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How to get over nervousness when flying?

Asked by: 1463 views
General Aviation

I am an instrument rated private pilot and currently working towards my commercial license. I have about 280 hours of flight time and try to fly once every 1-2 weeks. With this being said, I usually get nervous when I fly (mainly during operations from preflight to takeoff). I don't recall ever being like this when I first received my PPL, and there doesn't necessarily have to be anything to prompt my nervousness such as inclement weather.

I pride myself in my eagerness to go above and beyond in terms of aviation knowledge and risk management as flying is my #1 passion; however, I can't seem to be fully confident in my abilities for seemingly no reason.

Does anyone else have similar feelings or have any advice on how to overcome nervousness/lack of confidence when flying? Once I'm up in the air, I feel fully confident, but it's just the part of getting there where I doubt myself.

Thanks!

Blake

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1 Answers



  1. Grieger on Aug 01, 2022

    We all doubt ourselves sometimes I think, and to a certain extent it’s probably better to err on the side of caution rather than overconfidence. In my experience the best cure for nerves has been to keep at what you’re doing and keep double-checking yourself until you know in your gut that you have it down (knowing it in your head doesn’t always seem to be enough, for me at least).

    That said, if you feel like you’re experiencing undue levels of anxiety given your situation and experience level, and especially if you ever feel like it’s interfering with your ability to concentrate on your preflight and takeoff operations, it might be worth speaking to your doctor or another professional about your symptoms to rule out any medical factors.

    I wish you well in your efforts! You’ve already made great progress towards your goal, and I’m sure you’ll overcome this too.

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