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Thread: Scared To Fly

  1. #1

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    Scared To Fly

    I got my PPL as a teenager about 20 years ago. At that time I worked at a pilot supply store and between rides offered and friends I would go flying more days then not. I continued to fly in college but probably only 50 hours a year. I attempted to do my BFR in a new town and had a terrible experience. The oral lasted 4 hours and was an ever continuing game of stump the chump. I had studied my OEG, the ASA BFR guide, had a session with CFI friend of mine (over the phone) and was fairly confident going in. The questions I got asked appeared more on the commercial level - how do mags work? Describe air flow in the carb, etc. When I paid I asked the instructor about the depth and probably challenged him that it was protracted and didn’t follow the usual level of knowledge or topics. The owner overheard this and told me attitudes like mine equal dead pilots and bent metal so I should be thankful for the way they do and to expect 6-10 hours for a BFR flight in order to ensure I’m up to their standards. I ended up going home a couple weeks later, getting my BFR (both oral and flight) in a few hours. However, I never really got flying again. It is almost 20 years on and I’ve maybe gone flying 5 times. I miss it terribly - but with a young family the thoughts of being classified as unsafe haunts me.

    If I want to fly as risk adverse as possible how should I got about? How often should I fly? Should I continue to gain certificates to keep learning? I heard Sean D Tucker was scared of flying and sought aerobatics as a means to improve his flying skills - should I do aerobatics? It’s funny being a license pilot and scared to go flying.......

  2. #2

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    In my short time in aviation, almost 10 years now, I have seen this. What happened was, in a laymens term. At this place you had not paid your due's. You needed to spend not only some money but some time getting to know these people. Until then you are getting this attitude from them. In other words, the dude was kind a being a snob. Telling you that following what we called the PTS was dangerous is just silly. Listen to what he said but don't take it as he is the All-Mighty of flying. If you was able to pass your BFR somewhere else then that is it. Don't stop learning just because you did. But this man got into your head. Get him out of there.

    As too flying with as little as you have. IMHO I would start with dual time. Once you have settled down then solo again. If you believe you don't need dual, don't go flying into busy controlled airfields and airspace. Take it slow, enjoy yourself, but above all make good decisions. Fly when it is perfect out and don't be ashamed to say, you know what I am going back home. I have had other pilots laugh at me because I said it was to windy. I let them laugh and stayed on the ground. Today I may fly in that wind. Back then, nope I was staying on the ground.

    Try to find a buddy with an airplane. Fly with him/her. Join a club, that would be a good option for you. Lots of options for you to go about this. Good for you for holding in there. When I first started flying it scared me to death. I learned in a two seat ultralight style airplane where you could look down between your legs. Many times it took everything I had to just drive to the airfield. I am so glad I stuck it out.


    Tony
    Last edited by 1600vw; 09-19-2018 at 11:46 AM.

  3. #3
    cub builder's Avatar
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    I agree with Tony here. Spend some time riding with folks to get familiar and updated to the changes in aviation, then get with an instructor to knock off the rust. The AOPA rusty pilot seminars are meant for you.

    Quite frankly, BFRs are not a test, and should not be treated as such. They are an evaluation of current skills and recommendations for where you might need to polish off some rust. It should never be a Q&A session of "Stump the Chump". The instructor is there to talk to you about the recent changes in procedures and regulations, and to answer your questions. NOT the other way around. You ran into a poor instructor that wanted to show you his superiority. If you aren't going to at least try to do the weekend burger to get in some practice, then you might want to work on a rating to keep yourself flying and keep your skills polished.

    -Cub Builder

  4. #4

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    There are some real donkey rumps in the world and unfortunately a few of them are flight instructors. I have had two that were not so good. I was doing a check out to rent a C150 when I was visiting Andrau airport in west Houston. Great little airport, no longer there now. I was not at my sharpest that day, I think I had had a long flight in on the airline. Anyway as part of the checkout the CFI did an engine out. I found a highway and made a normal approach to it, all safe enough, not too demanding in a 150. The CFI made a big deal out of the fact that if I had banked the other way and looked out the other side there was an airport there. I passed the checkout, but he was just nasty about it, trying to prove how much smarter he was than me. At that time I had several thousand hours and com and inst ratings as well as formation, glider, and aerobatic cards. About a year later this CFI was flying a DH Twin Otter for Rocky Mt Airways in western Colorado when he went into bad weather, may have also been low on fuel, with a fatal crash to all passengers. I
    once was getting a glider checkout to rent at Salida and the lady CFI said I didn't talk on the radio enough. This was at a small one runway airport out in the country with no other traffic, but she had to find something. I think the FAA suggest that a BFR be an hour of ground followed by the flying usually an hour or two. I ve never had one go over 3 hours total and always was signed off. Id make sure that all students /pilots around knew to avoid this guy.

