@@xxxxjet1982xxxx yes, but surviving mistakes doesn't make you a great pilot. It makes you lucky. Learning from a mistake, makes you better. Admitting mistakes make you admirable.
A LOT of people would never talk about this and never admit any of this. Just shows how much more skill, and determination you have to keep going. You got this! i believe in you and you will get your confidence back no problem!
I think admitting and making some go-arounds when something feels off is a sign of a pilot not willing to take unnessesary risks. Thank you for sharing your experiences and learnings.
I come from skydiving and I know that mistakes in the sky are scary, but we have to remember that we are human and human make mistakes. When you started piloting you knew there were risks, and you found yourself at risk this time. You are fine, just don't get the fear get deep into you, remember how much you love piloting and keep doing it and learning from your mistakes!!! All the best!!
Morning Terry. Spent my career in aviation with at least two, two day sim checks a year. Although all good, some would seem to go to rat shit for no apparent reason, just a combination of factors that all combined to ruin your day. Just a thought, do you use scan checks? You memorise a flow across the cockpit to put things in the right position, the checklist just confirms the big items are done. In the pre take-off situation the things that are going to really ruin your day are fuel, magnetos, carb heat, T&P’s, flaps and correct runway. You are experienced now so perhaps develop your own scan check and use/action it and then use the “check” list to check. The issue with being a slave to a checklist is that it contains big and small items and you wind up missing things as you go to and fro between checklist and actioning items, and it could be a “biggie”, Once learnt and practiced, you flow through the scan and action items, it is very rare to miss anything unless you are interrupted. If you personally meet a military fast jet pilot ask them about scan checks and think you will find their views very interesting. Kind regards Stew
You listened to your gut and that is part of being a good pilot. If something doesn't feel quite right, go around. Live another day instead of rushing into something that does not feel comfortable to you. Just because other pilots land there doesn't mean you should be able to. Everyone has different experience, different conditions, different equipment and different attitudes. You can only look at what you are comfortable with and ultimately flying isn't about proving anything, it's about safety and enjoying it. And that's exactly what you did. Well done! And on top of that you have a great attitude of learning from mistakes and being humble. Great video. Keep it up, fly safe and enjoy!
Thanks for being honest and sharing your experience. To answer your question - I find a little time with an instructor can really help with my confidence if I’ve encountered a situation that’s made me uncomfortable. As pilots, some time with an instructor during a flight review or brushing up a skill is a normal part of flying. There’s no shame or stigma. If only the same were true of drivers!
I would very much echo the advice above. I had two pretty close shaves in my early flying career; one in a glider and one in a powered aircraft. Both times a sympathetic instructor went up with me afterwards to rebuild confidence. Like many things to do with your mind, it’s better to try and fix it straight away than let it fester, and training/reassurance from a professional is one of the best of ways of doing this. I could have easily given up after the second incident but here I am 25,000+ hrs later and hopefully a bit wiser. The old saw about starting with an empty bucket of experience and a full bucket of luck and transferring from one to the other has a lot of truth to it...
I'm low hours weightshift and flew into stoke earlier this year, all was ok, but to be fair the target fixation issues are a big deal and for me a novice it was challenging, maybe another day all will be well for you, but as my old instructor used to say.... if in doubt-power out ;-), nuthamstead looks nice. happy flying.
I have had a few scares through the years, including a similar incident taking off from a short strip. All in all, flying often times is a confidence game. Need to find that balance, over confidence is certainly more dangerous than healthy uncertainty. The fact that you have accepted your mistake means you are unlikely to make the same error again. I have found that no matter how experienced you become, how many 100's of hours under your belt sometimes flying will occasionally give you a stern reminder that it always must be respected. The recent demise of Dale "Snort" Snodgrass over in the states has proven once again, that all it takes is a moments complacency regardless of experience or even skill. I have flown for many years of my life, I still however find that if I am not particularly current I can easily get a feeling of apprehension when walking out to the plane. Once I get back in the air though that departs and I get back in the groove. You will no doubt experience the same thing with this.. give it a few more flights and you will feel back in the swing of things I am sure.
@@ShortField He's right, though, it is a confidence game. Do what you know is sensible, which may include flying with someone else in the plane for comfort, but then just accept that you are competent, you made a mistake and you learnt from it. This from a pilot who put his glider down in a field, having chosen the one with a track down the middle, only to discover on late finals that it was the top of a stopbank, with a 20' drop either side. No damage apart from a little chipped paint on the underside of the nose and a new nappy needed.
your transparncy has boosted my spirits about even thinking about flight school. So we don't have to be perfect, all of the time and we can be unsure of ourselves without being an idiot!
I am an average GA pilot I make average mistakes and I share so other average pilots don't have to make the same mistakes. Thank you and do it you won't regret it.
I made a huge mistake at Headcorn Airfield in the 70's ... had a mild tailwind and asked the controller in his shed if he was about to change the runway. He said he wasn't ... I made a small protest but he was having none of it ... I went as far to the start of the grass strip as I could and did what is called a short take-off... handbrake on ... full power then release the handbrake. There was a hedge at the end of the runway, about 5 or 6 feet tall (great place for a hedge on a short runway!) and the rotate speed for a PA28 with 2 people on board was around 65mph (not knots). I was taught, in this respect badly, as we were never taught to use flaps for take-off, only for the approach and normally 2 stages. I reached 60 mph and then watched both the ASI slowly climb to indicate 65mph and the hedge coming ever closer! We made it but only narrowly and by luck! I learned a big lesson that day and it's a fact that if you can make a mistake and escape from it then you'll never make that mistake again! I didn't!
To admit honesty and modesty is the first step for being a great pilot !! Thanks for sharing your experience with another pilots like me !! Thanks a lot from Spain !! Sorry for my English I hope you understand me !!
It’s good to be cautious and analyze the situations, good sound decision making ……we all have good days and not so good days when flying. Live and learn that’s my motto. Thanks for the post
Medway/Stoke was my homefield for several years. In fact, that is where I learned to fly and soloed my first trike. It was an interesting strip to fly out of. That approach you did at stoke also had a raised little hill that you had to drop in over, so lots going on, with that approach. Any time a pilot starts to feel a bit apprehensive, as a long-time flight instructor, I can tell you that an hour or so refresher flight, with a good instructor, should help you to overcome your concerns and build back your confidence. Thanks for sharing.
You sparked a lot of interest with this one Terry. For your information 4 hours after upload and 2.6k views. That’s awesome! I think you hit a nerve with quite a lot of people. Great content as usual with honest feedback. I think we all experience these moments to some extent at some time. As well as personal moments of self doubt with our flying ability we also have those times where for one reason or another we have to build up confidence again in our machines! 👍😎
A few years back my motorbike broke down on the Edinburgh bypass. It was pretty stressful but all resolved without incident. No bother, right? But the next time I passed that bit of road where I broke down I had a rush of adrenalin - effectively mild PTSD. It wore off over the next few weeks. You will likely find that with more time and more flights you will be back to normal, plus with the valuable lessons learnt from the initial matter that will make you a better pilot. Hats off for sharing Terry, everyone likely goes through these problems. Fly safe!
Hi Terry...thank you for your candour. Just yesterday at Popham after a bad, bad lesson on beats and turns I had to go around twice, despite side slipping, and finally had to hand control to the instructor to land.. otherwise we'd still be floating on the thermals. Confidence well and truly bruised, so I'm taking a short break to assess and get my act together. Thanks again for sharing and that's certainly helped me with my crisis of confidence. Cheers and all the best, Mike
That saddle needs someone in there so we better just jump straight back in it if we fall. Good luck with the rest of the training you will be fine. Thank you
It's good to see you chatting to us. It's always amazing how little events can spook us and change our perception of how we fly. It's a healthy process to go through.
Thanks for sharing and helping to remove the stigma of admitting we do make mistakes and have “off” days. You got back on the horse and kept going. Cheers!!
I had a scare early in training 7 years ago that caused me to stop flying. I'm just getting back into it and this video has been a big boost. Thanks. 👍😁
Head back to Whitwell and settle your scores. Do it right this time and it will probably be the application of correct technique that will sit uppermost in your mind rather than the rush of adrenaline/self-doubt that follows averting an incident. My Fighter Pilot friends in the Airforce were usually put on flight line immediately after there was an accident/incident; I always wondered why. Another great video Terry, thank you Sir.
This field is perfect for a slipping turn approach, tight down wind & hold off on right rudder, perfect view of runway & clear of cables, I was trained on tail draggers, should be a breeze with trike, I dont know if this is taught these days but a life saver when caught out in bad weather, landing roll out is very short as well. nice video by the way..thanks.
