@@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!!
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!
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
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.
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.
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!
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
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 !!
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! 👍😎
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.
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.
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! 👍
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.
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.
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 👍🏼
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!!
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.
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!
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!
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
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.
Just came here from the previous video on this matter. You're doing the right thing by slowly building back your confidence. Some try to push too hard and punish themselves and end up getting sensory overload, ending up in making more mistakes. You'll get there mate. This was a year ago, so I'll look at the rest of your videos since then, but I have a feeling you're doing just fine.
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 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.
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!
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.
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!!
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.
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! 👍👍
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
I think it’s important to keep in mind that as a private pilot the perimeter of the box within which you can safely fly operate is a lot less defined than, say, an airline pilot. Unnecessary risk is only ever as far as stepping beyond your limits, and danger almost certainly lurks beyond lines you can’t see. Ideally, after an incident we’d go back to what we know is safe and comfortable, think about the “near miss” and consider whether it was inexperience (and therefore repeated exposure in a controlled environment that may be required), or foolishness (and therefore safeguards for prevention that may be required). After your flapless takeoff you identified a need for redundancy checks whenever the runway is shorter than 500 meters. In your approach to the coastal airfield you identified the approach was outside of your comfort zone, so you diverted to an aerodrome within your comfort zone and capabilities. I’d say in both cases you displayed exceptional and meticulous airmanship. Flying is a risky endeavour and we must accept it is so. Having the mindset to accept that eventually we may all find ourselves in a tricky situation operating beyond our capabilities is a great way to keep your faculties calibrated and sharp. However, having the mindset to reconsider and reevaluate undesirable outcomes is non-negotiable.
I was enrolled in a prestigious college in Canada for Aviation and I had the misfortune of crashing whilst doing crosswind landings. I did everything by the book and saved my life by doing it properly. I've seen many a seasoned veteran on TH-cam who lost their lives not following strict protocol. I flew for a few more monthsafter my crash but I was never able to shake the demons I now possessed. I washed out of flight school and decided to become a bus driver on the ground. Long story, I drove over 3 million accident-free miles driving tourists all around North America and loved every minute of it seeing mother nature from my moving office. There are always silver linings in everything we do, you just need to listen to yourself, your gut instinct and acknowledge the messages given to 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.
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
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 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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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 👍
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.
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 have not had the pleasure to watch your videos before but as a Flight Surgeon and Safety pilot, I applauded your willingness to admit your concern and share them in an open forum. I fly a unconventional short field aircraft , 1948 Navion and despite its standard 4 place low wing appearance, it is an amazing short field , alternate surface aircraft. The Navion approach to landing is very different and I take fellow pilots flying all the time to show them alternatives to short fields . If I noticed one thing from your video is that you have a single method for approaching a short field and as a pilot of an amphibious aircraft with the glide ratio of a Cargo truck, I would suggest you go to a longer hard surface runway and try one or two different style approaches" you seem to favor a very long flat approach and it gives you a long time to ruminate over if you are high enough, slow enough etc. I would suggest learning to approach short fields in the same fashion as pilots in the military that practice forced landings . Pick a high approach altitude, when abeam the end of the runway significantly reduce power and use pitch down to maintain a safe airspeed then when over the touch down point flare to land without manipulating your power. Practice pitching your aircraft down from a higher starting point as if it were a power off landing. Vary the types of landings and become more comfortable with pointing your aircraft nose to the ground rather than sliding into the touchdown zone. An alternate opinion but KEEP PRACTICING AND FLYING.
Fantastic comment and so appreciated from such a distinguished pilot. Love Navions my friend has a 1970 Navion Rangemaster and operates 5 up out of a 450 meter (1,470 ft) rough strip, stunning aircraft and huge. Thank you for the great advice and very kind comments.
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!
Mate, because you used your judgement and decided to not land, makes you a good pilot with sound judgement...most accidents happen when people don't take precautions when they feel things are off and go ahead and do it anyway. Being cautious is a requirement to be a good pilot. Good job.
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 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.
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.
Facing a near-crash experience can truly shake one's confidence. Taking time at your favorite farm strip shows resilience and a commitment to healing. Remember, even experienced pilots learn and grow from setbacks. You're on the path to rebuilding your confidence, one step at a time.
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!
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.
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 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.
One thing for sure, OVER confidence is a killer. I think you showed a lot of maturity and experience. After all, there are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.
