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Getting nervous before a flight

Lemos

Active Member
I love my RV, but before I make a big flight, I always feel a little but nervous. Tomorrow, I am supposed to fly from Borrego Springs to Reno, NV to spend the night. After the night there, I fly to Red Bluff, and then home. But, I find myself looking at this trip with some trepidation.

I’m nervous that maybe the weather won’t be good enough, or I will not be able to get the airplane started when the engine is warm before I kill the battery, and I’ll be stranded. I’m nervous about the aircraft getting its avionics stolen while it’s sitting on the ramp overnight. Or maybe I’ll get a flat tire.

What do y’all do to help calm your nerves before you fly?
 
I love my RV, but before I make a big flight, I always feel a little but nervous. Tomorrow, I am supposed to fly from Borrego Springs to Reno, NV to spend the night. After the night there, I fly to Red Bluff, and then home. But, I find myself looking at this trip with some trepidation.

I’m nervous that maybe the weather won’t be good enough, or I will not be able to get the airplane started when the engine is warm before I kill the battery, and I’ll be stranded. I’m nervous about the aircraft getting its avionics stolen while it’s sitting on the ramp overnight. Or maybe I’ll get a flat tire.

What do y’all do to help calm your nerves before you fly?

Well, I just look at cross country as multiple little legs.. Just avoid the get-thereitus, so no pressure if things don’t work out exactly as planned..
 
Fly More

From a rookie pilot less than 200 hours, it gets better with experience. Very much understand the weather and equipment concerns and you need to heed to those concerns. Be safe and do not fly beyond your limits. Keep a close eye on your plane and make sure it is safe. Watch the weather and proceed with caution. Your enjoyment will improve with time and experience.

Eulice Curington
RV-10 N104EW
 
I love my RV, but before I make a big flight, I always feel a little but nervous. Tomorrow, I am supposed to fly from Borrego Springs to Reno, NV to spend the night. After the night there, I fly to Red Bluff, and then home. But, I find myself looking at this trip with some trepidation.

I’m nervous that maybe the weather won’t be good enough, or I will not be able to get the airplane started when the engine is warm before I kill the battery, and I’ll be stranded. I’m nervous about the aircraft getting its avionics stolen while it’s sitting on the ramp overnight. Or maybe I’ll get a flat tire.

What do y’all do to help calm your nerves before you fly?

Probably a lot of folks will be traveling next week and I am one of them. try break it down and assess each risk and have some mitigation.

1. Weather - set your personal minimums and do not fly if it is close to those. have an out such as land and wait out the weather. you may meet some interesting people that way too.

2. Hot start - work the procedure so you absolutely know you can restart the airplane.

3. Avionics stolen - if you wish you can pull the avionics easily and put them in a carry bag. I used to do that but my avionics are not worth much so I don't anymore.

4. Flat tire - usually you can find some help for this but if not carry a jack, a spare tube and a small pump (I do).

Aviation is usually a very pleasant bunch of folks so they are good to meet if you have a problem. Once you are airborne these risks will fade because you will be having a good time.
 
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I’m nervous that maybe the weather won’t be good enough, or I will not be able to get the airplane started when the engine is warm before I kill the battery, and I’ll be stranded. I’m nervous about the aircraft getting its avionics stolen while it’s sitting on the ramp overnight. Or maybe I’ll get a flat tire.
Aside from the weather piece, the same things could happen if you drove your car. What would you do if the car didn't start, you got a flat or someone broke in and stole the radio. $h!t happens. You deal with it. Fix what needs to be fixed. Rent a car if you need to get home. Stay an additional night. Having anxiety about a flight is a good thing. It forces you to make sure everything is in the best possible condition for a safe flight. I also get nervous before a long flight, especially if I am carrying passengers. I worry about how I am going to deal with a failure in flight. What will I do if the weather gets bad. But I don't get stress out over failures on the ground. I would much prefer to fix it on the ground than deal with it in flight.

Try to get a good night's sleep and have a safe flight.
 
