Re: Trial lesson tomorrow

Andy Hawkins wrote:
Hi guys,

Got a trial lesson scheduled for tomorrow with an RAF flying school in the
UK. Just thought I'd post as it's all starting to get a bit exciting!

This won't be my first trial lesson. About 5 years back I had another trial
flight, that was done with a view towards embarking on a PPL at that time. I
have to say I finished that flight feeling decidedly uninspired and
disappointed. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the stuff we covered
(basically straight and level and a few gentle turns, the instructor flew
the rest of the flight) just didn't 'excite' me as much as I thought it
would.

I've always loved flying as a passenger, even to the point of having 10 more
takeoffs in aircraft than I have landings <g>. I always saw it as being a
natural progression that I eventually turn this into flying myself.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from that first trial. Perhaps I didn't
communicate correctly that this should be considered my start towards flight
training, and not just a pleasure flight bought for me as a present (which
is what it was, so perhaps she just assumed I was there for a nice day out
and that was that).

I'm going to try to let the instructor allow me to do as much as possible
tomorrow. I think one thing I need is to prove to myself that this is a
challenge, and not just something easy (which to be honest the first trial
lesson did seem to me), in order to maintain my interest and enthusiasm.
Perhaps I need to be allowed (obviously with the instructor's help) to try
some more 'advanced' stuff, with a view to actually not being able to do it
properly, demonstrating to me that the upcoming weeks and months will
actually provide me with a challenging and rewarding experience.

I don't want to give across the impression that I'm some adrenaline junkie,
wanting to immediately jump into an aeroplane and start doing loops and
barrel rolls across the sky. However, I would like to get a flavour of what
is to come, rather than just a glimpse of the basics and not much more.

Anyone got any tips to make this trial lesson serve its purpose, and enusure
I'm thoroughly gripped by the process and become convinced to continue?

Cheers

Andy


I would agree with you that the instructor on a first flight can be a huge factor in establishing interest and challenge for a student. A bland approach to that first flight by the CFI can easily leave a student perplexed afterward.
Conversely, it is also possible for an instructor to over task a student on a first flight, leaving that student seriously discouraged and believing that flying is above the level of competence the student believes is possible for them to attain.
The bottom line on this is that the first flight for a student is an extremely important hour of dual. It's TOTALLY up to the instructor to ascertain where the student is mentally and emotionally before the flight commences.
The good CFI will know exactly how far to take a student task wise on a first flight. The trick is to find that perfect level for THAT SPECIFIC STUDENT that will make the first flight both interesting, educational, and most importantly, leaving the student with a positive feeling concerning his/her OWN ability to learn to fly.
I've been hounding instructors with this "lecture" all through my career in aviation it's THAT important :-))
For you, seeking a challenging experience in wanting to fly, I can only tell you that you should have a talk with the instructor before you take
off making sure you cover your expectations in as friendly a manner as possible. Then take the flight and see how you and the instructor interface together. If the CFI you are flying with is right for you, you will know this immediately. If not, and since you have specific expectations, you might have to continue your search for the right instructor.
Remember this however. Your expectations about what's challenging might be viable and they might also be a negative factor for you. Give this some serious consideration. This means evaluating your own motives and incentives as well as evaluating those of the instructor. To be a good pilot, you will absolutely have to be able to make this kind of personal evaluation. If the problem is you and not the instructor, you need to discover this early on and correct it.
Dudley Henriques


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