I had my first flight today, any tips?
Posted by Eloi18rh@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 84 comments
(skip this part if u don't want to read me yap about how it was) I posted here some time ago asking for advice on how to pay for the atpl license, I'm still working on it, but I've started with the ppl, I already completed the ground school part of it in a month and today I had my first flight, LELL-LELL on board a c152, I loved it, i haven't been hooked to aviation like this ever before, even though I had some strong winds (for my newbie ass 20kts it's a lot) and some crazy updrafts I had a lot of fun. Any tips on how to improve ? Hod did you master your skills when you started to fly?
mateusdurigon@reddit
Equalise the number of takeoffs with the landings
Prefect_99@reddit
Say goodbye to all your money.
Gabriel_TRD@reddit
Get that Ground knowledge down, chair flying helps and if you’re a YouTube kid like me watch every single aviation video you can find bro
No-Change-1777@reddit
Dont crash
1E-12@reddit
Do you guess call is a "Sessna" or a "Theth-na"?
Eloi18rh@reddit (OP)
Thessna ig, the c sound in Spanish is more similar to the th in English, but the s is pretty much it
Lamathrust7891@reddit
1) Enjoy
2) Prior proper preparation prevents piss poor performance.
guischmitd@reddit
Awesome! Enjoy your training. I've read some nasty reviews about the flight schools in Sabadell while searching for places to pursue a PPL, mind sharing your impressions either here or on DM?
Eloi18rh@reddit (OP)
I chose Barcelona flight school because of the fleet size (plenty of 152s, p92s and if it pocket can handle it the are 172s and 182s) and because they had an intensive course for the ground school, the 100h in 1 month, since I'm still in uni that was pretty attractive to me, cuz I didn't want to do both things at the same time. EAS is ok as well, they do have good things but I didn't have the option to do the whole theory in one month + it was 3k more for basically the same thing, so that's why I didn't chose them, aero link is BS, and dream air has 2 aircrafts so when maintenance is due u ain't flying. I you have any questions feel free to dm me
guischmitd@reddit
Wow, you've clearly done your research, thanks for sharing (:
No_Spot7835@reddit
Dont crash
boo9o99b@reddit
Don’t crash
seagull7@reddit
C152 climbs faster if you hum the tune of Ironman3 while holding full throttle.
Eloi18rh@reddit (OP)
I will tell this to my CFI cuz idk if he knows it
SalvaIsFlying@reddit
I had my first flight and whole flight training in LELL, and now I ended up flying A321’s across Europe.
My best tips are: •Focus on the books, but remember that ultimately you’re the one flying and feeling will help you a lot. •Getting anxious at times can be normal, find your limits and get help by an instructor to overpass them slowly with time •Feel confident in navigating, especially in that area the ATC isn’t the best and you’ll have plenty of almost mid air collision, focus on where you are, pilot reports and your own sight
Wish you the best, and I really wish I could go back in time to flying those little planes in Sabadell :’)
Eloi18rh@reddit (OP)
Thanks, yes ATC is a little bit overwhelmed with the amount of traffic
esloquehay@reddit
Always debrief, with your instructor or with yourself. And BTW, I got my PPL on ERV …
Eloi18rh@reddit (OP)
Niceeeee
EntroperZero@reddit
There will be times when it is incredibly fun. And then there will be times when it is incredibly frustrating, and you feel like you aren't progressing, and you'll wonder why it isn't fun anymore. Don't worry, that's just because it's hard. Keep going, it'll get fun again.
mrb13676@reddit
Stay away from the edges of the sky.
Enjoy it. Best addiction ever
Agile_Animator9337@reddit
Start saving ?
sampsontscott@reddit
Parroting someone else: Until PPL you should spend at least 1 hour couch flying for every hour spent in the aircraft. It is SO much cheaper correcting and preventing mistakes on the ground than in-air.
-burnr-@reddit
Fly good. Don't suck.
Ready-Structure-3936@reddit
Stay consistent, after lots of bad weather spells, and having to cancel. I’ve found myself 5 months in with 15 hours.
Impressive-Bus7746@reddit
Blue side up
Eloi18rh@reddit (OP)
Can't argue with that one
ryleypav@reddit
Maybe, until you've flown upside down on purpose.
Arnwaldminorisa@reddit
Tu practica nano, al final amb la pràctica acaba sortint tot. Si t'hagués de dir res en concret, és que et centris en aprendre a fer anar la potència, la columna de control i el compensador. Tots estan interrelacionats i són la clau d'una aproximació estable, en particular l'ús del compensador (trim). Després també entra en joc com compensar el vent creuat, que té un parell de tècniques, crabbing i sideslipping. Lo més important ara però és que agafis sensacions ja que són claus per aprendre tot lo demés
Malcolm2theRescue@reddit
You are in Spain?
Eloi18rh@reddit (OP)
Yes
Malcolm2theRescue@reddit
Very nice! Which part?
Eloi18rh@reddit (OP)
The airport is LELL (ICAO Code) QSA (iata), near Barcelona, the airspace is a little bit tricky cuz of the ATC but still nice
Malcolm2theRescue@reddit
Oh! Sabadell! Flew over it many times on the way to BCN. Beautiful area! Catalunya is the best.
Available-Mud-7198@reddit
Try to enjoy the process during your training!
plasmo_falciparum@reddit
Always talk to tower
mfigroid@reddit
And if they really like you they'll give you a number to call.
plasmo_falciparum@reddit
They’re so flirty like that
Sagan_Man@reddit
🤣😂
Gloomy_Shallot_564@reddit
Enjoy it. Have fun.
x4457@reddit
Schedule your second flight.