I think most of us have had scares and it is totally helpful to be honest about them rather than minimizing and sweeping under the carpet as a coping mechanism. For years and years as a trusting very young 5 year old i flew beside my ex-WW11 bomber pilot dad on most weekends when he would trade commercial flying duties for the local aeroclub just for the hours he accrued behind the control column. He handed the control column over to me at some point on most return flights and taught me to fly straight and level to a given compass heading. The aircraft we flew in ranged from Cubs and Austers, the Apache, the Cherokee, C170s, the 180, and the 336, delivering passengers, mail, newspapers, even occupied caskets! On the rare occasion a hair-raising event did ocurr but we always seemed to make it anyhow, missing trees in dense fog, barely making it overloaded over the boundary fence, to being forced to fly IFR on a VHF-approved flightplan and requiring a radar vector above the cloud layer to get back down safely through it again. I thought he (and i ) were bulletproof. On the one weekend, aged 17, when i most unusually did not accompany him flying that day ~ we had a policeman knock on the front door in the late afternoon. My mother was dispassionate as if it didn't register with her. I knew instantly what had happened when he started speaking. I couldn't believe it had happened but I knew it had. I have never wanted to fly since . .
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.
I once forgot to remove carburetor heating on a go around (touch and go exercise) and at the same time forgot to reduce flaps from landing to takeoff… and of course I was long on my touch-and-go (last layer of the Swiss cheese). I also almost hit a thin line of trees. This incident was a great lesson and actually gave me some confidence because I did not panic and reacted very well, especially speed management as I slowly reduced flaps, gained speed, put some flaps again to ‘hop’ over the tree line, and dived behind to regain speed and finally climb up. I wonder what I would have done of it had been a forest… I think the best would have been to crash land in the field before the trees.
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.
I didn't have a near crash, but during my training I did experience in an emergency, that I don't know if I ever fully got over. Shortly after my PPL I made the similar mistake of landing downwind, no incident, but realizing my mistake and confounded despite all my hours of recent training I could make such a simple error and it absolutely destroyed my confidence. Haven't been back flying in 12 years.
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 👌
These are the feelings one gets as layers of self deception are torn off. Embrace them, painful as they are. They are vital to your continuing and future survival in General Aviation. Here in the US, we average about one fatality per day in General Aviation, including innocent people on the ground. Complacency and self-deception kill us. Keeping uncomfortably terrified of the realization of what we do is very healthy! Don't worry, you will adapt to your fear...it will always be there, making you a safer, more sober pilot.
No problem with feeling apprehensive. There are some sayings which are so true. Height is no good above you, runway is no good behind you, and fuel is no good in the tanker. I sailed a lot, and the skipper had saying too, which can be applied to flying. There are old sailors and bold sailor, but there aren't any old bold sailors. And it is better to be in the bar wishing you were at sea, than being at sea and hoping you get back to the bar. You did all the right things are here to tell the story, well done. And I wish you many more safe hours in the sky.
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!
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.
I feel guys, who ignored those feelings aren’t around to talk about it. Good on you for recognizing it and not “Evel Knievel-ing” it. You’ll get it when you’re good and comfortable.
I do advanced dressage (horseback gymnastics). I once heard a lesson where the instructor said “do it over and over until it becomes predictable”. By that she means you know it will turn out right. Still I know the feeling of loosing my confidence. I am also a former skydiver who had a huge accident with many days in the ICU, many broken bones and 25 surgeries… so better safe than sorry.
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 :-)
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.
You should visit the states. The GA infrastructure we have would blow your mind. Asphalt runways. Taxiways. Fuel pumps everywhere. Pilot activated lights. Instrument procedures. Courtesy cars. FBOs everywhere. Almost no fees anywhere.