It happens to all of us. Flying a Jabiru 170 by myself on an initially calm day came it went bad fast. First landing bounced and went sideways. It took me 6 circuits before I got down. The winds seemed to swirl around upsetting my touchdown. Sweating and very very stressed by the winds and my normal calm precise landings not occuring. Really shook me and took quite some time to get somewhat better mentally. Scared me to so don't worry. Back on the house and be confident in your training.
Another great, honest and informative video. Bottom line is no matter how experienced or inexperienced we are,mistakes will happen. The great thing about the aviation community is the openness and honesty in sharing experiences with the hope that Someone else can learn from the mistake and potentially avoid a much more serious consequence. (I bet you won’t make the same mistake twice). I actually think you demonstrated good airmanship by deciding not to push on in when your head was saying no I’m not happy/comfortable. My instructor is always saying, be prepared to throw the approach away If not happy as it demonstrates good decision making. The confidence will return over the next few flights I’m sure 👍🏼
It's just hell when your nerves get rattled. Way to recognize it and stay safe. Good luck learning from the experience and working through getting your confidence back. If you manage to get it back, please post that too! I'm still looking for mine
This really hits home; I quit racing motorcycles because so many people I knew were getting hurt or killed. One person in particular, a young man died after crashing in the same corner I had the previous race. That still bothers me.. I started to hesitate and doubt myself which just totally eroded my confidence. It’s wild. It doesn’t bother some people, I could never get my head right to race with the same enthusiasm again.
Motor biking is even worse (I did it for 10 years): you are not in control, anything can come at you anytime. Thus for me no more two wheelers on the road, motorcycle or bicycle.
We rarely have chances in life to grow past a roadblock without a major setback to bring our weaknesses to light. I appreciate that you have decided to handle this issue in a way that could benefit other folks traveling this path. Stay safe, stay humble.
This type of traumatic experience also happens with motorcycling, as I can attest. I can translate the way you chose to deal with this to riding or racing a bike. Most useful, and a reflection of the human condition. Thanks for sharing.
What an outstanding video. 8:52 "If you have loss of confidence.....you build it up again." That is spot on. Also, it's really great to see someone executing go-arounds when they're not comfortable with an approach. We don't see that enough. You executed them really well. I suspect that on a good day, the pylons wouldn't have bothered you, but having been rattled by the previous issue, you were now questioning anything other than a standard straight in with zero complications. In hindsight, the best bet for this flight would've been to head straight to your favorite field where you could build your confidence and rediscover the joy. I used to do that during my student pilot training...I'd often do a round-robin between my favorite fields and bang out 4-5 landings at each field, none of which stretched me a great deal. That's the perfect remedy after a bad flight, a nice softball that you can hit out of the park and get back on the horse, or any other metaphor that you prefer. Lastly, I learned a while ago that a great rule of thumb during performance takeoffs is that if you don't have 75% of your rotation speed by the time you're 50% of the way down the runway, then abort. This, of course, means you need to know what 75% of your rotation speed is, and you need a visual marker representing the half-way point of the runway. I used it last year when picking up a friend at his home strip. It was a short runway, we were heavy and it was up hill. Thank you for putting this video out, it's a tremendous asset to the aviation community.
Thanks for sharing. I built an RV 7 and have that same feeling regarding PIC in it. You did great in handling this feeling that hits us all when flying, Bravo and fly on.
Thanks for sharing this. I've had my confidence issues too and knowing others have done the same helps me reflect, get closure, and move forward. Thank you!
Love your videos and especially this one where you hang your doubts out for all to see. As a relatively new microlight pilot I guess I felt it's only a feeling us newbies get so really refreshing to see your honesty. Keep making brilliant videos.
Thanks for sharing Terry! A lovely place to fly indeed. It reminds me very much of when I was a kid in the northwest of America, when we had many more private strips you enjoy and flying was much more a do as you like, free spirit adventure. Also, thank you very much for speaking about confidence after a close call. ,In over 50 years of flying I've had more than a few, most didn't affect when I would call confidence, and I had a few very similar to your close call on takeoff, however the one that unexpectedly left me and settled what's an actual violent crash, and near death drowning experience in a seaplane. For several days after the crash whenever I would start to go to sleep I would see and hear the water crashing through the windshield, in the gurgling underwater sounds as I set upside down drowning underwater, unable to open the hatch and escape, the fellow pilot I crashed with, a former Vietnam helicopter pilot who was shot down a couple of times, and crashed about half a dozen other times in agricultural aircraft and helicopters also experienced the same nightmares and flashbacks he never experienced in combat or his other crashes. Being an aircraft dealer, 3 days after the crash had a customer finish a sale on an Cessna P337 I owned and he asked if I could pick deliver it to him at his home airport about 45mis away. As I preflighted the aircraft I experienced a slight bit of apprehension and uneasiness increased during taxi and pre-takeoff checks, that sort of subsided as I pulled onto the runway and accelerated, but once I retracted the landing gear and pass through about 300 feet, a sudden, overwhelming Rush of what I couldn't really describe is fear, but more a rush of adrenaline and over focused thoughts flying the aircraft and not making a mistake, for at least a minute or two I really wasn't aware of what the aircraft was doing, or if I was really in control of it or not, and just at that moment, a psycho-emotional thought triggered that something subconscious was in control of my emotions and thoughts, and that if I didn't regain control of of my thoughts and emotions I might end up nearly incapacitated. Engage the auto pilot in the climb and in a few mins of relaxing and setting quietly, those subconscious feelings and emotions mostly subsided. I made a couple of. Landings at an en route airport, just to make sure those feelings wouldn't come back, and proceeded to meet the new owner. When I landed and tax it up to his hanger, he was there with his new wife and infant child, they asked if I could take him, his wife and child for a demonstration ride, and for a moment a bit of overwhelming anxiety combined with Wings and thoughts of guilt that I had just crashed, nearly died and now this trusting father and his wife we're going to place their lives in my hands? I explained what had just happened and said if you're comfortable double checking me and taking over. The man and his wife were both very comfortable with that and we had an uneventful, and enjoyable ride. His wife turned out to be middle health counselor who dealt a lot with trauma and anxiety, she explained some things about fear and the subconscious and how after a traumatic event, when the subconscious mind recognizes a pattern similar to previous traumatic events, the subconscious mind Will try to override the conscious mind's thanking and control subconscious, and she said that it's probably not a good idea to fly alone after a traumatic experience, whether it be from flying or not. I later went to work for one of the pioneers in hypnotherapy, spent decades helping people with issues involving fear, anxiety and self-doubt. When I related my variance after the crash, he concurred with what my passenger/ psychologist explained, and said it was probably a transient, subconscious manifestation, but that loss of confidence, if something it's almost always an indication of unseen insecurities and fears established in childhood, is more common and severe people who were shamed or degraded, only in childhood but also later in life, and even as adults. And some of many counseling seminars I observed and recorded for him, he often mention to people who were struggling from prolong loss of confidence that: "if you had real in the first place, you would not now have to regain it in the second place". He went on to explain how in his belief, traumatic, near death experiences can combine with old repressed guilt and shame can combine with that later traumatic, life-threatening event to induce hypnotic loops of fear and thought, it's typically referred to as a 'loss of confidence'. A good friend who is a flight instructor in sort of do a new psychologist ,taught several hundred people to fly related some of his students who suffered traumatic events in their lifetimes, also suffered fear-based challenges while learning to fly. He said that mini were able to overcome such fears through learning to fly, several of traumatized student pilots more hours and even months to adequately overcome subconscious, fear-based reactions in the cockpit, that he had more than a few student pilots that decline to instruct, deemed they would always be a risk to themselves and others due to their deep seeded fears and anxieties. Another a TP/flight instructor who was a 'washout' instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy, said that as part of the screening process for rookie and even advanced pilot (such as test pilot schools) repetitive, fear-based reactions in stressful training scenarios runs for washout because deep-seated fears and anxieties often become more pronounced in combat, "The Wrong Stuff" as some in military aviation call it. I don't know how much flying time you have Terry, but my impression is that you are an exceptionally intuitive and humble person and pilot, and I suspect your 'loss of confidence' was likely a a transient subconscious event. However, if you're still experiencing apprehension that affects your performance and confidence as a pilot, often it's more a matter of not struggling, or fighting trying to overcome subconscious feelings, but excepting them, letting them play out without struggling with them, at which point common to catch glimpses of your subconscious thoughts and emotions interacting. For aware, analytical people, such as pilots that's often enough, however there are meditative techniques and clinical approaches that can also help to alleviate matters of anxiety in confidence. I've spent about 16 of the last years working in support of military, veterans and first responders who have dealt with the effects of combat stress and anxiety and if you or anyone would like to chat about such matters my YT channel's about page has my info. I'm looking forward to flying screen seat with you more, Cheers mate!