Eloi18rh@reddit (OP)
I actually have scheduled my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th flight scheduled, I'm hoping to at least fly 3 or 4.
WinterSeveral2838@reddit
Practice makes perfect for newcomers!
stardreamer00@reddit
Is this in AZ?
Eloi18rh@reddit (OP)
If you mean Arizona, then no. This is in Spain.
walterzingo@reddit
Take a second one :-)
debauchasaurus@reddit
Dance with the wind
Secure_Power861@reddit
Save yourself remedial training hours and test on the minimum required hours by spending some money and getting a joystick and flight simulator on your laptop or pc. Numerous games and videos out there to help you prepare for your next lesson. You can teach yourself a PPL on the sim prior to even doing it for real.
Prepare, prepare, prepare. Study your checklist and why you're doing what. The sooner you can do the checklist on your own, the more confident you'll be and the more faith your instructor will have in you. - "Why do we check carb heat during engine runs?" - "Why do we check magnetos, what are magnetos, how are they powered", etc. - "Why is there no electrical fuel pump in this 152?"
I have been instructing for over 15 years. The best students I've seen are those that prepare prepare prepare.
Check out "The Finer Points" on YouTube. Great knowledge for beginners! (I am not associated)
Able-Development9220@reddit
I’m a student pilot with 50hrs.
I’d say that watching YouTube videos helped me a lot.
Aviation101 is good. LewDix is good…
Continue to take lessons and try to impress your instructor by watching those videos. Be ahead of the game. Start your ground school ASAP Don’t expect the instructor to spoon feed you things.
Excelzius@reddit
You want tips before or after flight? 🤣
UsedandAbused87@reddit
Right rudder
Apuonbus@reddit
Keep the blue side up
Apuonbus@reddit
Keep the blue side up
Eddie949@reddit
ATOMATOFLAMES
indigod0g@reddit
Start studying from the get go.. read the PHAK and find a studying software program that works for you. Make flashcards. Really and truly understand your aircraft systems. Don’t let yourself get behind the books or the plane.
butterballed@reddit
Tell the next girl you meet you’re basically a pilot
SpartanDoubleZero@reddit
Fly good don’t suck.
Listen to your CFI
You’ll have shitty landings as long as you’re flying, they just become less frequent
Study and chair fly a lot
Fly as often as you can to make everything above have a better ROI.
Dustin_James_Kid@reddit
What does it mean to chair fly?
sknurt08@reddit
To add onto mfigroid get a poster of the cockpit from Sportys and set your chair in front of it. Practice the flows, button presses, etc. with a checklist from the flight school to help build muscle memory
mfigroid@reddit
To mentally and physically rehearse flight procedures, emergency actions, or any complex process while on the ground, whether in a chair, on a simulator, or in the aircraft with the engine off.
pilotshashi@reddit
🫵🏼 my queen C152
No_Volume_9616@reddit
Don't meow on 121.5.
RetardedChimpanzee@reddit
Be sure to lower the landing gear before landing
Marker_Meow@reddit
Don’t crash, stay calm (I wasn’t the first time I sweat my ass off lol), and lastly have fun :)
balderdash66@reddit
Continue onward!
RickD_619@reddit
The only time you have too much fuel is when you are on fire.
makgross@reddit
In a 152?
Pretty damn easy to get those fuckers overweight.
kytulu@reddit
I once had to pull 10 gallons out of a PA-44. The student (or the fueler) wasn't paying attention and topped off the right tank. The student was on the chonky side, and having that much fuel put them outside the W&B envelope.
Nightcr4wl3r@reddit
I like the paint job on that 152!
MoreSpoiler@reddit
Have fun, enjoy the journey brother
Uncut-Oven4048@reddit
Don’t crash
Serious_pOoper69@reddit
Leave your ego at the door, accept all criticism from your instructor, and stay humble. But more importantly—enjoy your flight training!
StPauliBoi@reddit
More right rudder
BigBird50N@reddit
Breathe grasshopper.
TheHidingGoSeeker@reddit
Don’t quit
fly4fun2014@reddit
Don't wait too long between lessons. Ideally fly 3-4 times per week
PilotC150@reddit
Schedule 3-4 hoping to actually fly 2-3 times a week.
sirepicness666@reddit
Study study study! Prepare for lessons before hand
GrouchyManimal@reddit
Make sure your instructor isn’t just looking to build time and actually wants you to learn and get your ratings.
ansonchappell@reddit
If that's your daily? Don't gain any weight. And only have skinny (short) friends.
MDT230@reddit
Please for the love of God, MORE RIGHT RUDDER!!!!
External_Aside6338@reddit
Show up prepared for each lesson, chair fly, and make sure you enjoy each flight!
franziskanerdunkel@reddit
Listen to your instructor!
BoeDinger1225@reddit
Fly more. Have fun
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
(skip this part if u don't want to read me yap about how it was) I posted here some time ago asking for advice on how to pay for the atpl license, I'm still working on it, but I've started with the ppl, I already completed the ground school part of it in a month and today I had my first flight, LELL-LELL on board a c152, I loved it, i haven't been hooked to aviation like this ever before, even though I had some strong winds (for my newbie ass 20kts it's a lot) and some crazy updrafts I had a lot of fun. Any tips on how to improve ? Hod did you master your skills when you started to fly?
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