nervous to solo

rontiveros91

rontiveros91

New Member
So I have 32 hours, 2.5 solo. I have been signed off to about 6 airports in the area including endorsements for class B airspace. All I need left are my two solo x/country's and I can start prepping for my checkride. For some reason, I just get cold feet when it comes time to solo. I have before, but for some reason I just get built up anxiety and cant push the throttle forward. Anybody ever have this kind of feeling during their flight training? I absolutely love flying and just dont want this to get in my way of becoming a pilot. I also just switched instructors in the past 5 hours. Anybody think that could play a factor in it? Anything helps,
-Rich
 
Everyone gets cold feet. I remember the first time I soloed. I kept talking outloud and asking questions and realized that my instructor wasnt there to answer them. After the first lap around the pattern, it became fun. I was still nervous when I flew by myslef all the way up to my commercial. Just do it and remember everything your instructor taught you and you will be fine. Good luck
 
Everybody is nervous at the start. But just like anything, the more you practice it the more comfortable you will become. Your instructor wouldn't have signed you off if he didn't feel confident in your abilities.
 
If it makes you feel better, I always get a little nervous before I go out on my own. It's a good kind of nervous, but it keeps you out of trouble. Have fun on your solo, and all the others ahead of you!
 
I still get a little nervous before every flight. Don't worry about it, you'll be fine. You know how to fly the plane and you know how to deal with anything that's going to come at you. Just remember that you would not have been signed off if you weren't ready!

:)
 
you could always create an imaginary friend...no?... ok but seriously, we've all been there. Confidence will come with experience. Your instructor has enough faith in you to sign your logbook. Rely on the training you've had thus far and you'll be fine. Welcome to JC by the way... prepare to be corrupted :D (in a good way)
 
I suggest you verbalized Everything!
Doing so provides a buffer between thought and actual input.
If it ain't Kosher, you've a better chance of catching mistakes.
 
If it means anything to you, one of the most rewarding parts about being a flight instructor is watching your students Solo for the first time. It's probably like watching your child take their first steps. Or similar.

So at this point, your instructor has all the confidence that he needs to know that you will do what you need to do and that you will be able to do it safely.

I had a student who was also terrified. She literally cried when I got out of the airplane that day. She knew it was coming, but she didn't know when. I told her to pull into the ramp and I got out. When she started crying I just had to walk away. I knew should would pull through it and she did.

When she landed on her final stop, she opened the door and looked at me. She paused..... Then said....... "Who's your Daddy?"

She couldn't explain the feeling, but she knew she loved it! You will too!
 
TGatch said:
Your instructor wouldn't have signed you off if he didn't feel confident in your abilities.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I got nervous a lot too, even after I got my PPL. In my experience I was nervous until I started the plane up, then it just kind of went away and was replaced by a feeling of enjoyment.

After I got my PPL I had only been in class B for the required by my school, and my biggest hurdle was overcoming my anxiety about flying into class B. Finally one day, since I needed some xty hours, I just called a buddy (not a pilot so I didn't have anyone to help me) and said "Hey, lets go to Dallas for dinner". I knew that unless I just sucked it up and had confidence in myself I wouldn't ever get past it. I knew that I had the ability, and I had proven it to my instructors and a DPE, I just needed to prove it to myself.

To reiterate what others have said, it is good to be a little nervous but just fly safe, have some confidence in your abilities and let every flight be a learning experience. Remember, you're flying--it's fun, you're sitting in a chair IN THE SKY and you have the best view possible.

And lastly, enjoy these solo flights while you can. I rarely solo anymore. My most recent solo was about 9 months ago ferrying a plane from some tiny private strip around Dallas, and that hour or so flight was one of my favorite flights ever. To me it felt almost like a relaxing Sunday afternoon drive.
 
At the risk of being roundly pilloried...some guy who seems to know what he's doing is willing to put his future and career on the line in order for you to fly an airplane...do it. It's not that you're wrong to be nervous...everyone is nervous. Hell, I'm still nervous for no appreciable reason from time to time. It's more like focusing on it just sets you up to have a reason to be nervous. It's not rocket surgery...you've been trained on how to drive the VW-with-wings. Go out there and do it. You'll feel better. And so will your CFI. It's like the first time you rode a bike without training wheels...it's over before you even fully appreciate the fact that it happened. And it's all downhill from there. You'll laugh about all this someday. If you're still alive. I kid, I kid!
 
texas_pilot said:
I suggest you verbalized Everything!
Doing so provides a buffer between thought and actual input.
If it ain't Kosher, you've a better chance of catching mistakes.
Click to expand...