Wow thanks for your very thoughtful and appreciated comment Jack. I read every bit (must have taken a while to write). To receive such comments from very experienced pilots makes me feel very humble indeed. Thank you again sir for your amazing stories and insight.
Well done Terry another great honest and open video. Confidence is massive and you are doing a great job of rebuilding yours. Don't let the mistake overburden your ability, it was a mistake and you have learned from it. Take away the positives and be assured that you are a sharper and more focused pilot because of the learning. well done and keep up the amazing stories.
I Put it you this way - after I didn't listen to my sentences, what weather and most of all terrain was telling me go around try again I crashed on approach. 20K later, pride and being out flying for 2 years --- go no go or go around is MANDATORY. What you did is 100% approved in my book. Thanks for sharing.
I admire you on many levels including your humble approach, which in itself is a strength that will help keeping you, others and your plane safe. This July marks 51 years of flying for myself and it has been great, but too, I know the difference between currency and proficiency. Great job on the video and photography! It does look Heavenly there! 👍👍
70% of rotation speed by the 50% mark of the runway. With a tail wind you'll want even more airspeed, and don't get in a hurry to leave ground effect. Stay in as long as possible and use it to build airspeed. Thanks for the video.
Hi Terry! Loss of confidence is only natural human behaviour. You just have to rebuild it back up. If you did not loose your confidence then it would be worse as you would just take too many risks.
thanks for your honesty there, Terry. Nothing beats PS&L when we go land somewhere new: Precautionary Search & Landing at low level to get the vibes. I deliberately asked my instructors to take me to short private fields, landing over trees or a 1-way strip below a dam. Great training!
Good for you Terry. A good pilot always reflects on his performance and decision making. Its how we all get better at it. Thanks for sharing your experience. It gives us all a moment of pause because we have all made bad decisions. You were just brave enough to share yours. Thank you for that sir.
Well done for admitting how you feel. I’m sure many off us have been there and done that. Yes it is on your mind for a while. Great videos, wish I was still flying. Stay safe buddy 👍
I had a similar confidence problem due to a small incident on my first unsupervised solo. Your advice to fly more with an instructor is spot on. It’s not easy at first but if you force yourself to get back up in the air, it all comes back rather quickly.
I'm glad you kept your nerve👍. You know what went wrong, and tell others that it deserves respect. You are a good pilot, otherwise it would have ended differently. Greetings from Germany and always happy landings 👍
Nice work again Terry. A humble video with honesty running through it and I genuinely appreciate you sharing. Confidence building is so important, as quick as you build it, it can be lost just as quickly. You have to treat that feeling with respect (which you have) - it will come back - good to see the aircraft back out of maintenance too. Take care mate. Lee
I would also say - that the older we get (no idea how old you are - but I'm guessing post 40) - our brain chemistry changes. The sense of 'I can do ALL' things.. that sorta raw 'confidence' that isn't always grounded in reality (.. young cockiness) wanes as we age. Then combine that with a near potentially fatal event - it's quite understandable this 'momentary' setback. You're right - you WILL be okay - but lite anxiety can set in as we age... AND the remedy is exactly what you described here. Stay on top of your skills and checklists - go back, momentarily, to easier spots.. BUT then you DO have to go back to the one that made you nervous. You got this!! Thanks for your authenticity!!
Great job facing truth and taking it head on. As far as flying I’ve taken up FPV Drones and it’s a blast. My fears are much less than yours. Mine is $ yours is life. Take care & be safe.
Another great video Terry. Thanks. As a ppl (h) student, on my third solo cross country I had a pitch link seize, aux fuel tank guage fail and a mag fail all on same flight. It was a rough ride back and a few more flights with the instructor were necessary before I felt confident to solo again. It’s a terrible feeling but I also found being honest about it helped me deal with it. Keep the videos coming!
I'm not an aviator but even sometimes driving a car I lose my confidence.... so I am sure I know exactly what you were feeling. I am sure most people get that from time to time.... and it's hood to hear we all bottle it sometimes!
Thanks for including your aircraft type (2011 Pipersport) in the description. Really appreciate it when I can find out what aircraft is being flown whenever I stumble upon a new channel.
Back in the early 80s, I was majoring in music, and experienced confidence failure during voice lessons. Nothing worse than that. Couldn't get on with the lesson for anything. Took years before I was able to get back on a stage, and perform. Mind you, I was studying for solo performances. Much easier to perform in a chorus, than solo, on a stage. Trying to land so close to those high tension lines was your solo performance, and I certainly don't blame you for waving off. Better safe than sorry. Those types of power lines can ark at a distance of about 10 feet, or so distance. If anything, I think your instincts kicked in, and made you stay away from that dangerous field. Thanks for the video.
In baseball, it's the yips. In gymnastics, it's the twisties. In talking to my CFI, he calls 'forgetting to how to do a critical and basic function we've trained and practiced since day 1/confidence rattle'... the stalls. I got "the stalls" yesterday. It sucks. THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!
Great video. Good on you for identifying the issue but also realising you had to just stick at it until the confidence returns. I had a similar experience with a near panic on a scuba dive that really put me off, but I pretty much forced myself to do one as soon as possible afterwards just to shake it off and I'm really glad I didn't let that feeling fester.
Flying into an old WW2 airfield must be an amazing feeling. A sense of history of the aircrew who departed from there 70+ years before. Walking those places is so thought provoking & atmospheric.
I love the place. I spent many hours researching the history and I find it all fascinating. Just to think there were plenty that departed the same runway I did, never to return. Thank you Gary
Hi Terry. I have seen many of your posts on the UK PPL Facebook group and hadnt realised that you had a TH-cam channel. Just watched this and your last video and now subscribed with a mission to watch your back catalog. As a relatively new low time pilot I fly from an 800m grass strip in Sweden and am always wondering what I would do if something went wrong. Really like your presentation style and honest evaluation. Good to know that someone as experienced as yourself is always asking questions and sharing your doubts. Im doing my tailwheel conversion just now and was speaking to my instructor about the healthy respect you need to have for the airplane and your own abilities. Always good to hear (and see) real world experiences.
Great video. I had a similar scare years ago. The math worked out for the short take-off but I was WAY closer to the tree tops than I liked. Since then, I've had a few other scares but nothing like that one. I build in more margin for error nowadays. Videos like this are excellent food for thought.
I used to get that happen many times, Terry. Very confident during the planning stages but by the time I’d reached the airfield I’d almost talked myself out of it! Eventually stopped doing that, but still sometimes something (sometimes the smallest of things) will trigger a confidence hiccup. Like you, if it doesn’t feel right I’ll throw it away and plan to go back another day. It’s just the mind games that you have to control in between. I used to feel like I’d failed, but eventually I’d realise it’s no big deal and knew that I’d always put it right when I felt more confident. I treat these confidence blips as positives… not negatives 👍 Great video 👏👏👏
I've no pilot experience and in fact I am quite an anxious passenger but I've always been mesmerised and fascinated by flying and often enjoy watching planes landing and taking off. I came across your channel by chance as I TH-camd the science and history of flight and its been an hour or two well spent watching your playlist and your presentation skills are excellent and very interesting and informative. Thank you. Keep it up. Liked and subscribed 👌
Dude, great video....your caution is why you will live! Here in the US, AQP is a huge issue.....many of the senior TH-cam pilots are pushing the FAA to mandate AQP.....love Noel Phillips and you for bringing British GA for us to watch!
You are very reflected and self-critical, which is very good! You are a good pilot, you show good airmanship by always remembering your errors (which probably won't happen again). Remember, you can always fly with an instructor who has more experience than you, even though you have the certificate. When I haven't flown for a while, I usually call my instructor to ask if he can join. Just so I can get the "feeling" back again.
Thanks for your honesty. I am a student PPLM and had my confidence severely knocked on my second landaway. I'm gradually getting back into it thanks to a great instructor but still a bit wary of landing away solo. By the way, my first ever microlight flight was from Stoke. Scary approach!
A pilot never stops learning. If you read a book called "the killing zone" you'll see why overconfident people get involved in accidents. Recognising, learning and improving is the key! 👍
Thanks for keeping it real. Not yet started my pilot training but I'm sure I will eventually experience the same confidence issue. I've had the same happen to me on close calls when riding my Honda racing bike. Like WingAndAPrayer stated it should always be respected. Being confident is good but over confidence can lead to complacency which sometimes lead to mistakes.
It does happen a lot in flying especially when learning as everything is new but as you build up the experience the confidence follows so when it is knocked you feel it even worse. Cheers Ed
@@edroman2042 Great stuff. I think I did similar watching some of The Micropilots videos before starting and obviously keeping up with Shortfield as I went. Sometimes its good when you can't fly some days to live vicariously though others 🤣 the pooleys books are pretty good. Your instructor will teach you but books 1 & 2 (general & Airlaw/Met) are a good starting purchase if you are set on it.
