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Old 05-20-2002 | 02:51 PM
  #7  
Kevin_W
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From: Carrollton, TX
Default Nervous jet pilots

Brain,
Unless you are so nervous that it is affecting your piloting skills I would not worry too much. It took about 30-35 flights on my first interceptor before I was finally able to feel somewhat relaxed while flying it. I still tend to shake a little a little during the first flight or two after not being able to fly for a more than a week, and the first flight at a new field it is almost a guaranteed that my fingers will be a little shaky.
The key is to get lots of practice. In the mid 90's the club I belonged to had a wonderful jet friendly field and I was able to put in 5 or more jet flights every weekend and I got really comfortable with them. In 97 we lost that field and my weekend flying went way down, and it really showed in my flying skills. I was nervous almost every flight, my knees and fingers were shaking and as a result I had to be very careful not to do any maneuvers that might get me into trouble. Now that I once again have a field to fly at close to home I am getting more weekend flights in and I am feeling much more comfortable with my jets.
Another thing that helps me is to have a routine (mental checklist if you will) for preparing the plane for flight and startup. As long as I keep to my routine I know that the plane is completely ready for flight and I don't have to worry about mechanical failures. If anything "out of the ordinary" happens then I fix it and start over just to be sure that I don't forget anything. A written checklist would be even better but I know that I would either loose or forget to bring it so I find it easier to just stick to a routine. Having a good caller is also very helpful. I have a couple of good friends who I fly with who are my normal callers, they know what information I need while flying and what I don't need to be bothered with. They can also tell when I am nervous and will keep other's at the flight line from bothering me with silly questions or comments if it is distracting me from my piloting duties. Having a trusted caller who you can communicate with and who can communicate with you is very helpful for your nerves.
Just don't try any maneuvers that are you are not comfortable with until you have mastered them on a less expensive prop plane and you will be fine.