I actually do this.....talk over the ICS during checklists, it will just maintain your habit patterns and help you from making mistakes.
 
Welcome to JC rontiveros91

Great post! I hope everyone's words of encouragement have scaled down your nerves just a little bit.

I'm going to address something that has yet to be mentioned. "Your personal opinion"

A little nervousness is absolutely normal, and is a good thing. TOO much nerves on the other hand is not good. You as a pilot need to assess yourself and make a decision about being overly nervous. If you are overly nervous that's OK! You can always take a few extra confidence flights with your CFI. No big deal. Even if your CFI thinks you're ready (and if he endorsed you, you probably are) you need to convince yourself that you're ready also.

SOLO! It will build loads of confidence in yourself!
 
The idea of confidence flights is a great one. I told my flight instructor that I wanted to do three full stop taxi backs with him in the airplane but only as a passenger. That meant that he couldnt tell me if I was too low or too high or too much flaps etc. It was all on me at that point. Only time he would intervene if we were in serious danger. That being said, once you go up and do your first round about the pattern, you will start having fun. Then the next day you realized you flew a plane all by yourself.
 
Everyone above makes good points. Youre supposed to be a little nervous. It keeps you from doing stupid stuff. Your instructor wouldnt have signed you off if he or she didnt think you were ready. It may help you to arm chair fly the night before; making all the movements and callouts for whatever solo youll be doing.
 
If you fly with the same CFI all the time, try going up with a different CFI. Take yourself out of your comfort zone, act like they are just a passenger, show him/her what you can do. Boost your confidence, show yourself you do know what your doing and can function without your CFI.

I agree with everyone else though, nerves are normal and healthy. Every flight is different, not routine like driving a car.

Ask yourself what exactly makes you nervous, or the most nervous, about flying solo and discuss it with your CFI. Then work on a way to limit your nerves.

Fear of weather? Go over all the different weather sources and how to use them all to make your own determination of what you are likely to encounter on your flight, best course of action as far as YOU are concerned and ways to keep up with any developing weather while enroute.

Fear of getting lost? Have your instructor get you lost, put a blind fold on and have him just fly. Then pull out a sectional and determine where you are based on land marks, then work on triangulation with VOR's, using the GPS to its fullest capabilities and how to talk to ATC and ask for help.
 
Listen to what everybody has said so far. I only have roughly 80 hours and I still get somewhat nervous. Back when I first soloed I was excited but nervous. When I did my first cross-country alone, I was sweating and nervous as anything. Try to get flight following when you go on a x-country if you can. It really helps to be able to talk to a controller and makes you feel better about that moment.

It also helps me to talk to myself when I'm solo. When I'm flying with somebody else, I recite everything in my head and sometimes even aloud, and when I'm solo, I say everything aloud from start up to finish. The nervousness can be beneficial as far as safety and being on your game goes.

Now, I still get a little nervous but nowhere as much before. Usually it happens right before I go to the airport, but once I'm in the plane with the engine running I'm fine. A feeling of joy and happiness comes over me. I find it's interesting to see far more experienced pilots in this forum still get somewhat nervous sometimes. Makes me feel better that I'm not the only nervous person in here. :)
 
jetjock07 said:
Now, I still get a little nervous but nowhere as much before. Usually it happens right before I go to the airport, but once I'm in the plane with the engine running I'm fine. A feeling of joy and happiness comes over me. I find it's interesting to see far more experienced pilots in this forum still get somewhat nervous sometimes. Makes me feel better that I'm not the only nervous person in here. :)
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I agree. I am close to you, only have 150ish hours, but still get that nervous excited feeling before I go flying. It subside once I am in my routine though. I think it is perfectly normal as long as you dont let it consume you.

Have fun!!
 
Thanks for all the help and tlc guys. Wound up switching instructors and I think that was what the problem was. Did some dual and I feel good to go now, not nervous anymore(especially after the lazy eights, hammerheads, and low flying we did). Gettin up in the air tomorrow to do my first solo cross country, not letting it hold me back. Thanks again guys. :beer:
 
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