2011-05-Overcoming-Self-Doubt

Vintage Instructor THE

BY Steve Krog, CFI

Overcoming self-doubt Arising early for another day of work, you hear the weather forecast in the background indicating it will be a beautiful day to go flying after work. While driving to work you scan the sky and note that it is perfect for flying, but then you think about the last flight you made.

Throughout the workday your mind wanders, and you think you’d much rather be flying than sitting in an endless meeting chaired by the boss with a monotone delivery. And again you think about that last flight.

Finally, the workday comes to an end. You want to go flying before heading home. The breeze is light and the sky bright blue. But on the way to the airport you begin thinking about your last flight and the “spectacular” landing you made. You forgot to set up for a crosswind landing and nearly ran your beautifully restored airplane off the runway and into the deep drainage ditch alongside the pavement. “When will the FAA ever decide that drainage ditches next to a runway can be airplane eaters?” you wonder. Your palms were sweaty then and your stomach knotted seemingly into your throat as you nervously taxied back to the hangar that day. You were thankful that no harm was done to your airplane, but your ego was severely bruised and confidence seriously shaken.

“What did I do wrong on that landing?” you’ve asked yourself a hundred times since that flight.

You’ve played it over and over in your mind to the point where you’re now fixated on it every time you even think of going flying. You’ve even dreamt about it.

Approaching the airport, your palms begin to sweat just thinking about that landing, and a knot begins to grow in your stomach. What began as a thought of exhilaration and flying your treasured airplane has now become one of self-doubt. Excuses for not flying today occupy your mind. The wind looks a little too strong, and there seems to be some crosswind. Your self-doubt grows. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day to fly, you think.

After spending an hour thoroughly overlooking your airplane at the hangar, you check the windsock

32 MAY 2011

one more time and come to the conclusion that it is just a bit too windy. Self-doubt has caused your stomach to become one big acid pit in need of a whole roll of Tums. You slowly close the hangar doors; then you hop in your car for the 30-minute drive home.

Defeated!

Once on the road home, you begin mentally kicking yourself for not flying today. After all, the weather was nearly ideal. Now, rather than having a nervous feeling about flying, you’re down on yourself for not flying. Then you tell yourself with confidence that tomorrow you’ll definitely go flying!

If you’ve read this far, ask yourself, honestly and candidly, can you identify with this scenario? How many pleasure flights have you denied yourself because you lost your self-confidence due to something that had occurred during a recent flight?

Anyone who has experienced flight has also experienced times of self-doubt or loss of confidence. Over the four-plus decades that I’ve been flying and teaching flight instruction, I’ve encountered this situation personally, and I’ve had many others share similar experiences with me. How one goes about dealing with a loss of confidence can mean the difference between enjoying many future pleasure-filled hours of flight or walking away from a hobby that previously brought you great joy.

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I can share some methods I’ve employed in dealing with a loss of confidence—either my own or those of a student or fellow pilot.

Incident Fixation The bad landing you made can easily become foremost on your mind. The more time “wasted” on reliving the landing, the more obsessed you become by it, leading to even more self-doubt. Admit to yourself that you made a bad landing, and then tell yourself you’ll do a lot better on your next flight. Think positively. You know how to make crosswind landings.

Recall Positive Flight Experience You love to fly, right? Think about a good take-

off and the pleasure or satisfaction you feel when flying. What an exhilarating experience it is to see the earth drop away as you climb out of the traffic pattern. You’re in total control.

Remember giving a friend, grandchild, or relative his or her first ride in a small airplane? At first they were a bit apprehensive and asked a lot of questions. But your enthusiasm and confidence put them at ease. Once in the air, you explained how to control the airplane and let them do a bit of flying. Out of the corner of your eye you could observe their look of awe. Seeing the world from a thousand feet is one of the most memorable experiences a novice will ever experience.

Are you going to let a bad landing deny you of these experiences?

Do Some Hangar Flying Don’t be afraid to talk to some of the folks at the airport and share your experience. If these individuals have done any amount of flying, they have all had experiences similar to yours. Sometimes their responses might be a bit beyond belief (hangar flying is like telling fishing stories), but you will glean some good advice if you cut through the exaggerated tales.

While at the airport on a day when there is activity, find a shaded area, set up your lawn chair, and observe some takeoffs and landings. You will soon pick up on the approach techniques other pilots are demonstrating, right or wrong, and be able to apply what you’ve learned to your next flight.

This activity is a great morale- and confidence-booster.

Fly With a Friend Another technique I’ve found to help build confidence is to make a flight with an experienced pilot/ friend. Observe how he or she handles crosswind takeoffs and landings. Observation can be a great teaching method.

Fly With an Instructor You Trust Most instructors I know will jump at a chance to share their love of flight or fly a different airplane.

Over the years past, I’ve been asked numerous times to fly with different pilots, young and old. Some are just a bit rusty from not having done any recent flying, while others recognized a flaw in their piloting skills and were in search of some advice. Usually it takes no more than three to six landings to diagnose the problem and re-establish a safe flight practice.

I’m always personally amazed at how an individual

can go from self-doubt to self-confidence in a matter of those three to six landings.

Schedule a Flight in Good Conditions “If you fall off your horse, the best thing to do is get back on and ride.” How many times have you heard that line repeated in your lifetime? Remember when you first learned how to ride a bicycle? One fall didn’t keep you from trying it again. The same can be said for flying.

A bad landing experience can certainly shake one’s confidence. All of us have been there at one time or another. As a longtime flight instructor, I’ve often advised individuals who have come to me for flying advice. My suggestion is to pick the next good-flying light-breeze day and go for a flight. There’s nothing better to build your confidence than going for and completing a pleasant flight. Then try two or three landings. If it was a crosswind landing that shook your confidence, try a few crosswind landings when there is a light crosswind. Continue rebuilding your level of confidence by trying crosswind landings on a breezier day. If there is a turf runway near where you are located, try some crosswind landings there.

Confidence increases as your skill level increases.

I’ve often taken students and even experienced pilots for a flight on gusty, windy days. When I’ve suggested doing so, the reply is usually, “I’d never go flying on a day like to today.” That may be so, but what about those days when you departed in the calm early morning for a breakfast flight only to return home finding the wind to be 10-20 mph—and it’s a crosswind! We’ll try several crosswind landings in these conditions.

They may not be perfect and pretty, but they’ll be safe. At flight’s conclusion you may be sweating in places you haven’t sweated since your early flighttraining days. However, your skill level and confidence will be greatly enhanced. You still may not go for a flight on days like that, but you’ll know that you could if you had to and you would be safe!

Practicing flight any time improves your skill level, and on days that are less than ideal it enhances those skills—building confidence and erasing self-doubt.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33