Piloting a plane with no flight experience

[IZ0JUB 162]

 

[brett 2,315]

Things certainly change when your life is on the line and all those little things that real life throws at you that can't be simulated accurately. The crazy winds didn't help either.

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

For my 50th birthday I challenged myself to do this. I purchased an hour and a half of flight time which ended up being of course a half hour of ground instruction and then an hour of flight time. I demonstrated my flight skills learned on the flight simulator to the instructor, and he agreed to let me shoot touch-and-go's for the last half-hour of the flight. He assisted with flaps and throttle on the first landing and I had full control on the last three including our last full stop landing. It was freaking awesome, and confirmed my belief that I actually can fly and land an airplane, because I did. It.

 

My 55th is coming up this year, and I just got a new better-paying job... I think I'm going to put away a few bucks and do it again this year. :-)

Edited August 12, 2018 by Captain Coffee

[brett 2,315]

That's great Matt, glad you enjoyed yourself and just more proof that Flight Sim can give you an advantage.

 

 

[CAT3508 343]

What's really awesome, is your first solo landing. Oh what a feeling !!

[hlminx 301]

Don't let you land till lesson 14 ??

I landed on my 6th flight hour (6 hours over 7 years!!) and i didn't bend anything..

 

(gotta say, the instructor probably shouldn't have let me land as i'd only just met him, but i must have convinced him in the previous 30 mins that i would be OK)

He's spot on about the 'feeling' that you only get from flying the real thing, which is why I try and get at least an hour in a year, to supplement my virtual hours.

 

For me, I do the repetitive stuff virtually, and then apply that in real life. Its like learning to drive a manual car (stick shift to those of you States-side).. after enough practice, you don't need to look at the gear stick.