I was nervous about our flight from OKC to Pocatello, ID last October when we bought our Rans S6. My biggest concern was the mountains between here and there. All I had heard/read was "GET MOUNTAIN TRAINING". Well, it turned out it was no big deal at all. Just go around them, and that's what we did. It turned out to be one of the most fascinating, and fun, trips I'd ever made in the airplane.
 
I love my RV, but before I make a big flight, I always feel a little but nervous. Tomorrow, I am supposed to fly from Borrego Springs to Reno, NV to spend the night. After the night there, I fly to Red Bluff, and then home. But, I find myself looking at this trip with some trepidation.

I’m nervous that maybe the weather won’t be good enough, or I will not be able to get the airplane started when the engine is warm before I kill the battery, and I’ll be stranded. I’m nervous about the aircraft getting its avionics stolen while it’s sitting on the ramp overnight. Or maybe I’ll get a flat tire.

What do y’all do to help calm your nerves before you fly?

Address the unknowns. Go into the unknown . . .s . . l . . o . . w . . l . .y. As an old test pilot said.

Weather - not good for engine start - don't go - don't get so fully investing in the event that you can't change it.

Hot start - practice then until you are adept at starting.

Stolen Avionics - lock the plane - make sure insurance coverage is there.

Flat tire - can't help there - carry a jack, wheel - - - what ever you have practice doing to reduce the risks.
 
Yeah

As a 1500 hour VFR pilot, most of it in RV's, I feel nervous before every flight. Sometimes on bluebird days I stand down even on a 30 minute joyride around the patch just because I'm not "feeling it" at the moment. Every time I go up in my brand new 10 and log a fractional hour in phase 1, I think as I'm tucking her back in the hangar, "What a wonderful machine. A joy to fly - makes me look like a better pilot than I am."

But the 'nerves' never go away - and I believe they shouldn't. Taking yourself and possibly your family aloft in a complex machine you built yourself over hostile mountain terrain even on a calm sunny day is an exercise in risk mitigation and should never be done cavalierly. Even the hoped-for instrument ticket will not make that go away. But the adrenaline adds to the enjoyment - if you face it right and just roll it into the exhilarating mix that is sport aviation.

The part I have never learned to like is the lonely feeling that I am the only one who has to do the flight planning and shoulder 100% responsibility for laying out a trip and then keeping a wary eye on the return WX the whole time we're away. The family never seems to understand why I'm a bit on edge starting the night before launch and while we're away. Driving trips are just not the same at all - you turn the key: it starts. You have a mechanical issue - the tow truck, mechanic and a few $$$ make it all a minor annoyance. You take ill -
the wife or kids assume driving duties. Dispatch reliability is not the concern with modern automotive travel the way it was 50 years ago, but it will haunt you every hour in an airplane such as we fly.

Like the thread that we had a year or so ago about pilots who fantasize while driving down a street about suddenly being in their RV instead of a car and how would you fly yourself out of an urban box-canyon, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who finds flying a bit more intimidating than I'd like sometimes - well, most times :)
 
When I travel cross country I always try to spend the night parked at a class C airport. They usually have 24 hours security and some type of maintenance.

Weather - write down you’re weather minimums and sign the paper. Give the paper to your spouse or a buddy. It will help keep you honest as you gain experience. My IFR limit is 1000/3, takeoff, enroute and destination. If it’s below that I don’t go or I fly the airlines. Set you’re own limits for VFR/IFR and take the worry out of weather planning.

Just a few things I’ve done since 1988.
 
I've always kind of hoped that the day I get in my airplane and have no fear would be the day I stop flying. I'm thinking that it would mean that I don't have the proper respect for the risks I'm taking.
 
Get an instructor to show you how to read TAFs and METARs. Practice locally with that to gain confidence in their accuracy. Don’t use the weather channel as much, I find aviation TAFs and METARs to be way more accurate.

Call ahead, or check VAF members for hangar space at your destination..even if you have to pay $50 or so a night, the peace of mind is probably worth it.

