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Anxiety when flying solo

Asked by: 2514 views General Aviation, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

I am a 200 hour private pilot that has flown about 70 hours in last 6 months including earning my MEL rating. Prior to the 6 months I didn’t fly for 10 years since getting my initial private rating. Once I got my private I only flew once or twice by myself and in the last 6 months I only flew about 3 hours solo with one cross country and one pattern work day. 

When I fly with my instructor I’m solid as a rock no matter what. We’ve done initial IFR training, 150 mile cross countries, and been in lots of bumpy air. Yet whenever I go up solo it’s a different experience where I’m just uncomfortable. It can be so bad that it causes me to have pretty terrible landings. 

Curious if this group has any sage advice or suggestions to break through this? Maybe it’s just keep on going up until I feel confident but I am worried I’m going to have a bad landing or incident because my nerves aren’t steady  

 

thoughts?

 

 

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2 Answers



  1. KDS on Sep 15, 2019

    I always feel better with another pilot along as long as the person is responsible. I even remember one time when I was flying with my better-half who was not a pilot and something had me puzzled until she said “Isn’t that switch supposed to be up?” Two heads are better than one. But, it should not be as extreme as you describe it.

    I can take a stab at what might be behind your lack of comfort. You may have a high dual to solo ratio. So “normal” is with another person over there while not having someone there is “abnormal”, which makes anyone anxious to some degree. The other person should not make a big difference, but it has probably become something like Dumbo’s Magic Feather. You do not think you can fly without it even though you can. I suspect as your dual to solo ratio swings more the other way any anxiety will fade to a very small amount.

    Meanwhile, you might want to try flying with another private pilot. Someone who is more your peer. Does that feel comfortable? Then try flying with a passenger. Is that different than solo? Better or worse? Then sit back and think about those different flights and how you felt on them and why. You will probably find your own answer and pretty soon you will be comfortable without your magic feather.

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  2. CarsonAviation on Oct 12, 2019

    Don’t get stuck in your head. It’s really easy when flying solo, especially on long trips, to get anxious or fixated because there’s nobody else to talk with and nothing going on in the cockpit. That lets your mind wander off into thoughts about things unrelated to flying the plane.

    Here are some things that help:
    [1] Bring a portable oxygen tank with you and use it, even if you’re not flying very high. You’ll be amazed at home much calmer you’ll feel and how much it helps you keep a clear head and make better decisions.
    [2] Stay hydrated and bring extra water with you. It’s really easy to get dried out pretty quickly when flying, and dehydration can make you feel off and lay a foundation for further crappy feelings when flying alone.
    [3] Get VFR Advisories (commonly called Flight Following) in flight to keep yourself busy on the radio and to keep your brain aware of other traffic in the area.
    [4] Don’t attempt night solo until you get very comfortable with day solo.
    [5] Always have a plan when flying, whether you’re solo or not. Always be on the lookout for places to ditch the plane if you need to and keep yourself aware of where you are.

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