Ciao Terry! The first, thank you very much for sharing your experiences. I own a 2010's SC since 2019, an analog cockpit one, with the quirky italian "advanced ultralight" spec both for my ULM license and aircraft. This category - as probably already you know - was created in Italy to allow certain ULM GA-similar as the mine to flight like GA: radio comms, airports (almost all of GA allowed), all VFR controlled airpaces and so on. This year we introduced increased Ultralight MTOM from 472,5 kg to 600, subject to manufacturer' declaration of weight structural compliance. I fly often in short grass airstrips and I 'm absolutely Skydemon' early adopter ad lover, a Tim fan I met sometimes at fairs. SD is amazing. I'm based in MI05 airstrip, "Vigarolo", around 20 miles south Milan city, in Lombardy. The 912 Rotax is a little bit underpowered for the Sportcruiser, althoug I enjoy very much cruising capability. With the VPP propeller the takeoff is usually 200 meter or less. Wish you the best and please continue your video posting! Ciao Giorgio
Bene ciao. Ours is a Pipersport 600kg and is under the UK CAA Part21 aircraft, it has a maintenance schedule same as Cat A yet we don't get the benefits like night or IFR :-( I actually don't think I'd be safe to fly without SD :-) Thank you for the kind comment and view, just checked out your channel, love the 360 views, fantastico!
What most people miss regarding "confidence" is that it has nothing to do with portraying it, or even feeling it, but is entirely about BEING confident. You have to know that you can do whatever it is, and then do it. It was a good choice to abandon that first landing. The best choice :)
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. 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.
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.
I don't think you'll lose your confidence, Mylord. I've been watching your lack of facial expressions during that treetop near-miss. I'm sure we'd all be wetting ourselves slightly, but you're looking cool throughout. Anyone who can keep a straight face while wetting one's flying suit is a pretty cool guy 😎 Thanks for honest sharing, and by sharing, keeping us all off those branches.
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
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.
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.
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"
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.
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.
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!
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!
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 !!
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 :-)
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
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
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.
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😁👍.
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.
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.
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!!
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.
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 :-)
The TH-cam algorithm brought me here, now I am going through all of your back catalogue. Respect. Subbed!
Amazing thank you 🙏
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!
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
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.
Just came here from the previous video on this matter. You're doing the right thing by slowly building back your confidence. Some try to push too hard and punish themselves and end up getting sensory overload, ending up in making more mistakes.
You'll get there mate. This was a year ago, so I'll look at the rest of your videos since then, but I have a feeling you're doing just fine.
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
You made the right decision.... it's good to listen to your inner voice, especially in General Aviation.
Thank you
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.
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.
I think it’s important to keep in mind that as a private pilot the perimeter of the box within which you can safely fly operate is a lot less defined than, say, an airline pilot.
Unnecessary risk is only ever as far as stepping beyond your limits, and danger almost certainly lurks beyond lines you can’t see.
Ideally, after an incident we’d go back to what we know is safe and comfortable, think about the “near miss” and consider whether it was inexperience (and therefore repeated exposure in a controlled environment that may be required), or foolishness (and therefore safeguards for prevention that may be required).
After your flapless takeoff you identified a need for redundancy checks whenever the runway is shorter than 500 meters.
In your approach to the coastal airfield you identified the approach was outside of your comfort zone, so you diverted to an aerodrome within your comfort zone and capabilities.
I’d say in both cases you displayed exceptional and meticulous airmanship.
Flying is a risky endeavour and we must accept it is so. Having the mindset to accept that eventually we may all find ourselves in a tricky situation operating beyond our capabilities is a great way to keep your faculties calibrated and sharp. However, having the mindset to reconsider and reevaluate undesirable outcomes is non-negotiable.
I was enrolled in a prestigious college in Canada for Aviation and I had the misfortune of crashing whilst doing crosswind landings. I did everything by the book and saved my life by doing it properly. I've seen many a seasoned veteran on TH-cam who lost their lives not following strict protocol.
I flew for a few more monthsafter my crash but I was never able to shake the demons I now possessed.
I washed out of flight school and decided to become a bus driver on the ground.
Long story, I drove over 3 million accident-free miles driving tourists all around North America and loved every minute of it seeing mother nature from my moving office.
There are always silver linings in everything we do, you just need to listen to yourself, your gut instinct and acknowledge the messages given to you.
William what a story, I will listen. 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
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
I just want to thank you and congratulate you for posting this video. I appreciate it from every conceivable angle.
Thanks Mike 👍
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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
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.
"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.
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
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
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 told my IFR instructor after I’d had a few months off flying “I feel confident, but confidence never landed a plane.” Go arounds were a good call.
