So, you want to be a REAL Pilot?

[Silverblade]

Almost anyone can learn to fly an airplane, particularly when everything is working as it should. Even my grandson, when he was 4 years old and sitting in a car seat strapped in next to me, could safely manuever my Cessna 152 through the sky without much difficulty. It's when things don't go right that a pilot must rely on those long hours of studying, training and testing. What do you do when your engine begins to over heat, or you suddenly realize that you have no idea where you are, or the weather has changed unexpectedly and you find yourself and your passengers above a solid cloud layer and you're not an instrument rated pilot?

Being a pilot is NOT just learning to fly, but more importantly how to deal with unusual or even dangerous situations. Recognizing icing conditions, gusting crosswind approaches and landings, and knowing when to turn back because the situation is beyond your level of skill or training to deal with safely. These are the kinds of things that makes a pilot, not just knowing how to go from point A to point B.

There is a level of confidence that must be achieved when learning to fly, but it should never become a state of arrogance. Good judgement and a realistic understanding of ones limitations is essential to living beyond the next flight. It really does take a lot to become a pilot, whether you intend to some day fly with the big boys, or just puddle jump in a two seater, it begins with attitude and attention to detail. When things go wrong there is usually very little time to take positive, corrective action... and THAT'S what pilots train to do!

Silverblade

http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/Use...cd439d9f5d.jpg

[xplanefanatic]

Being a certificated private pilot myself, I could not have put it better...It is only when faced with adversity that we find if we are pilots or dead men...(or women)... :)

There is a sense of responsibility from the moment you step into an aircraft for the first time, as Silver put it, a sense of confidence that you must have. You must be proficient at everything from checklists to dead sticking it back to the field. You must know how to takeoff from a small grass strip, and you must know about ground effect, frontal boundaries, v speeds, atc call outs, airspace boundaries, meteoroligy, and thousands of other little bits of info. You must know how to fly VFR, you have to remember to set the transponder and altimeter, you must know what the fuel should look like during your pre-flight, and if it doesn't look right you have to know what to do......the list goes on and on.....Thanks SilverBlade...

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If I wouldn't have had the flight simming community, I wouldn't have my ppl. We are a strange breed, diverse and different yet, bonded to one another by the need to here the winds whistling by and seeing our problems on the ground, far, far away...

[flyinggriffin]

I think a very necessary attitude that a pilot must have is to want to take charge. I don't know about you guys, but unless I am pretty familar with another pilot I have a hard time not trying to fly the airplane from the back seat. :)

Another attitude of a good pilot is to never be satisfied with your performance. No matter how good it looks to other people, you can always find something to improve. Just ask a CFI you trust...he will always find a chink in your armor.

[BG]

True enough griffin. . . .but interestingly the statistics show that two pilots in the cockpit can also lead to the opposite mentality, where the PIC may find himself getting into situations beyond their normal limits. . .often feeling that the other pilot is paying enough attention, and will provide some level of security. (Of course this can be ego driven too)
CVRs often display this, where the fact becomes obvious that sometimes one pilot is better than two. . .when one thinks the other is taking responsibility for something that they in fact aren't. (I thought he set flaps 40. . .)

Brett

[remind]

Well said.

I have 50 plus hours now including 15 plus solo.
Yet when I strike unexpected turburlence, even though it is only mild I still am surprised, takes many hours of flying to be able to handle all the unexpected things that can happen.

[flyinggriffin]

I have a buddy that we take turns flying under the hood to stay instrument current. What helped is having the same instrument instructor and flew together in training. We call out if altitude or heading wanders just like the CFII did but the guy in the left seat is in charge and makes the go no go decision. Suggestions are welcome, but its still the PIC who makes the call. Two pilots who have worked and trained together are much safer than single pilot, especally in IFR. That is why the airlines maintain two guys in the front even though planes could be automated to accomodate just one.

If I fly with another pilot I am not familar with, I never assume he or she is gonna save my butt even a CFI. I treat them like I would any other passenger and if they suggest something , I listen, but I make it known I will do what I think is best. You figure it this way, if you do something wrong, the PIC is going to be the one slapped with the suspension or revocation, not the other guy.


What I mean was that I still have the urge to roll the wings level, to add power or turn even when I am in the backseat. How many of you out there have tried stepping on a nonexsistant brake pedal when not in the drivers seat of a car?

[flyinggriffin]

What I found amazing about getting the private ticket is the amount of freedom and responsibility that comes with that cert.
The morning of the checkride in order to fly, it was necessary to have the okay of a CFI about the weather, you could only go to airports you were signed off on etc. Right after the examiner signed the temporary licence, I was free to blast off in marginal VFR on a special VFR clearance, go down the corridor past NYC get into class B airspace and land at JFK. Its a bit sobering to realize how much you have to learn, after you learn.
I really learned how to fly the airplane getting my instrument rating.

[fraggle]

Non Pilot.... so feel free to ignore my random and pointless drivle.........

I have to agree.
I feel I could pretty well take over a Cessna (or similar small plane) in the sky as long as things stayed "perfect".
I think too, I might beable to manage to cure the occational problem, like over heating.

I love sittign in my car at Hanford Muni Ca, and watching the aircraft come and go. One day, I might even go through the gates :-)

I remeber flying in FS2k, a 737, takeoff from LHW in foggy weather. Comfortable... getting ypto 3,000'... Comfortable. Then (due to a bug) the entire electronic pannel went blank... I remeber thinking "Im not going ti just end the flight, Im not going to restart, Im not going to crash either!".... So, using some of the old grey matter I managed to get the thing to fly over (and eyeball) LGW. Some pretty good navigation and reconing with just a clock, compass and eyes.
I remeber, once I put the thing down (almost on the keys, in the center of the foggy runway) My palms were swetty, and my heart was beating.
I cant image how people deal with an instrument failer in a real situation.

The other things that amazes me is this:
You have to be pretty confident (I agree) to get into a plane and fly it. But you also haev to have a lot of trust in those who opperate the airspace, those who are watching you and making sure you dont fly into (or get hit by) any one else.

Now, all that said.
I would love to learn to fly. Starting with the basics of course.

YES!, I want to be a REAL pilot. But I definatly dont presume I know enough to be a good one (or even a bad one) right now.

- Fraggle