Introduction Leaning to fly is such an incredible experience that you are bound to feel quite nervous at first and in deed many people never overcome this and actually take the first step of booking lesson.
This is a real shame as everyone I have ever taken flying has come back grinning ear to ear and telling everyone what an amazing experience it was.
Pre flight Before you actually fly your instructor will explain to you a little about the aircraft and how the basic controls and instruments work.
Also covered will be some safety items to get you into the mindset of thinking about safety from the start.
Airmanship is the word that we use when talking about matters concerning safety.
The main points to start being;
So from the start you will be encouraged to keep your eyes peeled for other aircraft.
2) Handing over controls--Nearly all light aircraft have dual controls meaning that they are duplicated.
One for you, one for your instructor.
The controls are directly linked so if you try to turn it one way and I try to turn it the other way, it's going to come down to who is the strongest! That is not good, if we are fighting each other.
Also it would not be good if I thought that you were in control and you thought that I was and so no one was actually in control! --To get around this we formally hand over control between each other.
When I want you to have a go with the controls I will say,"You have control" and you should take hold of controls and say,"I have control.
" When I want control back I will say,"I have control" and you should reply,"You have control".
--that way we both know who is in control.
3) Things not to touch--You will told about a few things not to touch including the brakes, transmit button on the radio and any engine controls.
The brakes are activated by pushing your toes down on the top of the rudder pedals.
Care must be taken not to do this accidentally during takeoff and landing.
The transmit button is normally on the control column and is also easily pressed by mistake.
--Which can be really embarrassing as any thing you say will be broadcast to the world! Engine controls should not be touched until you know what they do.
To the aircraft When you arrive at the aircraft, it is normal for your instructor( or you on later flights )to give it a pre flight inspection.
This is to make sure that everything is working and to check the level of fuel and oil.
Assuming that this is in order you will be shown how to enter and secure yourself inside.
Light aircraft are never roomy so it pays to take your time here.
You can expect to sit in the left hand seat, the pilot's seat.
Your instructor will sit in the right hand seat.
Don't worry he can fly it just as well from either side.
In most aircraft your seat is adjustable back and forward and to a lesser degree up and down.
The harness is often similar to a car's seatbelt although some are more complex.
It is worth spending some time getting comfortable.
You will be given a headset which plugs into a socket.
The headset has a dual purpose, acting as protection from noise as well as enabling us to hear the radio and intercom.
Getting going Normally a checklist is used to start the engine and prepare the aircraft for departure.
on your first trip you can expect your instructor to deal with this.
He or she will normally taxi the aircraft which is achieved by using the throttle to control speed and the rudder pedals to steer.
They may well let you have a go at this and whilst it seems tricky at first you will soon master it.
You will probably be asked to try your brakes at this stage not because you will need to use them but because you need to avoid using them at the wrong moment.
It is therefore important that you know exactly where they are.
Once the aircraft has been positioned close to the runway another sequence of checks are completed.
These are power checks to make sure the engine is working properly at higher power settings.
Then preflight checks to make sure everything else is ready.
If you have any last minute questions for your instructor then now is the time to ask.
If not then we are ready to go.
Departure Your instructor will taxi the aircraft onto the runway and after a few more quick checks will apply full power.
Most light aircraft are not especially powerful so the acceleration is very gentle.
As the speed increases to around 65 mph your instructor will ease the control column backwards and you are in the air! Seeing the ground falling away beneath you can be breathtaking and as you climb higher you can see more and more of the surrounding area.
It is normal to climb up to around 3000 feet above the ground before leveling off and reducing the power.
You can expect to be given plenty of time to enjoy the view and if there are any local landmarks of interest then they will normally be shown to you.
Experience has shown that most people want to fly over their own house and this is normally possible.
Once you have settled down and if you want to your instructor will begin to show you how the controls work and what the instruments are telling us.
Basic controls There are two main controls that will be shown to you on your first flight.