I have not had the pleasure to watch your videos before but as a Flight Surgeon and Safety pilot, I applauded your willingness to admit your concern and share them in an open forum. I fly a unconventional short field aircraft , 1948 Navion and despite its standard 4 place low wing appearance, it is an amazing short field , alternate surface aircraft. The Navion approach to landing is very different and I take fellow pilots flying all the time to show them alternatives to short fields . If I noticed one thing from your video is that you have a single method for approaching a short field and as a pilot of an amphibious aircraft with the glide ratio of a Cargo truck, I would suggest you go to a longer hard surface runway and try one or two different style approaches" you seem to favor a very long flat approach and it gives you a long time to ruminate over if you are high enough, slow enough etc. I would suggest learning to approach short fields in the same fashion as pilots in the military that practice forced landings . Pick a high approach altitude, when abeam the end of the runway significantly reduce power and use pitch down to maintain a safe airspeed then when over the touch down point flare to land without manipulating your power. Practice pitching your aircraft down from a higher starting point as if it were a power off landing. Vary the types of landings and become more comfortable with pointing your aircraft nose to the ground rather than sliding into the touchdown zone. An alternate opinion but KEEP PRACTICING AND FLYING.
Fantastic comment and so appreciated from such a distinguished pilot. Love Navions my friend has a 1970 Navion Rangemaster and operates 5 up out of a 450 meter (1,470 ft) rough strip, stunning aircraft and huge. Thank you for the great advice and very kind comments.
You are human and learning. Great work
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!
Mate, because you used your judgement and decided to not land, makes you a good pilot with sound judgement...most accidents happen when people don't take precautions when they feel things are off and go ahead and do it anyway. Being cautious is a requirement to be a good pilot. Good job.
Thank you
You did right, always listen to your gut feelings !
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
Sharing mistakes and learning from them is a great technique!! Be careful my friend, you were lucky this time
Thank you, I will
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.
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
Facing a near-crash experience can truly shake one's confidence. Taking time at your favorite farm strip shows resilience and a commitment to healing. Remember, even experienced pilots learn and grow from setbacks. You're on the path to rebuilding your confidence, one step at a time.
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!
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.
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 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.
One thing for sure, OVER confidence is a killer. I think you showed a lot of maturity and experience. After all, there are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.
Thanks Mike, feel a little embarrassed but at least I get to go back and try again. Cheers Terry
Isn't that the point?
I think most of us have had scares and it is totally helpful to be honest about them rather than minimizing and sweeping under the carpet as a coping mechanism. For years and years as a trusting very young 5 year old i flew beside my ex-WW11 bomber pilot dad on most weekends when he would trade commercial flying duties for the local aeroclub just for the hours he accrued behind the control column. He handed the control column over to me at some point on most return flights and taught me to fly straight and level to a given compass heading. The aircraft we flew in ranged from Cubs and Austers, the Apache, the Cherokee, C170s, the 180, and the 336, delivering passengers, mail, newspapers, even occupied caskets! On the rare occasion a hair-raising event did ocurr but we always seemed to make it anyhow, missing trees in dense fog, barely making it overloaded over the boundary fence, to being forced to fly IFR on a VHF-approved flightplan and requiring a radar vector above the cloud layer to get back down safely through it again. I thought he (and i ) were bulletproof. On the one weekend, aged 17, when i most unusually did not accompany him flying that day ~ we had a policeman knock on the front door in the late afternoon. My mother was dispassionate as if it didn't register with her. I knew instantly what had happened when he started speaking. I couldn't believe it had happened but I knew it had. I have never wanted to fly since . .
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.
I once forgot to remove carburetor heating on a go around (touch and go exercise) and at the same time forgot to reduce flaps from landing to takeoff… and of course I was long on my touch-and-go (last layer of the Swiss cheese).
I also almost hit a thin line of trees.
This incident was a great lesson and actually gave me some confidence because I did not panic and reacted very well, especially speed management as I slowly reduced flaps, gained speed, put some flaps again to ‘hop’ over the tree line, and dived behind to regain speed and finally climb up.
I wonder what I would have done of it had been a forest… I think the best would have been to crash land in the field before the trees.
Yes that is a common one.
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.
I didn't have a near crash, but during my training I did experience in an emergency, that I don't know if I ever fully got over. Shortly after my PPL I made the similar mistake of landing downwind, no incident, but realizing my mistake and confounded despite all my hours of recent training I could make such a simple error and it absolutely destroyed my confidence. Haven't been back flying in 12 years.
I so appreciate without confidence it's hard to do this.
