Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 39

FEAR FACTOR

Tackling other common flying anxieties

FEAR OF THE CHECKRIDE
Study hard, visualize, and wear a tie
If you're having pre-checkride jitters, terrific! It shows you've got pride in how you
fly and want to perform to the best of your ability. Also, some slightly elevated level
of adrenaline helps focus and leads to peak performance, so welcome it.
Pilot examiners are generally sympathetic to nervous candidates and will do all
they can to settle things down, to a point. After all, the certificate you're seeking is
likely, at some point, to put you and your passengers in situations that require calm,
informed pilot decision making and performance-so if the stress of a checkride is
simply too much, perhaps the candidate is poorly suited to the task.
Also, keep in mind that there's no correlation between pilot skill and confidence-especially when it comes to checkrides. Students who are thoroughly
prepared and know the material cold are just as likely (and maybe even more likely)
to be anxious as those who are marginal.
Use that nervous energy to study extra hard and know the material especially
well. Those hours of preparation should tire you out-but if you're lying in bed at
night unable to sleep, visualize the checkride itself. Mentally put yourself in the left
seat as you make all the right radio calls, fly the maneuvers to perfection, and handle each scenario like a pro. You'll be surprised at how much you can force reality to
match your mental picture of it.
Talk to other pilots who have taken the same checkride from the same examiner so you know what to expect. Then meet the examiner in
advance and ask what you can do to get ready for the checkride. The examiner will likely ask you to plan a flight to a certain airport with a
defined combination of wind and weather conditions, and that information is enough to dig in. A side benefit to interacting with the examiner is
familiarity. You'll see that they're not so scary, and you'll be more comfortable with them on checkride day.
When the day itself comes, be as rested, relaxed, and prepared as possible. Crank up some of your favorite tunes on the way to the airport
for inspiration.
And dress for the occasion.
A seasoned pilot told me long ago that he'd never failed a checkride to which he'd worn a tie, and he advised me to do the same. I treated
it like a joke in the moment, but I wore a tie to that and subsequent checkrides-and his record of success still holds. I don't know if there was
anything to it, but I'll take any help I can get.
dave.hirschman@aopa.org

FEAR OF TURBULENCE
Like life, turbulence is just a part of flying
The worst turbulence I ever encountered in my student pilot days was on a flight to
Oshkosh-for the big airshow in Wisconsin. I was simply a passenger in the right seat, listening and observing and trying to be helpful if needed, but the pilot had done this many
times before. However, he made a slight miscalculation and only had a minute to warn me
as we entered the jet wash of a larger aircraft around Chicago-"Watch your head, this is
going to hurt." My head thumped the ceiling of the Bonanza hard and we experienced a
moment of squirrelly motion before we leveled off, resuming an uneventful flight.
Of course this was localized wake turbulence-we'd put ourselves in the wrong place
at the wrong time-and it was an event, not a continuous rocking and rolling that pilots
know as "light," "moderate," or "severe" turbulence, which can bounce you around
even in the clearest of conditions. Knowing what causes turbulence is the cure for the
fear-and knowing that aircraft are designed to withstand all but the most extreme
conditions, i.e., airplanes do not break apart in the sky.
According to the AOPA Air Safety Institute, clouds are your "signposts" for rough air.
Standing lenticular clouds and rotor clouds signify the presence of turbulence, as do clouds
that appear as crashing waves. Towering cumulus or cumulonimbus also can signify strong
turbulence. Flying over the mountains and hot summer days are turbulence inducers.
You can reduce or avoid turbulence by flying early in the morning or in the evening.
The air is usually calmer at those times. Fly in the winter-that clear blue air may be cold,
but it's often still. In the summer, climb above the puffy cumulus to search out a smoother
ride. Other ways to make the ride easier include slowing to maneuvering speed (VA);
staying focused; and, if you are in a complex aircraft, lowering the gear.
Just like life, there will be rough patches. Maintaining your balance, understanding
your limitations, mitigating risk, and increasing your knowledge will help. But I didn't
say it will always be smooth.
julie.walker@aopa.org

AOPA.ORG/FT 39

http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT

Flight Training - March/April 2020

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