RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Nerves? I just finished building a plane from a kit. 18 months of work! I was nervous about the maiden but worked through it. Took the plane off and it was a bear! Wanted to do nothing BUT stall! Got it back on the ground, took a day to repair a couple cracks in the cowl, readjust the CG (NOT according to the manufacturers specs that were WAY off!) and get a new prop. 24 hours later I was standing at the fields edge, engine running and hands shaking...ready to try it again!
I've been doin' this for over 10 years and still get the shakes. But there is no feeling better than when it all comes together and your big ol' ME 109 comes rippin' down the runway on a full throttle flyby, you tip the wings slightly and get a full view of the top side as it screams by...it's worth every nerve racking minute!

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Interesting read. I'll be taking to the skies here within the next few weeks for the first time myself...I do want to put forth that even with cars the jitters are there a bit. Every time I fire it up I'm a bit nervous, and the jitters are the strongest as I slip the last body pin in and set it on the ground. They disappear pretty quickly, though, when I give it a blip and it starts scooting about, and by the time the engine has warmed up I'm cool, calm, and amused.


God I hope I'm not a jittery mess when I'm handed the controls to my plane for the first time...hahaha

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Every maiden.

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Hi

Now this is a fun thread ,................ good reading

Michel

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

After solo'ing, when I put something new together, I really had the jitters about maiding the darned thing. So, I asked my trusty Instructor if he would mind doing it for me. He gladly accepted, saying that it was always a thrill for him to maiden any model, his, mine, anyone's. Especially someone else's.. :D Perhaps he realized that if it crashed, HE wasn't out the bucks, I was. [:o] ;)

Anyway, after a couple of those, I thought about it a bit and said to myself, "Why should he have all the fun". So, I set everything to minimum, applied quite a bit of expo to the controls, checked that all deflections went in the right direction... [X(] and started the thing up. Once I taxied it out and straightened it preparing for take-off, it seemed that all thoughts of maiding a new plane went away and all I was doing was flying another plane.. well, almost.

I took off carefully and carefully climbed to altitude. The first order of business is trim. So, I set the throttle at a comfortable point and carefully set the trims. I flew a few orbits and quickly landed it and checked to see how much of the trim could be dialed out mechanically to re-center the sticks and did that.

Then, after about 20 to 30 minutes of messing around with the trims, I re-checked everything to make sure I didn't accidentally reversed something, and put it in the air again and re-checked the trim.

Then the fun began. Loops, Rolls, Inverted, Hammerheads, Reverse Cuban 8's, and so on..

But, I must admit, even though I said that the jitters went away when I lined it up, they were really there, I just focused on the task at hand, and that was to safely maiden the plane. After about three tanks the jitters were pretty much gone and I really was learning the handling characteristics of that new plane.

Needless to say, they, the jitters, never really go away, but we learn to deal with them as best we can. The folks that I see crashing a lot are those that simply take things for granted and fly with over-confidence and ignore that little voice in the back of there minds that are saying "you really should not do that..". How do I know? I've done it. How many times have you said, Oh, hell, just one more time.. and, well, brought things home in a basket? My opinion only here. I'm sure that some will object to that observation.

Aaaanyway, I thought I'd add that.

CGr.

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Yo Bro, I think I like your idea a lot more than my bananas! I guess that's why its called a six-pack of courage. After three or four, your inverted passes are a lot lower!! ;-)

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

G'day again

I learned to fly (the basics) at one club then had an eight year layoff. Then I started again at a second and learned a bit more. And then we moved again and I joined my third club. My first two clubs flew Mode 1 and so that was what I had learned but my current club is really mostly Mode 2 so when I built new planes there was no one to test them other them but me. Si decided that if anyone was going to crash my planes, it might as well be me.