Check your air pressure often, and keep it serviced. 35psi is probably a good place to start. Letting the mains get into the low 20 psi, and your chances of a flat go up. Maybe even change your tubes to good quality ones every couple of years anyway.. also work with a good CFI or experienced tailwheel pilot to work on your crosswind landings. Good crosswind technique will just about eliminate flats from side loading the gear. Get a tailwheel endorsement if you have the opportunity, even if you never plan to fly a tailwheel aircraft, the skills will carry over to every nosewheel plane you’ll ever fly.
 
I've always kind of hoped that the day I get in my airplane and have no fear would be the day I stop flying. I'm thinking that it would mean that I don't have the proper respect for the risks I'm taking.
^^^^^AMEN^^^^^

FWIW I have over 3,000 hrs as PIC and still get nervous butterflies before every flight, even touch-n-go's at our airport. But as soon as I am in the airplane the nerves go away and everything is fine.

:eek:
 
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What gets some peace of mind for me on long flights is to take a bag of what-if? spare parts to handle the most likely problems. It weighs a bit but is worth it. It has: spare tube and tire, jack, warm clothing, protein bars, water, spare fuel cap, spare starter relay (I can't prop the 390), small bicycle tire pump, npt plug to replace a leaking drain valve, aluminum tape etc, (can't remember everything) and of course, the tools needed.

Also one of the rechargeable jump starter packs, eg.
https://www.amazon.com/NEXPOW-18000...616811861&s=automotive&sr=1-3&ts_id=318336011

To jump the airplane when alone (or to avoid endangering a helper) you need a good parking brake or similar so that after the engine starts you can get out, remove the cables (and chocks) button up and go without stopping the engine

I'm sure others will have suggestions for additional stuff :)
 
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Thanks for the great replies. I am glad to hear that I’m not alone.

I was contacted a local CFI and VAF member who spoke to me on the phone and has calmed my fears. Just talking to someone and finding some solutions was a great help. You VAF folks are simply the best.
 
The biggest truth you need to remember is that you’re not alone - literally. There are so many RV pilots and owners along you’re route of flight that if you have ea mechanical issue of any kind, you get on VAF, put out a call for help,and beefier you know it, you’ll have cars and airplanes with knowledgeable people showing up. even if you wee to set down in Lone Pine or Bishop along the way to Reno - there are RV’ers less than an hour’s flight away. Yes, airplanes break - but there are easy solutions, so don’t psych yourself out on that regard.

Weather is something that you learn, and you want to sneak up on it. Always remember that western is not malevolent, it is not out to get you, it simply “is”. It’s not what you want it to be, it is what you find. Don't press on hoping hoping that it will get better - if you don’t like what you see, turn around and set down. If you’re flying up the Owen’s Valley to Reno, fly early in their morning to avoid bumps. Same thing when crossing over to California from Reno - early is better.

Take it one airport at a time, set your weather minimums, and remember that there is always tomorrow- and all of the small towns have motels!

Paul
 
Being a little anxious....

I agree with a lot of what has been said already. After 3600 or so hours, I am aware of being slightly anxious before nearly every flight. It isn't a fear so much as an awareness of the responsibility necessary to do what I am about to do. It is more of a respect for the airplane and the process of flying. It, in no way, distracts from the amazing feeling I have EVERY time I go flying. If someday I thought that I really knew how to fly an airplane, I'd stop flying.

Of the 33 years I have volunteered at OSH, all but about 8 or 9 trips there have been flying. I am anxious about every flight. I have flown my 1946 J-3 Cub, a Howard DGA, a Cessna 180, a Rangemaster and, of course SuzieQ, my RV-4. In all of those 1800 mile round trips, I have had one minor mechanical problem with a sometimes sticking valve in the Cub that was quickly fixed by Cy Galley and his excellent maintenance crew at OSH. So: in all those hours, including time in much older airplanes than I am old, no real mechanical issues. The Cub has to be propped to be started so no issues there. She can occasionally give me grief when warm but usually starts on the first blade.

Have I turned back or been delayed by weather? Oh, yeah! Plenty of times. The Fog Wall that seems to reside on the Colorado/Nebraska border is an issue on occasion and I've had to turn back and try the next day. I have diverted a lot due to weather, much easier in SuzieQ as she goes so much faster. I have landed the Cub in a field to let the weather go by more than once. As a friend of mine would say: Time to spare? Go by air. More time yet? Go by jet. :D You just don't mess with Mother Nature.