As a model flyer I always try to end the day with a good landing, if I don't do it it will be in my mind and the first flight of the next flying day will not feel well until the plane is back on the ground in one piece. Only then the fun begins again.
"Don't let the fear stop you." ;-) Just let it remind you to be procedural, consistent... learn, move on. I think you're on the right track. Happy flying.
As a lifelong instructor/examiner I spent half my lifetime, or so it seems, engaged in the business of confidence establishing, maintainer, restorer. Because as stated, if the confidence goes, it can be a challenge to get it back.
Lovely to see Nuthampstead, where we are based with our DR-400, featured as a haven of safety and tranquility, after the disquieting - or even mildly traumatic - experience at Stoke Medway, and to have this salutary reminder of the complexities of 'aviating confidence'. Your candour in sharing these recent videos is admirable, and valuable to all us hobby fliers.
Another great video which I'm sure captures feelings that we all have from time to time. I've just got my licence back after a few years away and your thoughts and comments have been invaluable as I find my way back into aviation.
I think we all have been there. I had an ahrs failure, then a com failure, then a bad landing after all of that, so it took a few flights to build the confidence again. Thanks for sharing.
I am sure this is temporary. I enjoy and admire your flights and videos. You got our full support and best wishes. Stay safe and enjoy flying for yourself and for us your fans.
It takes a lot to recognise what you are experiencing after the near miss. It happens to all of us. It takes a lot to regain confidence. Although I really think that you are on the right track to cope with that. Cheers and thank you for honestly share your thoughts.
There are a lot of old pilot's in this world but not many bold pilots, we always have and will make mistakes the best thing is to learn from the mistakes we make and talk about your errs to a More experienced pilot for some good advice and remember there are old pilots and bold pilots but not many old bold pilots. Good luck and throttle on
Thanks for your open and honest appraisal of your confidence drop Terry, if I was choosing an airfield to get my confidence back at, I wouldn’t be choosing Stoke ! It is a tight airfield, the runway curve isn’t actually that bad but its the proximity to the railway line and the HT pylons and then coming in low over the hangars to get onto the strip that compound together to be unnerving. The first time I ever went into Stoke it was a cross-wind coming from the Pylons onto the 23 end, and everything together spooked me out and I had to go around. Second time round I got the positioning right and landed OK. But fighting it all the way down is only going to end in tears. I bent my plane a couple of years ago by stalling it on landing and it definitely took me a bit to regain my confidence. It’s a tricky thing, having the confidence to push yourself when its not perfect conditions, but also knowing when to say that you’re not happy and go and play somewhere else. Nuthampstead is nice, been in a couple of times but didn’t realise the runway was split by the concrete - I have only landed on the longer 400m section. It’s not always that quiet there though as there’s a clay pigeon range on one of the other disused runways. When they’re open they have a nice cafe, or there’s a good pub about 10 minutes walk away with lots of WW2 memorabilia on the walls. Keep safe!
Thanks Geoffrey I hate pylons and I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds Stoke tough. There's a fine line between pushing hard and pushing too far, I know which side I want to stay. I hope I don't encourage everyone to visit Nuthampstead now, the neighbours will try and get it closed down :-)
Cheers Charlie, I know when you posted some mistakes for others to learn by you received some negativity. You know as well as I do, it's hard making yourself look inadequate but I feel it is beneficial to others in the long run. Thank you again Charlie. Oh and congrates on baby Daphne hope mum is doing well.
Great video, very honest and feelings shared by all - certainly me. It’s part of the learning process and we’re always learning! I had your short field take off in my head recently when departing on a down hill / down wind strip in an aircraft straight from annual. I spent 20mins running up, checking and re checking. Really good content as usual, please keep it up!
Thanks for posting. In addition to your advice, if I plan a full stop landing at the end of the day, and that landing is unpleasant, I sometimes do another lap in the circuit until I get it right. I try not to end a fly day on a sour note, as it eats away at my confidence until I fly again. Especially true if circumstances are such that I won't be flying for a week due to weather or other things in life.
I'm sure you know, but there might be circumstances where that's unwise. Ask yourself before approach whether this might be an 'if I get down safe I should take it' landing eg if the light is going, the weather is deteriorating, fuel is low, a potential maintenance issue popped up earlier, you know you're tired, something non-flying is bugging you etc. Practicing until you're happy is good, but putting nerves to bed next go isn't guaranteed. Fresh bad things could happen making you wish you'd taken that imperfect landing.
Thanks Terry for keeping it real. I think as a viewer it makes it more interesting and better learning experience 🤔 Good luck next time at that air field.
Really enjoying learning from your videos. You are also showing a beginners mindset (Japanese call it Shoshin), which shows great humility. Thanks for posting these videos.
Well done Terry, great video as always. Really glad to see you back up in the air and landing somewhere after the other week. Building that confidence up. Absolutely love the drone shots, they are amazing. Especially the one of the drone filing the landing from above and behind. Superb.
Thank you. The cap shows my age, I got it when the first Top Gun movie came out but never wore it, when I had my close call I decided I would start wearing it to make me feel better, this video shows I'm more like Cougar I dropped the ball :-)
Well what a great way to start wearing the cap! Im sure you got a fright even though you handled it very well. Flights like those is what makes brilliant pilots👌 so welldone and enjoy your flying! Looking forward to more videos!
I think the fact that you are able to admit and reflect honestly after making a mistake makes you a great pilot.
Nah. It makes you an honest mistake-maker.
@@daleyoung87 everyone makes mistakes
This. It's the same thing with parenting. The fact that you're thinking about how to do it better means you're performing better than the mean.
Is that a 6 ounce Coke? Looks tiny…
@@xxxxjet1982xxxx yes, but surviving mistakes doesn't make you a great pilot. It makes you lucky. Learning from a mistake, makes you better. Admitting mistakes make you admirable.
A LOT of people would never talk about this and never admit any of this. Just shows how much more skill, and determination you have to keep going. You got this! i believe in you and you will get your confidence back no problem!
Thank you so much.
@bluecrayon007.
He's a useless pilot, and that's what he's admitting to. He didn't even carry enough fuel for the journey!
@@redblade8160Are you actually this stupid or are you just pretending?
I think admitting and making some go-arounds when something feels off is a sign of a pilot not willing to take unnessesary risks. Thank you for sharing your experiences and learnings.
Absolutely thank you Andreas.
I come from skydiving and I know that mistakes in the sky are scary, but we have to remember that we are human and human make mistakes. When you started piloting you knew there were risks, and you found yourself at risk this time. You are fine, just don't get the fear get deep into you, remember how much you love piloting and keep doing it and learning from your mistakes!!! All the best!!
Thank you Miguel appreciate that.
Did you learned to fly on asphalt?
@@robrob9050 sorry, what do you mean?
@@Miguelskytwins if he made his training on tarmac rwy
@@michalmilko8347 oh sorry I thought you were asking me baha
My old flying instructor when I was learning 45 years ago taught me this. If in doubt there is no doubt stay on the ground or go around. It worked.
I flew bush planes in Alaska, in each of the planes was a placard that said, "When in Doubt, Don't".
@@slopsec2358 All the aeroplanes I learnt on were placarded also. Reflecting the outlook of the CFI they warned "ALL AEROPLANES BITE FOOLS"
Morning Terry. Spent my career in aviation with at least two, two day sim checks a year. Although all good, some would seem to go to rat shit for no apparent reason, just a combination of factors that all combined to ruin your day.
Just a thought, do you use scan checks? You memorise a flow across the cockpit to put things in the right position, the checklist just confirms the big items are done. In the pre take-off situation the things that are going to really ruin your day are fuel, magnetos, carb heat, T&P’s, flaps and correct runway.
You are experienced now so perhaps develop your own scan check and use/action it and then use the “check” list to check.
The issue with being a slave to a checklist is that it contains big and small items and you wind up missing things as you go to and fro between checklist and actioning items, and it could be a “biggie”, Once learnt and practiced, you flow through the scan and action items, it is very rare to miss anything unless you are interrupted.
If you personally meet a military fast jet pilot ask them about scan checks and think you will find their views very interesting.
Kind regards
Stew
Thank you appreciate this.
You listened to your gut and that is part of being a good pilot. If something doesn't feel quite right, go around. Live another day instead of rushing into something that does not feel comfortable to you. Just because other pilots land there doesn't mean you should be able to. Everyone has different experience, different conditions, different equipment and different attitudes. You can only look at what you are comfortable with and ultimately flying isn't about proving anything, it's about safety and enjoying it. And that's exactly what you did. Well done! And on top of that you have a great attitude of learning from mistakes and being humble. Great video. Keep it up, fly safe and enjoy!