Since then I have test flown about 30 planes; mostly my own but a few others. I crashed two of mine. One was just WAY out of trim thanks to warped wood and the other was, I suspect, tail heavy but the instructions were so poor I really don't know. The rest were fine and these days I am pretty relaxed about it but being too relaxed leads to trouble. Like the time I forgot to pull the antenna up on my beautiful Four Star 60. It went about 100 metres then suddenly rolled right. I realised what the problem was, ripped the antenna up, rolled back level and applied full up and almost missed the ground. As the angle of attack was pretty fine, the damage was light.

So I guess that it means that when you feel confident all the time, and never feel nervous - WATCH OUT. That is when things go wrong. That's when you don't check things properly.

Mike in Oz

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Never.

If you're not a bit nervous you're not pushing the envelope....or it's time for a new scale warbird : )

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

I see most people say never. I used to have my advanced instructor do all my maidens for me so when I got the plane it was all trimmed out for me. After he had a stroke I looked around and decided there weren't any pilots that I trusted better then I trusted myself. After my first maiden flight I did myself I lost all the shakes and sweats and just don't get the jeebees any more.
I'm thinking maybe it's an attitude problem on my part?? I don't worry about it, the planes don't do anything I can't control and if I do something stupid then OH WELL. I'll just build another one.
I don't like to maiden other peoples planes, it isn't nerves, it's because I can never be sure what they have done or how the plane is set up. If it's something I have built or set up for them I have no problem with it.
I really do miss the shakes though, it added that element to flying that kept me on my toes. I have a bad case of the HO HUMS when flying, maybe that's why I like building better then flying??

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Ha!!! Oh man I remember those days! For the first couple years, I would be so nervous at times my back would start to seize up and I'd have to shuffle back to the pits. Stomach rumbling, feeling all jittery... man I'm glad I don't have that anymore. The more flying you do, and the more types of planes you fly, it will become less and less. There'll always be a tiny bit of jitter, but that will typically show up when you're flying a new plane, flying in windy conditions or conditions you're not used to. But they, the jitters, will be nowhere near as pronounced as you experience now. Recently I maidened my 1/3 Paulistinha, never flown a plane that big, and have only flown maybe once this year. Was I nervous? Naw... I have confidence in my building abilities and confidence in my flying skills. Besides, you'll come to understand after a few years that it'll either fly well or crash, so come what may. Confidence will kill the jitters and it only be obtained from experience. So while wasn't nervous, I was 'aware' and made sure I had everything nailed down and it was ready to fly. Once you set onto the line, no biggie.. time to fly!! You'll get there, they will pass!!

Dittos to gray beard. I don't fly anothers on maiden either. Happy to assist and spot, but they or someone else can do the flying. It can bring a bad mood to otherwise good friends if it turns out wrong, not to mention I'd feel horrible if something went south and dug dirt with it.

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Great thread!
3 years flying, two in GS gassers. I still shake almost every time I fly...

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

It's never really left me, either, though I'd describe it as a "heightened sense of alertness", rather than nervousness.

'Cept if it's a new model, of course. Then it's a mix of apprehension and reluctance and determination and fatalism.

If I haven't flown for a while, something marvellous happens. As I drive to the flying field and catch sight of models in the air ... oh, do I get a buzz. And then the smell of burnt fuel in the pits. Whoa! Absolutely the most fun you can have with your clothes on.



Or, perhaps, I'm a bit odd? 26 years and counting.

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

HI
every first flight until she is trimmed-and every maiden flight-for 20 years
ENJOY BEST REGARDS TONY

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

In 5 years of flying it has never stopped for me. I get nervous just before I fly, but after I take off it tends to go away. Unless I fly my war bird then it is another story.

I also get nervous hand launching planes I was never good at it and I still am not good at it.

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

When you are toes up! :)

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

The most fun I've had (not nervous one tiny bit) was with an old Avistar a friend at work gave me..

