I always had an image of what it would be like to fly a plane. Somewhere between a video game and being a passenger on a commercial airliner. Boy, was I wrong. It’s more like driving a muscle car in 3 dimensions.
I was terrified, to be honest. My instructor allowed me to do pretty much everything except land (it was very windy). I did some taxi-ing. Driving with pedals is weird, but after a few seconds I got the hang of it. I did the takeoff. Yikes!!! Into the wind. Soon after we got off the ground I thought, “maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Maybe this isn’t for me.”
Then we cruised around at 3,500 and 5,500 feet. The weather was perfectly clear, though windy. I took the controls for pretty much the entire flight. Making turns, climbing, descending, we flew over a forest fire. I felt myself relax and actually enjoy the experience. I felt comfortable reading the glass gauges (video games!), using the yoke, the trim wheel, and the throttle. My instructor said that I handled the plane really well for my first time. I kept it straight and level, made clean turns, and just had an instinct for handling. That made me feel good. I’d have no idea how I did otherwise. The instructor did the landing… it was very windy and it was scary, but he knew what he was doing.
When I got back into the training center people asked me how I felt and how it was. I couldn’t answer. I said that I still have to digest it. And I’m still digesting it. After the initial terror, there was a comfort. And it was amazing to see my town from their air, Lake Lanier, the mountains. We talked about the cross-country flights they take to other cities, it sounded exciting. But did I love it? Do I want to invest $100,000 and the next 3 years of my life and change careers to do this every day? Will I love it enough to study those books for months?
I have to do some serious thinking. Anyone else have a similar experience on their intro flight? What conclusions did you come to?
First congrats on your possible first step towards a pilot career. This btw is the NUMBER 1 REASON I always say to everyone who’s thinking of becoming a pilot you MUST take an intro flight. As you quickly discovered, it is not a video game and it is not flight in the back of an Airbus. Not even close. To your credit, while you say you were terrified, I submit that you weren’t. I’ve seen terrified and it doesn’t look anything like you described. You didn’t freak, you didn’t throw up, you didn’t start crying and most important didn’t start screaming that you wanted the flight to be over NOW! You followed the instructors direction and completed the flight. I think perhaps it was much more of a realization your expectations were wayyyy off. Honestly your experience was not that uncommon.
The purpose of an Intro flight is exactly what the name describes. It’s an introduction to flight training. I think far too many people have sat in the back of a Boeing going up grandma’s for Christmas and think this is cool and I can do that! Well maybe you can and maybe you can’t? Btw, you mentioned a few times it was “very windy”. It most likely wasn’t. Most flight schools won’t do an Intro flight if the wind are over 10-15kts, it’s pointless. Should you continue your training you’ll look back at winds like that at laugh.
My recommendation is to take at least one or two more lessons. Your eyes are now open. You have an idea what it is and what it isn’t. See if you get any more comfortable. If you’re still on the fence maybe a few more? At some point you will make a decision. Yes I want to do this or no I don’t. Either is fine but this is as you point out a pretty major decision. I’d try again but ultimately it’s your decision.
Excited to hear that you took an introductory lesson! Getting behind the controls and feeling the plane is one of the newest experiences that you as a prospected aviator can expect. It’s different when you’re sitting in a giant Airbus or Boeing and not feeling much of anything unless you get turbulence. These smaller planes that we train in, we feel everything. The slightest bump to the biggest drop in precipitation. But with these weather phenomenon, there are so many cool experiences you’ll feel and see.
I was in the same boat as to whether spending the amount of money on a program like ATP months prior to my admission flight, and I still had questions after I scheduled my training date. The program itself is very standardized, so first things first, no matter where you go, you will get the same training regardless of the location. The price that you pay up front is also rewarding in the fact that you might get the opportunity to fly some of the newest avionics. You’ll get to travel to new locations, meeting other aviators, seeing historic monuments, etc. I dug a lot around this forum prior to my start date, I connected with another forum member well in advance who I became very great friends with and got to know very well. He helped me from a student’s perspective what to expect and guided me as I needed.
Echoing what Adam said, take another lesson or two, see if you can really feel the emotion to fly because flying is not for everyone. I have seen a student start the program, get their private certificate and back out of the program because they just couldn’t do it. Take some time and discuss with family, sometimes you’ll find support, others may be difficult. If that is the case, let me know and I’ll link a few other threads I’ve seen over the past year and half being on this forum to help you out. Like the mentors, I can do my best as a student through ATP to assist you and get you on the right track. Flying is a great passion of mine, when I’m home, I take my 10 year old cousin flying all the time just so he can see his house. There are amazing memories that can be made.
That’s very sound advice. After the new year I’ll schedule an actual lesson or two to see how I respond. And you’re probably right, it wasn’t as windy as I thought. But I remember the wind being 17 knots on the ground and 40 kts at 3300. Another pilot cancelled his check ride when we landed because of the wind.
True, I didn’t throw up (I had some motion sickness during the landing) and I didn’t cry. The instructor (Jordan) told me that he saw I was very tense at the beginning, holding the yoke with both hands. But after a few minutes I got comfortable with using one hand, and the other for the trim wheel and throttle. I kept reminding myself of something I saw in the ATP intro video, “the plane WANTS to be in the air.” So I’m not going to all of the sudden fall out of the sky. Just enjoy it. By the end I wanted to head north and fly to Tennessee over the mountains. I felt like I could.
Regarding video games, I’ll say this… the glass cockpit is similar to a video game. When the instructor told me the goal was to keep the plane within certain guide markings on the screen it made things much easier.
Again, I appreciate all the advice and encouragement.
I just put down my new Quest I bought myself for Christmas to respond to this post I think Adam and Brady covered it well. Flying a small plane is very different than what most people imagine, especially on a windy day.
One thing that I want to point out is that there is a lot more to flying than, well flying. The knowledge portion far outweighs the actual flying portion. So, while I also think that it is also a good idea to take a few more intro flights, also be aware that there is a lot more going on behind the scenes that makes the entire operation happen. While I don’t want you to become overwhelmed with the knowledge portion of flying, because honestly most of it won’t make any sense unless you’re with an Instructor, I would encourage you to explore enough of it to help you decide if this is something that you really want to do.
Again, I want to emphasize, don’t overwhelm yourself, but take a peak at the Airplane Flying Handbook and the PHAK. The FAA publishes PDFs of these books and a bunch of others on their website. Here are the links to them directly. See if anything stands out. Then, dig a little deeper if anything catches your eye. YouTube and Google is an ok place to start. I would also have some questions prepared for your instructor during your next flight.
Thank you, Tory. Absolutely, I know there is a great deal going on besides managing the yoke. I started reading the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook that you linked to, and I’ve been watching videos about how to fly. I saw the instructor pushing buttons and switches while I was flying, and plenty more before and after. I know I’d have to do that along with flying when the time comes. He told me not to worry about those things today and just enjoy the experience of flying.
I’m quite a bit of a nerd so I’m looking forward to the book-learning part of this as well. I was a good student (long ago).
I personally would not put too much emphasis in how you felt after an introductory flight as they are just that, intro flights. I would highly recommend that you take a few more flights, perhaps even enough to get to your first solo flight to see if this is something you really want to do. It is a large commitment and you really do need to be sure.
I felt weird during my intro flight as well, 6 months ago. Now I have ppl+ir. It gets easier. I did also think “wow I can’t do this for life, these winds are scary and everything looks complicated”. Looking back, I laugh at myself thinking that.
I think Adam and Brady covered it well. Flying a small plane is very different than what most people imagine, especially on a windy day.