  5. #5

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    If you were flying 50 hrs a yr that's more than 50% of the PP in this country. A flight review is a dual instructional period, not a test.

    I suggest you take some of the online courses for returning to flying. The rules have changed a little over the past 20 yrs but you'll be up to speed in no time. Then go find an instructor and rental plane. Take your time and ease back into it.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Iainhol View Post
    If I want to fly as risk averse as possible how should I go about?
    I agree with the previous replies, so I will just address this question. I suggest reading the Nall Report to learn the common causes of accidents, and figure out how to not duplicate them.

    I learned about many more ways to get hurt in an aircraft AFTER becoming a pilot. As they say, it's a license to learn. So if any CFI thinks he can teach me something useful about magnetos, I'm all ears. I don't care about carburetors because our plane doesn't have one.

  7. #7

  8. #8
    robert l's Avatar
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    I agree with doug, I don't care about carburetors, I'm not a mechanic, I hate mechanic work. I like to build stuff, not fix stuff. And CFI's, well, there's all kinds, most are very nice and helpful. When I got my tail wheel endorsement I bet I had 20 hrs with this one instructor and he never even offered to let me solo, and I had my PPL for 43 years but wasn't current. I went to another,
    much busier
    airport, and started with a much younger CFI and in 3 hrs. I had my endorsement. Fortunately, I have a great friend that has recently gotten his CFI and I get all the instruction I want for free !!!
    Bob

  9. #9

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    Goodness, you ran into what I think of as "High Priests of Aviation," where they treat flying as part of the Mystical Arts, full of Deep Secrets and Arcane Knowledge. It both makes me frown (there's no need for it) and laugh (it's ridiculous).

    The pilot part of me knows that there is only one thing needed to know about carbs - icing, what causes it and what to do about it. Mags? What they are, and what can make them work rough (spoiler - it's usually a spark plug, not the mag) or not at all (in which case, if in flight, run on one mag and seek a mechanic. If found during run up, abort and find a mechanic.). It's not like one can pull over in the sky, get out, and do work on the aircraft.

    The advice given is sound - find a pilot friend with a simple aircraft and go flying with him. In decent weather from a sleepy airport out in the sticks, because that's inherently enjoyable. Take the controls in the air and do some basic stuff, even if it's just maintaining a heading while climbing to an altitude.** If it's been awhile, follow through on the landing. And if at any point you don't feel like you want to do it any more on a flight, simply say "your aircraft."

    Find an instructor you mesh with* and pay for an hour of "basic instruction," with the understanding that it's not a flight review up front. You're just an old pilot thinking about getting back in the saddle and need to regain some muscle memory. That takes the stress out of it for both you and the instructor. No need to do stalls, etc., during that time. Just the fundamentals of flight - take off, do some turns, talk through a couple things, and land. Because it's just instruction, help or active cues with flaps, radio, etc. is okay.

    * One of the advantages of age and experience is that one now knows that instruction is a service one purchases, and that the instructor works for the pilot, not the other way around. I fired my first CFI after hour two because we simply didn't mesh. He's a great instructor, but his approach to teaching and what I need were completely opposite - namely he was reticent and didn't speak, so I never understood what I was doing right or wrong. Then I interviewed the next guy, who was brash and sarcastic in a way one either found offensive or endearing. Perfect! We got along like peas and carrots. Off the clock our opinions on things couldn't be more different, but I didn't hire him to debate politics, and we kept things aviation related.

    ** I typically dislike taking control of other people's aircraft, as it's usually in a type I'm unfamiliar with. It is instructional, though, and can be a big help to the PIC. One can either actively pilot the aircraft or one can retrieve a dropped pair of sunglasses, but one can't do both at the same time.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  10. #10
    RickFE's Avatar
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    Wow! That didn't seem like a normal experience to me. I am a CFI & A&P and it sounds like this may be a bit over the top. I am trying to remember if I ever got asked much about airflow through a carburetor for a BFR. I don't think most check-rides went that in depth.

    That aside,

    AOPA has some great interactive courses regarding the engine and they just go from there. Great resources if YOU feel like you need to brush up on certain subjects. I agree with most here, I would just pick a different school and CFI. I don't think playing stump the chump is much of an instructional technique.

    Good luck. Don't throw in the towel. Flying is just too much fun to let someone ruin it for you.

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