Bearing in mind that I’ve always harbored doubts about my ability
to act correctly under pressure, I was pleasantly surprised by the way our chat
went. Bob had a list of questions he was going to go through, obviously stuff
that he needs to be sure I’m good with. None of the stuff he asked particularly
fazed me. There was nothing really that I didn’t know or couldn’t work my way
through. Even stuff that had me initially fumbling for an answer, I could
figure my way through. It was a massive confidence booster if I’m completely
honest. Listening to my own thought processes out loud, reassures me that I do
actually have the ability to think these things through.
I have a coherent plan if I temporarily lose my bearings out there,
I have a reasonable grasp of the options open to me if I need help, and I can
say with a high degree of certainty that I have no hesitation in asking for
that help either. I’ve also realised that with only a few exceptions, there’s nothing
that’s going to happen to me that means I have to act instantly. I’ll have time
to think. Time to evaluate my options.Some of the stuff we covered was a little on the funny side. I understand completely why we have to talk about this stuff but it kind of tickled me that Bob has to make sure I comprehend that whenever I go to the practice area on my own it is important that I stick to the exercises we plan and discuss.
Don’t worry I have no plans to start improvising out there!
I clearly remember my first solo trip out to the practice area. The little devil sat on my shoulder saying, "you have a plane all to yourself, why don't you go for a little sightseeing?" My willpower was strengthened by a touch of fear of something going wrong and my subsequent explanation to the Head Flying Instructor as to why I wasn't where I was supposed to be. So yes, the path of least resistance is definitely the briefed exercise.
ReplyDeleteI am soooo scared of accidentally busting someone's control zone (there are 3 airports with control zones within very close proximity to the practice area) that I think I can resist temptation !!
DeleteMy problem is going to be getting up the courage to do some of these exercises without Bob. I can barely bring myself to stall the plane now, on my own, oooh I really don't know :(
Ask Bob to demonstrate at altitude what happens if you take your hands and feet off the controls during a basic stall in a 172. The result definitely helped put my mind at ease.
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