Thanks for being honest and sharing your experience.
To answer your question - I find a little time with an instructor can really help with my confidence if I’ve encountered a situation that’s made me uncomfortable.
As pilots, some time with an instructor during a flight review or brushing up a skill is a normal part of flying. There’s no shame or stigma. If only the same were true of drivers!
Great comment Lawrence, thanks.
I would very much echo the advice above. I had two pretty close shaves in my early flying career; one in a glider and one in a powered aircraft. Both times a sympathetic instructor went up with me afterwards to rebuild confidence.
Like many things to do with your mind, it’s better to try and fix it straight away than let it fester, and training/reassurance from a professional is one of the best of ways of doing this.
I could have easily given up after the second incident but here I am 25,000+ hrs later and hopefully a bit wiser. The old saw about starting with an empty bucket of experience and a full bucket of luck and transferring from one to the other has a lot of truth to it...
I'm low hours weightshift and flew into stoke earlier this year, all was ok, but to be fair the target fixation issues are a big deal and for me a novice it was challenging, maybe another day all will be well for you, but as my old instructor used to say.... if in doubt-power out ;-), nuthamstead looks nice. happy flying.
I have had a few scares through the years, including a similar incident taking off from a short strip. All in all, flying often times is a confidence game. Need to find that balance, over confidence is certainly more dangerous than healthy uncertainty. The fact that you have accepted your mistake means you are unlikely to make the same error again. I have found that no matter how experienced you become, how many 100's of hours under your belt sometimes flying will occasionally give you a stern reminder that it always must be respected. The recent demise of Dale "Snort" Snodgrass over in the states has proven once again, that all it takes is a moments complacency regardless of experience or even skill.
I have flown for many years of my life, I still however find that if I am not particularly current I can easily get a feeling of apprehension when walking out to the plane. Once I get back in the air though that departs and I get back in the groove. You will no doubt experience the same thing with this.. give it a few more flights and you will feel back in the swing of things I am sure.
Appreciated, my close call affected me more than any other incident I've experienced in my 30 years of flying GA. Thank you again
@@ShortField He's right, though, it is a confidence game. Do what you know is sensible, which may include flying with someone else in the plane for comfort, but then just accept that you are competent, you made a mistake and you learnt from it. This from a pilot who put his glider down in a field, having chosen the one with a track down the middle, only to discover on late finals that it was the top of a stopbank, with a 20' drop either side. No damage apart from a little chipped paint on the underside of the nose and a new nappy needed.
your transparncy has boosted my spirits about even thinking about flight school. So we don't have to be perfect, all of the time and we can be unsure of ourselves without being an idiot!
I am an average GA pilot I make average mistakes and I share so other average pilots don't have to make the same mistakes. Thank you and do it you won't regret it.
I would rather view your mistakes here than read about them in a NTSB (US) report!@@ShortField
I made a huge mistake at Headcorn Airfield in the 70's ... had a mild tailwind and asked the controller in his shed if he was about to change the runway. He said he wasn't ... I made a small protest but he was having none of it ... I went as far to the start of the grass strip as I could and did what is called a short take-off... handbrake on ... full power then release the handbrake.
There was a hedge at the end of the runway, about 5 or 6 feet tall (great place for a hedge on a short runway!) and the rotate speed for a PA28 with 2 people on board was around 65mph (not knots).
I was taught, in this respect badly, as we were never taught to use flaps for take-off, only for the approach and normally 2 stages.
I reached 60 mph and then watched both the ASI slowly climb to indicate 65mph and the hedge coming ever closer! We made it but only narrowly and by luck!
I learned a big lesson that day and it's a fact that if you can make a mistake and escape from it then you'll never make that mistake again! I didn't!
I think we've all had that "that was close" moment, but as you put it so fantastically well, we live and we learn. Fantastic comment thank you.
To admit honesty and modesty is the first step for being a great pilot !! Thanks for sharing your experience with another pilots like me !! Thanks a lot from Spain !! Sorry for my English I hope you understand me !!
It’s good to be cautious and analyze the situations, good sound decision making ……we all have good days and not so good days when flying. Live and learn that’s my motto. Thanks for the post
Well said!
Medway/Stoke was my homefield for several years. In fact, that is where I learned to fly and soloed my first trike. It was an interesting strip to fly out of. That approach you did at stoke also had a raised little hill that you had to drop in over, so lots going on, with that approach. Any time a pilot starts to feel a bit apprehensive, as a long-time flight instructor, I can tell you that an hour or so refresher flight, with a good instructor, should help you to overcome your concerns and build back your confidence. Thanks for sharing.
You sparked a lot of interest with this one Terry. For your information 4 hours after upload and 2.6k views. That’s awesome! I think you hit a nerve with quite a lot of people. Great content as usual with honest feedback. I think we all experience these moments to some extent at some time. As well as personal moments of self doubt with our flying ability we also have those times where for one reason or another we have to build up confidence again in our machines! 👍😎
Thank you Tim need to fly the hill again as part of my recovery :-)
A few years back my motorbike broke down on the Edinburgh bypass. It was pretty stressful but all resolved without incident. No bother, right? But the next time I passed that bit of road where I broke down I had a rush of adrenalin - effectively mild PTSD. It wore off over the next few weeks. You will likely find that with more time and more flights you will be back to normal, plus with the valuable lessons learnt from the initial matter that will make you a better pilot. Hats off for sharing Terry, everyone likely goes through these problems. Fly safe!
Thanks Mike need a relaxing Scotland flight now to get over it :-)
Hi Terry...thank you for your candour. Just yesterday at Popham after a bad, bad lesson on beats and turns I had to go around twice, despite side slipping, and finally had to hand control to the instructor to land.. otherwise we'd still be floating on the thermals. Confidence well and truly bruised, so I'm taking a short break to assess and get my act together.
Thanks again for sharing and that's certainly helped me with my crisis of confidence. Cheers and all the best, Mike
That saddle needs someone in there so we better just jump straight back in it if we fall. Good luck with the rest of the training you will be fine. Thank you
I just want to thank you and congratulate you for posting this video. I appreciate it from every conceivable angle.
Thanks Mike 👍
It's good to see you chatting to us. It's always amazing how little events can spook us and change our perception of how we fly. It's a healthy process to go through.
Thanks Giles it was a real reaction, no script so lots of ummmms and aarrrghhhs lucky I have an edit button :-)
@@ShortField the joy of the edit😁👍.
Thanks for sharing and helping to remove the stigma of admitting we do make mistakes and have “off” days.
You got back on the horse and kept going. Cheers!!
I had a scare early in training 7 years ago that caused me to stop flying. I'm just getting back into it and this video has been a big boost. Thanks. 👍😁
Thanks Dan
Head back to Whitwell and settle your scores. Do it right this time and it will probably be the application of correct technique that will sit uppermost in your mind rather than the rush of adrenaline/self-doubt that follows averting an incident.
My Fighter Pilot friends in the Airforce were usually put on flight line immediately after there was an accident/incident; I always wondered why.
Another great video Terry, thank you Sir.
Cheers Dollar most appreciated and I will go back soon. Thanks again buddy
This field is perfect for a slipping turn approach, tight down wind & hold off on right rudder, perfect view of runway & clear of cables, I was trained on tail draggers, should be a breeze with trike, I dont know if this is taught these days but a life saver when caught out in bad weather, landing roll out is very short as well. nice video by the way..thanks.
I agree just lost my bottle.
It happens to all of us. Flying a Jabiru 170 by myself on an initially calm day came it went bad fast. First landing bounced and went sideways. It took me 6 circuits before I got down. The winds seemed to swirl around upsetting my touchdown. Sweating and very very stressed by the winds and my normal calm precise landings not occuring. Really shook me and took quite some time to get somewhat better mentally. Scared me to so don't worry. Back on the house and be confident in your training.
I think well done for taking the time and wing patient. I'd be putting pressure on myself after 2. You did the right thing waiting for number 7.
I agree if you can and it's safe having a few more goes at it can really help, I normally will abort after 3 though.
Another great, honest and informative video. Bottom line is no matter how experienced or inexperienced we are,mistakes will happen. The great thing about the aviation community is the openness and honesty in sharing experiences with the hope that Someone else can learn from the mistake and potentially avoid a much more serious consequence. (I bet you won’t make the same mistake twice). I actually think you demonstrated good airmanship by deciding not to push on in when your head was saying no I’m not happy/comfortable. My instructor is always saying, be prepared to throw the approach away If not happy as it demonstrates good decision making. The confidence will return over the next few flights I’m sure 👍🏼
Thank you Anthony really appreciate your support Sir.