These are the control column and the rudder pedals.
The control column will be one of two types, either a stick or a yoke.
The stick is just what it sounds like a stick that comes up from the floor and is positioned between the pilot's legs.
A yoke is like a steering wheel but with the top and bottom of the wheel removed.
In either case it works in the same sense.
If you ease the control column forward the aircraft nose will pitch down and the aircraft will descend.
If you ease the control colum back the nose will pitch up and the aircraft will climb.
If you turn the control colum left, the aircraft will roll and turn to the left.
If you turn it right the aircraft rolls and turns right.
Easy! The rudder pedals move the rudder on the tail of the aircraft and control the aircraft in yaw.
Or if you prefer for now, directional control.
Whenever we use the controls to maneuver the aircraft we look straight ahead and observe the position of the aircraft nose relative to the horizon.
This is how we know the our alignment in relation to the earth.
So we apply a control input and when we see the result we want we put the control back to neutral.
initially it is normal to be tentative with the controls but you should not be afraid of moving them as there is little harm you can do.
However there is never a need to be rough with the controls and remember what we said earlier about if your instructor wants to take control from you.
Instruments There are five basic instruments most aircraft have that are worth brief explanation at this stage.
By now you will probably be completely disorientated and trying to recognise features on the ground is difficult at first.
Luckily, hopefully your instructor will know the way home and will return to the airfield and land the aircraft.
Afterwards After you land, beaming from ear to ear the aircraft will be parked up and secured.
Then back to the club house and now is your opportunity to ask lots of questions.
Find out as much as you can about the school and your instructor and then book up your next lesson!
This is a real shame as everyone I have ever taken flying has come back grinning ear to ear and telling everyone what an amazing experience it was.
Pre flight Before you actually fly your instructor will explain to you a little about the aircraft and how the basic controls and instruments work.
Also covered will be some safety items to get you into the mindset of thinking about safety from the start.
Airmanship is the word that we use when talking about matters concerning safety.
The main points to start being;
- Lookout,
- handing over controls
- and things you must not touch!
So from the start you will be encouraged to keep your eyes peeled for other aircraft.
2) Handing over controls--Nearly all light aircraft have dual controls meaning that they are duplicated.
One for you, one for your instructor.
The controls are directly linked so if you try to turn it one way and I try to turn it the other way, it's going to come down to who is the strongest! That is not good, if we are fighting each other.
Also it would not be good if I thought that you were in control and you thought that I was and so no one was actually in control! --To get around this we formally hand over control between each other.
When I want you to have a go with the controls I will say,"You have control" and you should take hold of controls and say,"I have control.
" When I want control back I will say,"I have control" and you should reply,"You have control".
--that way we both know who is in control.
3) Things not to touch--You will told about a few things not to touch including the brakes, transmit button on the radio and any engine controls.
The brakes are activated by pushing your toes down on the top of the rudder pedals.
Care must be taken not to do this accidentally during takeoff and landing.
The transmit button is normally on the control column and is also easily pressed by mistake.
--Which can be really embarrassing as any thing you say will be broadcast to the world! Engine controls should not be touched until you know what they do.
To the aircraft When you arrive at the aircraft, it is normal for your instructor( or you on later flights )to give it a pre flight inspection.
This is to make sure that everything is working and to check the level of fuel and oil.
Assuming that this is in order you will be shown how to enter and secure yourself inside.
Light aircraft are never roomy so it pays to take your time here.
You can expect to sit in the left hand seat, the pilot's seat.
Your instructor will sit in the right hand seat.
Don't worry he can fly it just as well from either side.
In most aircraft your seat is adjustable back and forward and to a lesser degree up and down.
The harness is often similar to a car's seatbelt although some are more complex.
It is worth spending some time getting comfortable.
You will be given a headset which plugs into a socket.
The headset has a dual purpose, acting as protection from noise as well as enabling us to hear the radio and intercom.