Superb, thanks very much for sharing, from a UK based Glider Pilot.
Cheers Austin.
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 👍👍👏👏
These are the feelings one gets as layers of self deception are torn off.
Embrace them, painful as they are. They are vital to your continuing and future survival in General Aviation.
Here in the US, we average about one fatality per day in General Aviation, including innocent people on the ground.
Complacency and self-deception kill us. Keeping uncomfortably terrified of the realization of what we do is very healthy!
Don't worry, you will adapt to your fear...it will always be there, making you a safer, more sober pilot.
Thank you.
Been there but happy to say back enjoying it! Was one trip away from giving it all up
Very valuable to share your mistakes as pilot I did make minimum 1 from this list. Its really easy too make mistake here…
No problem with feeling apprehensive. There are some sayings which are so true. Height is no good above you, runway is no good behind you, and fuel is no good in the tanker. I sailed a lot, and the skipper had saying too, which can be applied to flying. There are old sailors and bold sailor, but there aren't any old bold sailors. And it is better to be in the bar wishing you were at sea, than being at sea and hoping you get back to the bar. You did all the right things are here to tell the story, well done. And I wish you many more safe hours in the sky.
Cheers Bob
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.
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.
I feel guys, who ignored those feelings aren’t around to talk about it. Good on you for recognizing it and not “Evel Knievel-ing” it. You’ll get it when you’re good and comfortable.
Thanks Clint
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
I do advanced dressage (horseback gymnastics). I once heard a lesson where the instructor said “do it over and over until it becomes predictable”. By that she means you know it will turn out right. Still I know the feeling of loosing my confidence. I am also a former skydiver who had a huge accident with many days in the ICU, many broken bones and 25 surgeries… so better safe than sorry.
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 :-)
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 👍
You should visit the states. The GA infrastructure we have would blow your mind. Asphalt runways. Taxiways. Fuel pumps everywhere. Pilot activated lights. Instrument procedures. Courtesy cars. FBOs everywhere. Almost no fees anywhere.
One day I will and I know, don't rub it in Scott :-)
Ciao Terry! The first, thank you very much for sharing your experiences. I own a 2010's SC since 2019, an analog cockpit one, with the quirky italian "advanced ultralight" spec both for my ULM license and aircraft. This category - as probably already you know - was created in Italy to allow certain ULM GA-similar as the mine to flight like GA: radio comms, airports (almost all of GA allowed), all VFR controlled airpaces and so on. This year we introduced increased Ultralight MTOM from 472,5 kg to 600, subject to manufacturer' declaration of weight structural compliance.
I fly often in short grass airstrips and I 'm absolutely Skydemon' early adopter ad lover, a Tim fan I met sometimes at fairs. SD is amazing.
I'm based in MI05 airstrip, "Vigarolo", around 20 miles south Milan city, in Lombardy.
The 912 Rotax is a little bit underpowered for the Sportcruiser, althoug I enjoy very much cruising capability. With the VPP propeller the takeoff is usually 200 meter or less.
Wish you the best and please continue your video posting! Ciao Giorgio
Bene ciao. Ours is a Pipersport 600kg and is under the UK CAA Part21 aircraft, it has a maintenance schedule same as Cat A yet we don't get the benefits like night or IFR :-( I actually don't think I'd be safe to fly without SD :-) Thank you for the kind comment and view, just checked out your channel, love the 360 views, fantastico!
What most people miss regarding "confidence" is that it has nothing to do with portraying it, or even feeling it, but is entirely about BEING confident. You have to know that you can do whatever it is, and then do it.
It was a good choice to abandon that first landing. The best choice :)
You made exactly the right decision.
The hardest decision is not to land. You made the tough call for whatever the reason.
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. 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
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.
As a former beginner pilot RPPL pilot …. I know “that” feeling. I think you took the correct approach. You “do you” and stay alive! 😂
I don't think you'll lose your confidence, Mylord. I've been watching your lack of facial expressions during that treetop near-miss. I'm sure we'd all be wetting ourselves slightly, but you're looking cool throughout. Anyone who can keep a straight face while wetting one's flying suit is a pretty cool guy 😎
Thanks for honest sharing, and by sharing, keeping us all off those branches.
No I was seriously worried :-) You know that feeling when you've sort of given everything over to luck, that's where I am. Thank you Freedom Guy
That's a sweet little plane dude. Very nice