I had nothing invested in the place except a reciever and some packing tape to cover the hanger rash..
I flew the snot out of that thing trying any maneuver in the book it could pull off.. I learned quite a bit from that plane because I was willing to try so much more with it..
It's nice to have one bird in the hanger you can try anything on with no regrets if she augers in..

I still get the shakes a bit on maiden flights and trying new gear.. It'll never really go away completly.

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

iT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE IN GOOD COMPANY. I SUFFER THE SAME IF I HAVE NOT BEEN FLYING IN A WEEK OR TWO. WHAT HELPS ME MOST IS AS SOON AS I GET UP ON MY FIRST FLIGHT OF THE DAY IS TO DO SOME FIGURE 8'S AND JUST GET COMFORTABLE RIGHT AND LEFT THEN A COUPLE OF LOOPS AND I AM GOOD TO GO!

GRUMPY GORILLA

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

been flying since '86 still get the shakes with a new plane and lasts until i learn that plane and how its going to react to all flight situations.
the more you fly the plane the less nervous you will be

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Wow, am I glad I saw this thread! I was begining to think there was something wrong with me!:) i have been flying for eight years and still get all shook up, shaky thumbs knees you name it! Have had to hand the transmitter off to my son on occasion, glad to hear that I am not alone!:D

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

I have one friend that has been flying for too many years to count. He really is a good pilot but the longer he has a plane in the air the more shook up he gets?? If he has been up for over five minutes he has me come out and land his planes for him. He just turns into a ball of nerves?? Everyone is different, I just haven't noticed any of the guys I fly with showing any of the shakes. This week I will walk the line and ask them if they still get the heebee geebees when flying. I'm sure there are a few but this thread really surprises me.
Maybe it's like Viagra, guys just don't mention it???:)

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Say Gray Beard.......come on over here and help me if you want to get nervous. Maidened my kit built Giant Aeromaster today-my first gasser. She's been hanging on the wall for 3 years. Flew beautifully but the guys said they could hear the old knees knocking from 50 yards away. Like you, I probably enjoy building more than flying but I do enjoy the rush of a first flite. Let's see, 300 hours in construction, 8 minute first flite. Yeah, that's about right :)

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

As with me I started in 1975. I had a trainer and a heathkit 10 channel radio. Can't remember the number if times I rebuilt it. Then I built a Sr. Falcon kit. Talk about nervous. Still get it today when I fly that plane. Good to see someone else still has one. I now teach student and seniors to fly. Little do they know that I am usually as nervous as they are when I buddy box them. Like everyone else that is half of the excitment. I will get better and I hope you have a good instructor who can help you through it.:D

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

Hey jimmy, its healthy to be nervous, it shows you are aware and tuned in to the hobby. I've seen flyers down at my field with a 'no fear' ... 'I'm the best' attitude and also seen them come to grief with embarrasment, they don't usually stay around in the hobby for long! I've been flying 30+ years, I've now moved on to big 100cc petrol, ....... and I still sometimes get nervous .... especially with a new model.

Keep at it and its gets less nerve racking, honest, I've been there.

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

I seem to remember always getting nervous on weekends in my earlier years of RC flying. Then I'd go flying on weekdays either by myself or with one or maybe two other flyers and it was totally different. It was amazing how calm and comfortable I was flying compared to those jittery nervous weekends. Seems the larger amount of spectators on weekends and holidays and the numerous pilots waiting in the pits for their turns to fly just added that much more pressure to not screw up:) Of course it's different now with my older age and experience. The more spectators and scrutinizing pilots on hand, the more comfortable I am and the better I fly!;):D

RE: When does the nevousness stop?
 

I think the nervousness is something we continue to seek. I know I do. As time goes by, I build bigger more complicated and more difficult projects. Sure, If I fly a .40 sized trainer, no biggie. That is why I continue to go faster and bigger. Competition is also a big part of the hobby. Keeps it interesting . I love this hobby. It is the greatest extra curicular activity I have been involved in.
This one knocked my knees on the maiden! I have been flying her now for years.