to go like in the films or numerous flight sims.

In the Chippie you could fly the thing with just a gentle nudge of your thumb. During `aeros` a firm grip of the stick was needed, but pitch and roll only needed about half an inch of movement.

Obviously I`ll doubt you will be wearing a bone dome and mask like I had to, (didn`t actually need the mask for oxygen, the comms were fitted to it... ), so your neck muscles won`t suffer as much but I suggest you keep the initial flight straight and level, watch what the instructor does, ask questions no matter how silly you may think they may be and keep a good look out. Always have a sick bag ready and in easy reach and don`t be afraid to use it. I can`t tell you how many times an aircraft went u/s because someones fried egg was plastered all over the cockpit.

When it comes to your turn to take control, fly the aircraft and `scan` the main instruments. No point in having your head down in the cockpit all the time. When it comes to turning the aircraft you will be asked to pick a point on the ground, dip the left/right wing so that it looks like the wing is resting on that point, and then gently pull back on the stick. The aircraft will then `turn` in that direction.


Above all enjoy it and if you get to do aeros, then I strongly reccomend stall turns...

[PR19_Kit]

To be serious for a minute (very uncharachteristic of me I'll admit....) I fly gliders, although I've had some stick time on powered aircraft, and the thing I've always found important is LOOK OUT!

That means keep your eyes outside the cockpit unless you absolutely have to look inside, both to see where you are relative to the airfield and to watch for other aircraft in the vicinity. OK, Air Traffic should keep you informed about the latter if you're in Controlled Airspace, but there's always the chance that someone will sneak 'under the radar'.

If you're not in Controlled Airspace it's even more important to keep a good look out, and always be prepared to bank or turn the aircraft so you can see under or over the wings. They take up a lot of visual space and it's no excuse saying 'I didn't see the Tornado because it was underneath the wing' at the Inquiry......

[deathjester]

The best advice I can give you?  Remember to mentally stay 'ahead' of the aeroplane. Like when you are driving a car; if you are focused on where you are about to be, and what is around you, you will find you have more
thinking time to react to situations! 

And remember also, the plane does what you tell it to: not the other way around!

With any luck, your instructor will be a jolly soul like a chap I flew with one time: upon landing, he casually remarked 'I always come in on a left hand circuit.  If we crash, I'll have a soft landing - on you!

(And when you land, don't push the nose down so it bounces on the nosewheel, instructors don't seem to like it....!)

[Old Wombat]

Used to fly gliders in my late-teens & (very) early-20's; & dabbled in powered flight.

My advice? Enjoy yourself. Flying isn't really all that difficult, it's the navigating that gets awkward silences from the passengers.

[RussC]

To be serious for a minute (very uncharachteristic of me I'll admit....) I fly gliders, although I've had some stick time on powered aircraft, and the thing I've always found important is LOOK OUT!

That means keep your eyes outside the cockpit unless you absolutely have to look inside, both to see where you are relative to the airfield and to watch for other aircraft in the vicinity. OK, Air Traffic should keep you informed about the latter if you're in Controlled Airspace, but there's always the chance that someone will sneak 'under the radar'.

If you're not in Controlled Airspace it's even more important to keep a good look out, and always be prepared to bank or turn the aircraft so you can see under or over the wings. They take up a lot of visual space and it's no excuse saying 'I didn't see the Tornado because it was underneath the wing' at the Inquiry......

 I'll second these. I took the full ground school and most of the lessons, but never solo'ed and licensed because I had a mid-air with college tuition.
 
 Keep an eye on everything, you would be amazed how fast you can get lost even in a bug-smasher.  

[The Rat]

The best advice I can give you?  Remember to mentally stay 'ahead' of the aeroplane. Like when you are driving a car; if you are focused on where you are about to be, and what is around you, you will find you have more
thinking time to react to situations!  

Very true. One of the things I used to stress to my driving students was 'don't look where you're going, look where you want to go'. Think about taking a corner when you're driving; if you're doing it correctly you're not looking at where the front of the car is pointing, but around the corner, and as you come around your head swivels back in line along the road as you straighten out. When you're new at driving or flying your arms will follow your eyes, and if you look in the wrong direction that's where you'll go. New drivers take a while before they can drive down a road, look at a billboard to one side, and not drive off the road and end up in the ditch. Flying is just the same, with an added dimension.

[deathjester]

Exactly.  But, also like driving, when you have the hang of flying - the 'muscle memory' of it, if you like, it will become second nature to just fly the plane, allowing you spare mental capacity to enjoy yourself!

[deathjester]

Just had a thought - headsets.  Ask your instructor if you can try some different brands, some are WAY more comfortable than others!
On my first flight, I used a pair of the schools David Clarke headsets.  Good quality, crystal clear sound, but they hurt like hell!  Even left ridges in my scalp!  If you can find some, I would recommend Avcoms - mine cost about £120.

[Rheged]

I was told  just before  I did my first  gliding solo launch  " The trick with flying is to keep the number of take-offs equal to the number of  safe landings" 

I was also told by my instructor (an ex Buccaneer pilot)  that  " To you, height is safety" and, "You are flying a fragile piece of kit, not  a brick outhouse like  I used to wrangle".

To be serious for a moment, I would definitely reinforce Kit's advice  "KEEP A GOOD LOOKOUT" or if you want us to go all TOP GUN on you  "Check Six"  Mirrors are not fitted for decorative purposes.

I wish I could afford to get back into gliding.....................................

[Taiidantomcat]

Practice your radio procedures, its not sexy, but it is a great show of competence and the Air Traffic Controllers will assume you know what you are doing. No reason to get tongue tied!