You are helping so many people with your knowledge and honesty of error, I'm sure I speak for many when I say thank you.
Love this comment, thank you so much.
You made the right decision.... it's good to listen to your inner voice, especially in General Aviation.
Thank you
It's just hell when your nerves get rattled. Way to recognize it and stay safe. Good luck learning from the experience and working through getting your confidence back. If you manage to get it back, please post that too! I'm still looking for mine
Thank you, as I say in the vid I'm just taking my foot off the gas for a bit, I've been pushing too hard lately. Hope you can do that too.
This really hits home; I quit racing motorcycles because so many people I knew were getting hurt or killed. One person in particular, a young man died after crashing in the same corner I had the previous race. That still bothers me..
I started to hesitate and doubt myself which just totally eroded my confidence. It’s wild. It doesn’t bother some people, I could never get my head right to race with the same enthusiasm again.
That's a sad comment Chad but totally get it, flying is the same if you lose it you just can't do it. Thank you Sir!
Motor biking is even worse (I did it for 10 years): you are not in control, anything can come at you anytime. Thus for me no more two wheelers on the road, motorcycle or bicycle.
We rarely have chances in life to grow past a roadblock without a major setback to bring our weaknesses to light. I appreciate that you have decided to handle this issue in a way that could benefit other folks traveling this path. Stay safe, stay humble.
I will try thank you
This type of traumatic experience also happens with motorcycling, as I can attest. I can translate the way you chose to deal with this to riding or racing a bike. Most useful, and a reflection of the human condition. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing
What an outstanding video. 8:52 "If you have loss of confidence.....you build it up again." That is spot on. Also, it's really great to see someone executing go-arounds when they're not comfortable with an approach. We don't see that enough. You executed them really well. I suspect that on a good day, the pylons wouldn't have bothered you, but having been rattled by the previous issue, you were now questioning anything other than a standard straight in with zero complications. In hindsight, the best bet for this flight would've been to head straight to your favorite field where you could build your confidence and rediscover the joy. I used to do that during my student pilot training...I'd often do a round-robin between my favorite fields and bang out 4-5 landings at each field, none of which stretched me a great deal. That's the perfect remedy after a bad flight, a nice softball that you can hit out of the park and get back on the horse, or any other metaphor that you prefer.
Lastly, I learned a while ago that a great rule of thumb during performance takeoffs is that if you don't have 75% of your rotation speed by the time you're 50% of the way down the runway, then abort. This, of course, means you need to know what 75% of your rotation speed is, and you need a visual marker representing the half-way point of the runway. I used it last year when picking up a friend at his home strip. It was a short runway, we were heavy and it was up hill.
Thank you for putting this video out, it's a tremendous asset to the aviation community.
Brilliant and very kind comment. Your advice is really appreciated. Thanks again.
Thanks for sharing. I built an RV 7 and have that same feeling regarding PIC in it. You did great in handling this feeling that hits us all when flying, Bravo and fly on.
Been there but happy to say back enjoying it! Was one trip away from giving it all up
Thanks for sharing this. I've had my confidence issues too and knowing others have done the same helps me reflect, get closure, and move forward. Thank you!
Love your videos and especially this one where you hang your doubts out for all to see. As a relatively new microlight pilot I guess I felt it's only a feeling us newbies get so really refreshing to see your honesty. Keep making brilliant videos.
Amazing comment thank you Martin
The TH-cam algorithm brought me here, now I am going through all of your back catalogue. Respect. Subbed!
Amazing thank you 🙏
Thanks for sharing Terry! A lovely place to fly indeed. It reminds me very much of when I was a kid in the northwest of America, when we had many more private strips you enjoy and flying was much more a do as you like, free spirit adventure. Also, thank you very much for speaking about confidence after a close call. ,In over 50 years of flying I've had more than a few, most didn't affect when I would call confidence, and I had a few very similar to your close call on takeoff, however the one that unexpectedly left me and settled what's an actual violent crash, and near death drowning experience in a seaplane. For several days after the crash whenever I would start to go to sleep I would see and hear the water crashing through the windshield, in the gurgling underwater sounds as I set upside down drowning underwater, unable to open the hatch and escape, the fellow pilot I crashed with, a former Vietnam helicopter pilot who was shot down a couple of times, and crashed about half a dozen other times in agricultural aircraft and helicopters also experienced the same nightmares and flashbacks he never experienced in combat or his other crashes.
Being an aircraft dealer, 3 days after the crash had a customer finish a sale on an Cessna P337 I owned and he asked if I could pick deliver it to him at his home airport about 45mis away. As I preflighted the aircraft I experienced a slight bit of apprehension and uneasiness increased during taxi and pre-takeoff checks, that sort of subsided as I pulled onto the runway and accelerated, but once I retracted the landing gear and pass through about 300 feet, a sudden, overwhelming Rush of what I couldn't really describe is fear, but more a rush of adrenaline and over focused thoughts flying the aircraft and not making a mistake, for at least a minute or two I really wasn't aware of what the aircraft was doing, or if I was really in control of it or not, and just at that moment, a psycho-emotional thought triggered that something subconscious was in control of my emotions and thoughts, and that if I didn't regain control of of my thoughts and emotions I might end up nearly incapacitated. Engage the auto pilot in the climb and in a few mins of relaxing and setting quietly, those subconscious feelings and emotions mostly subsided.
I made a couple of. Landings at an en route airport, just to make sure those feelings wouldn't come back, and proceeded to meet the new owner. When I landed and tax it up to his hanger, he was there with his new wife and infant child, they asked if I could take him, his wife and child for a demonstration ride, and for a moment a bit of overwhelming anxiety combined with Wings and thoughts of guilt that I had just crashed, nearly died and now this trusting father and his wife we're going to place their lives in my hands? I explained what had just happened and said if you're comfortable double checking me and taking over. The man and his wife were both very comfortable with that and we had an uneventful, and enjoyable ride.
His wife turned out to be middle health counselor who dealt a lot with trauma and anxiety, she explained some things about fear and the subconscious and how after a traumatic event, when the subconscious mind recognizes a pattern similar to previous traumatic events, the subconscious mind Will try to override the conscious mind's thanking and control subconscious, and she said that it's probably not a good idea to fly alone after a traumatic experience, whether it be from flying or not.
I later went to work for one of the pioneers in hypnotherapy, spent decades helping people with issues involving fear, anxiety and self-doubt. When I related my variance after the crash, he concurred with what my passenger/ psychologist explained, and said it was probably a transient, subconscious manifestation, but that loss of confidence, if something it's almost always an indication of unseen insecurities and fears established in childhood, is more common and severe people who were shamed or degraded, only in childhood but also later in life, and even as adults. And some of many counseling seminars I observed and recorded for him, he often mention to people who were struggling from prolong loss of confidence that: "if you had real in the first place, you would not now have to regain it in the second place". He went on to explain how in his belief, traumatic, near death experiences can combine with old repressed guilt and shame can combine with that later traumatic, life-threatening event to induce hypnotic loops of fear and thought, it's typically referred to as a 'loss of confidence'.
A good friend who is a flight instructor in sort of do a new psychologist ,taught several hundred people to fly related some of his students who suffered traumatic events in their lifetimes, also suffered fear-based challenges while learning to fly. He said that mini were able to overcome such fears through learning to fly, several of traumatized student pilots more hours and even months to adequately overcome subconscious, fear-based reactions in the cockpit, that he had more than a few student pilots that decline to instruct, deemed they would always be a risk to themselves and others due to their deep seeded fears and anxieties.
Another a TP/flight instructor who was a 'washout' instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy, said that as part of the screening process for rookie and even advanced pilot (such as test pilot schools) repetitive, fear-based reactions in stressful training scenarios runs for washout because deep-seated fears and anxieties often become more pronounced in combat, "The Wrong Stuff" as some in military aviation call it.
I don't know how much flying time you have Terry, but my impression is that you are an exceptionally intuitive and humble person and pilot, and I suspect your 'loss of confidence' was likely a a transient subconscious event. However, if you're still experiencing apprehension that affects your performance and confidence as a pilot, often it's more a matter of not struggling, or fighting trying to overcome subconscious feelings, but excepting them, letting them play out without struggling with them, at which point common to catch glimpses of your subconscious thoughts and emotions interacting. For aware, analytical people, such as pilots that's often enough, however there are meditative techniques and clinical approaches that can also help to alleviate matters of anxiety in confidence. I've spent about 16 of the last years working in support of military, veterans and first responders who have dealt with the effects of combat stress and anxiety and if you or anyone would like to chat about such matters my YT channel's about page has my info.
I'm looking forward to flying screen seat with you more, Cheers mate!
