Before the first flight eat a handfull of pretzels and breathe deeply the carbs and oxygen will help calm yourself. Ohhh and cut back on the coffee too..

The implicatin here is a beer. And that is the stupidest idea ever.

That isn't funny and you are sick!

+2

Take Deep Breaths..........in straight and level flight, let go of the controls, breath, and then turn at the other end. And, fly, fly, fly....nothing that more burning more fuel won't solve.

A stool or a chair to sit on . That way you only have on thing to get nervious about. It helps to relax before and during a flight.

Some pretty good tips here but I haven't see any of the stuff that helps me. I'm pretty new to flying but picked it up right away. Now I do lots of maiden flights, tuning flights and buddy box stuff, too. Sometimes I just stand next to people and that helps them stay calm. I always ask for a second set of eyes to stand next to me on a maiden or tuning flight. It helps to have the extra eyes and that way I don't seem crazy when I talk to myself.

When someone hands me their controls for a new plane or I have something new that I'm going to fly. I jump around a bit, raise my arms, shake my hands and do a little dance to get the blood pumping. Occasionally will yell Kick me in the Jimmy! (Beavis and Butthead, anyone?). Not only does it get my psyched up but also lightens the mood. I think it's that combination that helps me.

Well lots of good info,

I get this way exspecly when I fly at a new site.

1. Always fly my cheap and easy Rifle 1M, its fast and cheap and helps me get a feel of the area.

2. Always get a spoter, one that is cable of flying my jet if needed.

3. I do get realy nervous some times and my leg shakes, and I try to control my breathing like I do when I run, and it helps me calm down.

4. DONT give up, I have been nervous and felt all kinds of odd, and thought I was going to crash, I gave up in my head, then snaped out in time to save my jet.

But I guess practice is it, I have only been flying for 4.5 years so I need more practice I guess.

One Word.......PRACTICE!!!!!

Plus one on the practice and starting off with an "icebreaker" model.

Also, if I am getting the yips, I often think of the quote by Keith Miller, RAAF WW2 pilot and one of Aussie's best all round cricketers who commented in relation to test cricket: "that's not pressure, real pressure is having a Messerschmidt up your arse". So, as others have mentioned, putting things in perspective helps.

Oh for Christ sake .......... why don't you go out and buy a sense of humor !!

Sounds like you sure as hell are missing one !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like you also need a sense of humor !

I am quite sure that they still have them in Canada !

+2 for you Granpooba! Obviously the sense of humor is lacking in those Northern Latitudes.....Oye Vey!


CB

Couldn't agree more with Jeffo's comment.
Being shaky should be considered part of fun. I've been flying long enough to get bored while flying.

But then, after a long break, I found myself shaking a bit.
Worst case of shaking happened on my first pattern competition.

Unless it is medical condition, it will go away, but enjoy it as well while it happens.
Come to think of it, first landing with no damage was the greatest joy from this hobby.

Just remember, your not going to die if your plane crashes. If you are worried about your plane because it cost you some bucks, I think you are in the wrong hobby.
All planes crash at some point in time. Could be the maiden.......or 20 years from the maiden. Relax and enjoy the hobby......don't worry about it.

Now wait just a minute there.....this is some of the tastiest beer around.

Valium and Jack Daniels, hmmm, wonder if that is better than cocaine and single malt?

Why not just calm down.

It's a model aeroplane not the collapse of Western Civilisation.

If you crash it you can work out why and either repair it, buy a new one, buy or build an easier-flying model and get back on the horse. Otherwise just practice and you'll soon wonder what all the fuss was about.

Years ago, I was at an R/C boat race. Between heats, a new driver was being tested for his driver's qualification. He had no problem with the oral test but was so nervous he had a hard time driving and was failed on his first attempt. While he was refueling his boat for a second(also final for the day) attempt, one of the guys walked over and asked what was going on. When the rookie gave his answer, the veteran said the guy needed to take three deep breathes before his boat was launched with a double shot of rum between them. The guy laughed so hard he forgot about being tested and ran the required laps with no problem a few minutes later. After the test was over, the veteran walked over and handed an empty rum bottle to the rookie. When asked what the bottle was for, the veteran told him it's what he had used to pass his drivers test several years earlier. The next time a rookie had problems with nerves, the now qualified driver repeated the advice given to him and passed on the bottle. It's been handed off several times since and I, fortunately, never took possession of it

A nice tradition.

A buddy of mine shakes pretty good when he flies even though he is a great pilot. His solution was to stiffen the sticks up significantly, too tight for most people. He still shakes but not as much shake gets through to the plane which would otherwise just increase his shaking.

A gyro is another idea. The first few minutes of flight on my jet always causes me to shake a little. I calm down much quicker if the plane stays where it is pointed, if the wind is throwing it around it takes longer for me to calm down. The gyro keeps other forces from throwing the plane around thus decreasing my anxiety quicker.

The idea of a quick turn around is very effective also. When I go out to fly I may take awhile to get in the air but once I'm flying I usually go one right after the other, it doesn't give me time to get nervous about the next flight.

Everyone is different so keep trying until you find what works for you.

It seems to me the situation we're nervous about is the plane getting airborne and being beyond our ability to control.
So, the first thing to do is a prescribed ritual flight. I started doing this in my flight simulator because I found I needed the backdrop of some kind of program to follow.
The ritual flight will confirm both your and your plan's capabilities (and rest of the equipment).
A dynamic capabilities checklist.

I like to sit on a chair when I fly. That way my knees dont shake.

I've been flying just over 2 years now and I'm still loving it. I have hundreds and hundreds of flights under my belt (lost count after 150 or so flights) and I still get nervous, especially for the first flight of the day. I've lost a plane or had some problems with 'flying fever' where I overlooked problems with battery voltages or ignored a rough idle/transition, or forgot to tighten LG bolts. Pre-flight checks begin at home.

Low-rates and gentle flying for the first few minutes help me to calm down, but I enjoy pushing my comfort zone a little each flight.

PD

For me a flight on my old Sky Tiger which is more epoxy than wood but still flies like a kitten to start my session gets the jitters out of the way.