Getting going Normally a checklist is used to start the engine and prepare the aircraft for departure.
on your first trip you can expect your instructor to deal with this.
He or she will normally taxi the aircraft which is achieved by using the throttle to control speed and the rudder pedals to steer.
They may well let you have a go at this and whilst it seems tricky at first you will soon master it.
You will probably be asked to try your brakes at this stage not because you will need to use them but because you need to avoid using them at the wrong moment.
It is therefore important that you know exactly where they are.
Once the aircraft has been positioned close to the runway another sequence of checks are completed.
These are power checks to make sure the engine is working properly at higher power settings.
Then preflight checks to make sure everything else is ready.
If you have any last minute questions for your instructor then now is the time to ask.
If not then we are ready to go.
Departure Your instructor will taxi the aircraft onto the runway and after a few more quick checks will apply full power.
Most light aircraft are not especially powerful so the acceleration is very gentle.
As the speed increases to around 65 mph your instructor will ease the control column backwards and you are in the air! Seeing the ground falling away beneath you can be breathtaking and as you climb higher you can see more and more of the surrounding area.
It is normal to climb up to around 3000 feet above the ground before leveling off and reducing the power.
You can expect to be given plenty of time to enjoy the view and if there are any local landmarks of interest then they will normally be shown to you.
Experience has shown that most people want to fly over their own house and this is normally possible.
Once you have settled down and if you want to your instructor will begin to show you how the controls work and what the instruments are telling us.
Basic controls There are two main controls that will be shown to you on your first flight.
These are the control column and the rudder pedals.
The control column will be one of two types, either a stick or a yoke.
The stick is just what it sounds like a stick that comes up from the floor and is positioned between the pilot's legs.
A yoke is like a steering wheel but with the top and bottom of the wheel removed.
In either case it works in the same sense.
If you ease the control column forward the aircraft nose will pitch down and the aircraft will descend.
If you ease the control colum back the nose will pitch up and the aircraft will climb.
If you turn the control colum left, the aircraft will roll and turn to the left.
If you turn it right the aircraft rolls and turns right.
Easy! The rudder pedals move the rudder on the tail of the aircraft and control the aircraft in yaw.
Or if you prefer for now, directional control.
Whenever we use the controls to maneuver the aircraft we look straight ahead and observe the position of the aircraft nose relative to the horizon.
This is how we know the our alignment in relation to the earth.
So we apply a control input and when we see the result we want we put the control back to neutral.
initially it is normal to be tentative with the controls but you should not be afraid of moving them as there is little harm you can do.
However there is never a need to be rough with the controls and remember what we said earlier about if your instructor wants to take control from you.
Instruments There are five basic instruments most aircraft have that are worth brief explanation at this stage.
- The airspeed indicator--This tells us how fast we are travelling and looks much like a speedometer in a car.
Airspeed is especially important to pilots as it is our speed that creates lift and keeps us flying. - The attitude indicator--This is a gyro instrument that tells our attitude or if you like our alignment relative to the ground.
When the weather is good we can align ourselves by looking outside but when flying in bad weather we need this instrument. - The altimeter--This instrument works by measuring the outside air pressure and is effectively a barometer.
It is very accurate and looks a little bit like a clock face.
The small hand indicating thousands of feet and the big hand indicates the hundreds. - Directional indicator-- This is another gyro instrument and it tells us in which direction we are travelling.
Much the same as a compass. - The RPM gauge-- This gauge effectively tells us the power or thrust that our engine is producing.
Unlike a car, the RPM stays relatively constant during flight.
By now you will probably be completely disorientated and trying to recognise features on the ground is difficult at first.
Luckily, hopefully your instructor will know the way home and will return to the airfield and land the aircraft.
Afterwards After you land, beaming from ear to ear the aircraft will be parked up and secured.
Then back to the club house and now is your opportunity to ask lots of questions.
Find out as much as you can about the school and your instructor and then book up your next lesson!