Wow thanks for your very thoughtful and appreciated comment Jack. I read every bit (must have taken a while to write). To receive such comments from very experienced pilots makes me feel very humble indeed. Thank you again sir for your amazing stories and insight.
Well done Terry another great honest and open video. Confidence is massive and you are doing a great job of rebuilding yours. Don't let the mistake overburden your ability, it was a mistake and you have learned from it. Take away the positives and be assured that you are a sharper and more focused pilot because of the learning. well done and keep up the amazing stories.
Cheers Allan
I Put it you this way - after I didn't listen to my sentences, what weather and most of all terrain was telling me go around try again I crashed on approach.
20K later, pride and being out flying for 2 years --- go no go or go around is MANDATORY.
What you did is 100% approved in my book. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much.
You are human and learning. Great work
I admire you on many levels including your humble approach, which in itself is a strength that will help keeping you, others and your plane safe. This July marks 51 years of flying for myself and it has been great, but too, I know the difference between currency and proficiency. Great job on the video and photography! It does look Heavenly there! 👍👍
So kind even though I made a big mess. Thank you so much and from someone with so much experience.
70% of rotation speed by the 50% mark of the runway. With a tail wind you'll want even more airspeed, and don't get in a hurry to leave ground effect. Stay in as long as possible and use it to build airspeed.
Thanks for the video.
Hi Terry! Loss of confidence is only natural human behaviour. You just have to rebuild it back up. If you did not loose your confidence then it would be worse as you would just take too many risks.
Thanks Vince so right.
thanks for your honesty there, Terry. Nothing beats PS&L when we go land somewhere new: Precautionary Search & Landing at low level to get the vibes. I deliberately asked my instructors to take me to short private fields, landing over trees or a 1-way strip below a dam. Great training!
Well, done.. I'm impressed! Thank you for sharing with us.
Frank in Colorado
Sorry for the late replay, thank you so much Sir.
Good for you Terry. A good pilot always reflects on his performance and decision making. Its how we all get better at it. Thanks for sharing your experience. It gives us all a moment of pause because we have all made bad decisions. You were just brave enough to share yours. Thank you for that sir.
Well done for admitting how you feel. I’m sure many off us have been there and done that. Yes it is on your mind for a while.
Great videos, wish I was still flying.
Stay safe buddy 👍
Thanks so much 👍👍👍
I had a similar confidence problem due to a small incident on my first unsupervised solo. Your advice to fly more with an instructor is spot on. It’s not easy at first but if you force yourself to get back up in the air, it all comes back rather quickly.
I'm glad you kept your nerve👍. You know what went wrong, and tell others that it deserves respect. You are a good pilot, otherwise it would have ended differently. Greetings from Germany and always happy landings 👍
Thank you
Nice work again Terry. A humble video with honesty running through it and I genuinely appreciate you sharing. Confidence building is so important, as quick as you build it, it can be lost just as quickly. You have to treat that feeling with respect (which you have) - it will come back - good to see the aircraft back out of maintenance too. Take care mate. Lee
Thanks Lee
I would also say - that the older we get (no idea how old you are - but I'm guessing post 40) - our brain chemistry changes. The sense of 'I can do ALL' things.. that sorta raw 'confidence' that isn't always grounded in reality (.. young cockiness) wanes as we age. Then combine that with a near potentially fatal event - it's quite understandable this 'momentary' setback. You're right - you WILL be okay - but lite anxiety can set in as we age... AND the remedy is exactly what you described here. Stay on top of your skills and checklists - go back, momentarily, to easier spots.. BUT then you DO have to go back to the one that made you nervous. You got this!! Thanks for your authenticity!!
Thank you, do feel a bit of a fool though.
Very valuable video. I think you made right call. It takes some time to regain confidence. Thanks for sharing this honest video. Big thumbs up.
Really appreciate your kind comment thank you.
Great job facing truth and taking it head on. As far as flying I’ve taken up FPV Drones and it’s a blast. My fears are much less than yours. Mine is $ yours is life. Take care & be safe.
Thanks Jeff.
Another great video Terry. Thanks. As a ppl (h) student, on my third solo cross country I had a pitch link seize, aux fuel tank guage fail and a mag fail all on same flight. It was a rough ride back and a few more flights with the instructor were necessary before I felt confident to solo again. It’s a terrible feeling but I also found being honest about it helped me deal with it. Keep the videos coming!
I'm not an aviator but even sometimes driving a car I lose my confidence.... so I am sure I know exactly what you were feeling. I am sure most people get that from time to time.... and it's hood to hear we all bottle it sometimes!
cool... like the WWII info. My father was a WWII vet and love hearing the history...!!! good job
Thanks for including your aircraft type (2011 Pipersport) in the description. Really appreciate it when I can find out what aircraft is being flown whenever I stumble upon a new channel.
Great video. Thank you so much. Greetings from Argentina!
Javier, Gracias mi amigo
Superb, thanks very much for sharing, from a UK based Glider Pilot.
Cheers Austin.
Sharing mistakes and learning from them is a great technique!! Be careful my friend, you were lucky this time
Thank you, I will
Back in the early 80s, I was majoring in music, and experienced confidence failure during voice lessons. Nothing worse than that. Couldn't get on with the lesson for anything. Took years before I was able to get back on a stage, and perform. Mind you, I was studying for solo performances. Much easier to perform in a chorus, than solo, on a stage. Trying to land so close to those high tension lines was your solo performance, and I certainly don't blame you for waving off. Better safe than sorry. Those types of power lines can ark at a distance of about 10 feet, or so distance. If anything, I think your instincts kicked in, and made you stay away from that dangerous field. Thanks for the video.
Thank you Thomas
In baseball, it's the yips. In gymnastics, it's the twisties. In talking to my CFI, he calls 'forgetting to how to do a critical and basic function we've trained and practiced since day 1/confidence rattle'... the stalls.
I got "the stalls" yesterday. It sucks. THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!
Great video. Good on you for identifying the issue but also realising you had to just stick at it until the confidence returns. I had a similar experience with a near panic on a scuba dive that really put me off, but I pretty much forced myself to do one as soon as possible afterwards just to shake it off and I'm really glad I didn't let that feeling fester.
Thanks Ed 👍
I never knew this sort of runway exists in the UK. I am about to start my ppl next week and this little find is so cool
Flying into an old WW2 airfield must be an amazing feeling. A sense of history of the aircrew who departed from there 70+ years before. Walking those places is so thought provoking & atmospheric.
I love the place. I spent many hours researching the history and I find it all fascinating. Just to think there were plenty that departed the same runway I did, never to return. Thank you Gary
Hi Terry. I have seen many of your posts on the UK PPL Facebook group and hadnt realised that you had a TH-cam channel. Just watched this and your last video and now subscribed with a mission to watch your back catalog. As a relatively new low time pilot I fly from an 800m grass strip in Sweden and am always wondering what I would do if something went wrong. Really like your presentation style and honest evaluation. Good to know that someone as experienced as yourself is always asking questions and sharing your doubts. Im doing my tailwheel conversion just now and was speaking to my instructor about the healthy respect you need to have for the airplane and your own abilities. Always good to hear (and see) real world experiences.
Thank you Paul hope I get to keep your sub.
Great video. I had a similar scare years ago. The math worked out for the short take-off but I was WAY closer to the tree tops than I liked. Since then, I've had a few other scares but nothing like that one. I build in more margin for error nowadays. Videos like this are excellent food for thought.
Oh wow! Thanks Gregory
I used to get that happen many times, Terry. Very confident during the planning stages but by the time I’d reached the airfield I’d almost talked myself out of it! Eventually stopped doing that, but still sometimes something (sometimes the smallest of things) will trigger a confidence hiccup.
Like you, if it doesn’t feel right I’ll throw it away and plan to go back another day. It’s just the mind games that you have to control in between. I used to feel like I’d failed, but eventually I’d realise it’s no big deal and knew that I’d always put it right when I felt more confident. I treat these confidence blips as positives… not negatives 👍
Great video 👏👏👏
Thanks as always Kev, a bruised ego but I can fly another day. I'm up your way in a few weeks, be great to meet up?
@@ShortField
It would indeed. Let me know when and we'll try and make it happen 👍
@@kevchilton908 will do
I've no pilot experience and in fact I am quite an anxious passenger but I've always been mesmerised and fascinated by flying and often enjoy watching planes landing and taking off.
I came across your channel by chance as I TH-camd the science and history of flight and its been an hour or two well spent watching your playlist and your presentation skills are excellent and very interesting and informative.
Thank you. Keep it up.
Liked and subscribed 👌
What a lovely comment thanks Niall
@@ShortField you're very welcome. Safe happy flying and will be tuning in to more of your videos 👍👍👏👏
Dude, great video....your caution is why you will live! Here in the US, AQP is a huge issue.....many of the senior TH-cam pilots are pushing the FAA to mandate AQP.....love Noel Phillips and you for bringing British GA for us to watch!
Thank you Jon so appreciate this. We're very much behind you in GA in the UK but we're getting better. All the best Sir.
You are very reflected and self-critical, which is very good! You are a good pilot, you show good airmanship by always remembering your errors (which probably won't happen again).
Remember, you can always fly with an instructor who has more experience than you, even though you have the certificate.
When I haven't flown for a while, I usually call my instructor to ask if he can join. Just so I can get the "feeling" back again.
Great advice Viktor thank you.
Thanks for your honesty. I am a student PPLM and had my confidence severely knocked on my second landaway. I'm gradually getting back into it thanks to a great instructor but still a bit wary of landing away solo. By the way, my first ever microlight flight was from Stoke. Scary approach!
A pilot never stops learning. If you read a book called "the killing zone" you'll see why overconfident people get involved in accidents. Recognising, learning and improving is the key! 👍
Have it, read it it's a sobering book.
fantastic piloting, composed, calm and well executed decision making. Safe flying man!
Thanks for keeping it real. Not yet started my pilot training but I'm sure I will eventually experience the same confidence issue. I've had the same happen to me on close calls when riding my Honda racing bike. Like WingAndAPrayer stated it should always be respected. Being confident is good but over confidence can lead to complacency which sometimes lead to mistakes.
When are you planning to start Ed?
It does happen a lot in flying especially when learning as everything is new but as you build up the experience the confidence follows so when it is knocked you feel it even worse. Cheers Ed
Starting in 2 to 3 months and can't wait. Doing all the research I can now before starting.
@@edroman2042 Great stuff. I think I did similar watching some of The Micropilots videos before starting and obviously keeping up with Shortfield as I went. Sometimes its good when you can't fly some days to live vicariously though others 🤣 the pooleys books are pretty good. Your instructor will teach you but books 1 & 2 (general & Airlaw/Met) are a good starting purchase if you are set on it.
Awesome!, thanks for the advise. Will look into that.
Very valuable to share your mistakes as pilot I did make minimum 1 from this list. Its really easy too make mistake here…
As a model flyer I always try to end the day with a good landing, if I don't do it it will be in my mind and the first flight of the next flying day will not feel well until the plane is back on the ground in one piece. Only then the fun begins again.
Great job, you made a command decision, and it was the right one!
"Don't let the fear stop you." ;-) Just let it remind you to be procedural, consistent... learn, move on. I think you're on the right track. Happy flying.
Thank you really appreciate this comment.
As a lifelong instructor/examiner I spent half my lifetime, or so it seems, engaged in the business of confidence establishing, maintainer, restorer. Because as stated, if the confidence goes, it can be a challenge to get it back.
Lovely to see Nuthampstead, where we are based with our DR-400, featured as a haven of safety and tranquility, after the disquieting - or even mildly traumatic - experience at Stoke Medway, and to have this salutary reminder of the complexities of 'aviating confidence'. Your candour in sharing these recent videos is admirable, and valuable to all us hobby fliers.
Think I saw your aircraft at MK when ours was in?
@@ShortField Yes - I flew G-BUYS back to Nuthampstead (via Fenland for a cup of tea - as we do) on 14th June, after its ARC.
Another great video which I'm sure captures feelings that we all have from time to time. I've just got my licence back after a few years away and your thoughts and comments have been invaluable as I find my way back into aviation.
Thanks Patrick you are a pilot, you will be awesome.
I think we all have been there. I had an ahrs failure, then a com failure, then a bad landing after all of that, so it took a few flights to build the confidence again. Thanks for sharing.
It happens, but we move on. tahnk you
Great vid, very honest. Hypocrisy should have no place in a cockpit. Congrats and thank you for posting!
Absolutely! Thank you so much.
I am sure this is temporary. I enjoy and admire your flights and videos. You got our full support and best wishes. Stay safe and enjoy flying for yourself and for us your fans.
Thank you so much Imad.
It takes a lot to recognise what you are experiencing after the near miss. It happens to all of us. It takes a lot to regain confidence. Although I really think that you are on the right track to cope with that. Cheers and thank you for honestly share your thoughts.
There are a lot of old pilot's in this world but not many bold pilots, we always have and will make mistakes the best thing is to learn from the mistakes we make and talk about your errs to a More experienced pilot for some good advice and remember there are old pilots and bold pilots but not many old bold pilots. Good luck and throttle on
Cheers Scotty
Thanks for your open and honest appraisal of your confidence drop Terry, if I was choosing an airfield to get my confidence back at, I wouldn’t be choosing Stoke ! It is a tight airfield, the runway curve isn’t actually that bad but its the proximity to the railway line and the HT pylons and then coming in low over the hangars to get onto the strip that compound together to be unnerving. The first time I ever went into Stoke it was a cross-wind coming from the Pylons onto the 23 end, and everything together spooked me out and I had to go around. Second time round I got the positioning right and landed OK. But fighting it all the way down is only going to end in tears.
I bent my plane a couple of years ago by stalling it on landing and it definitely took me a bit to regain my confidence. It’s a tricky thing, having the confidence to push yourself when its not perfect conditions, but also knowing when to say that you’re not happy and go and play somewhere else.
Nuthampstead is nice, been in a couple of times but didn’t realise the runway was split by the concrete - I have only landed on the longer 400m section. It’s not always that quiet there though as there’s a clay pigeon range on one of the other disused runways. When they’re open they have a nice cafe, or there’s a good pub about 10 minutes walk away with lots of WW2 memorabilia on the walls. Keep safe!
Thanks Geoffrey I hate pylons and I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds Stoke tough. There's a fine line between pushing hard and pushing too far, I know which side I want to stay. I hope I don't encourage everyone to visit Nuthampstead now, the neighbours will try and get it closed down :-)
Such a valuable thing to share Terry. I’ve been through similar this year. “Keep sending him up!” 😀
Cheers Charlie, I know when you posted some mistakes for others to learn by you received some negativity. You know as well as I do, it's hard making yourself look inadequate but I feel it is beneficial to others in the long run. Thank you again Charlie. Oh and congrates on baby Daphne hope mum is doing well.
Very well done! Good on you mate!
Cheers Roger
Great video, very honest and feelings shared by all - certainly me. It’s part of the learning process and we’re always learning! I had your short field take off in my head recently when departing on a down hill / down wind strip in an aircraft straight from annual. I spent 20mins running up, checking and re checking. Really good content as usual, please keep it up!
Thank you Nick
Subscribed! Excellent videos, very helpful and honest, plus top quality editing and graphics. 👍👍
Thank you Scott hope I get to keep your valued sub Sir.
Thanks for posting. In addition to your advice, if I plan a full stop landing at the end of the day, and that landing is unpleasant, I sometimes do another lap in the circuit until I get it right. I try not to end a fly day on a sour note, as it eats away at my confidence until I fly again. Especially true if circumstances are such that I won't be flying for a week due to weather or other things in life.
I'm sure you know, but there might be circumstances where that's unwise. Ask yourself before approach whether this might be an 'if I get down safe I should take it' landing eg if the light is going, the weather is deteriorating, fuel is low, a potential maintenance issue popped up earlier, you know you're tired, something non-flying is bugging you etc.
Practicing until you're happy is good, but putting nerves to bed next go isn't guaranteed. Fresh bad things could happen making you wish you'd taken that imperfect landing.
@@artgreen6915 Agreed. I should not have said "always". I edited it to "sometimes".
You sir are amazing. I'm training and I relate to every word on your video. We constantly have to prove to ourselves that we can make it.
Thanks Phemo 👍
Thanks Terry for keeping it real. I think as a viewer it makes it more interesting and better learning experience 🤔 Good luck next time at that air field.
Thanks 👍
Really enjoying learning from your videos. You are also showing a beginners mindset (Japanese call it Shoshin), which shows great humility. Thanks for posting these videos.
Well done Terry, great video as always. Really glad to see you back up in the air and landing somewhere after the other week. Building that confidence up. Absolutely love the drone shots, they are amazing. Especially the one of the drone filing the landing from above and behind. Superb.
Thanks Matt
Great video! Thank you! I like the cap😁 hello from SA🇿🇦
Thank you. The cap shows my age, I got it when the first Top Gun movie came out but never wore it, when I had my close call I decided I would start wearing it to make me feel better, this video shows I'm more like Cougar I dropped the ball :-)
Well what a great way to start wearing the cap! Im sure you got a fright even though you handled it very well. Flights like those is what makes brilliant pilots👌 so welldone and enjoy your flying! Looking forward to more videos!