This is part of the Flying Adventure. I have some amazing stories and have met some amazing people landing where I was not planning to go. One trip to OSH in the Cub I couldn't beat the Sunset so stopped in Portage, WI. As I was putting my tent up, a guy came by and asked if I wanted to put my Cub and myself in his hangar for the night. Well, yeah! He had come to the airport just to see if someone needed his hangar. I sat in the open door of the hangar and watched a huge thunder storm tear OSH up, damaging some airplanes on its way through. Just one of a multi-storied flying career.

It isn't the destination; it's the journey. Your logbook will be filled with memories of the flights you take. It is a Magic Carpet that will lead you on some of the most amazing adventures of which people who don't fly would have no idea. Flying is a special talent for multiple reasons. Be anxious; if it feels right: go. If it doesn't: don't go. We ALL have those stories.

Enjoy yourself and the talent you have. And your airplane......
 
Nerves are usually due lack of confidence, the fear of the unknown and being poorly taught what to expect and how to reduce your risks. Flying is full of unknowns, all any of us can do is live by the saying......"chance favours the prepared mind"
When I was driving heavy metal with more hours than I care to add up anymore I saw plenty of pilots inc Capt's who sh1t themselves as soon as the unusual reared its ugly head, fear is healthy but not when it makes you unsure. Stay on the ground if it doesn't feel right!
 
Thanks

.... to the original poster and those that replied. I enjoyed the read, the advice and opinions.
 
It is normal to be nervous before a flight that is pushing your comfort level; be it the distance, or the airspace, or the terrain. I am getting ready to fly into the presidential TFR, so that has me a little nervous this morning. However, your nerves seem to be a bit out of the normal when you worry about things like your avionics getting stolen. That is something you can just make the decision to not worry about. If you cut your worries in half then the rest will be more manageable. For the flat tire – carry a spare tube. Don’t worry about it, just be prepared to deal with it if it does happen.
 
I've always kind of hoped that the day I get in my airplane and have no fear would be the day I stop flying. I'm thinking that it would mean that I don't have the proper respect for the risks I'm taking.
What MacCool said...best words in this thread.

A little stress keeps you on the edge of your seat and that's a good place to be in any airplane.

Dave
 
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Food for thought

I have 10 brothers and sisters. I am #7 in the run and two more that never seen the light of day. I am 69 years old and still here looking at the flowers.
Four of my siblings are gone. Three next older and one younger.
I do have some trepidation as to the first flight after a lay off, But, think of the rest of my family. All passed because on nothing related to airplanes. Shucks, I don't even know of anybody that has been damaged by airplanes.
I am in AWE of the fact we get to fly.
Heck I just installed SDS EM-5-F fuel and ignition systems in my RV-6A and was a bit, (What if????) on the first flight.
I had a fire extinguisher on the seat next to me on that flight.
Took every precaution, and guess what landed an hour later and said YES it really does work. Love aviation since I was a kid.
Still get giggles realizing flying Art
 
As a 1500 hour VFR pilot, most of it in RV's, I feel nervous before every flight....
But the 'nerves' never go away - and I believe they shouldn't. Taking yourself and possibly your family aloft in a complex machine you built yourself over hostile mountain terrain even on a calm sunny day is an exercise in risk mitigation and should never be done cavalierly. Even the hoped-for instrument ticket will not make that go away. But the adrenaline adds to the enjoyment - if you face it right and just roll it into the exhilarating mix that is sport aviation.

Well said Bill! And I agree! With 1,100 hours and an instrument rating, I still get nervous before every flight, but I EMBRACE it now! I've decided those nerves give me just the right amount of "healthy respect" for the dangers of flying. Not enough to cripple me, but hopefully enough to stay cautious and alert.

I'd encourage you to embrace your nerves as they give you that healthy respect we all need.
 
After 54 years of flying, I hung it up last month. Sold my -10 and hangar. With 25 years in my Pitts and another 9 in the -10, I don't believe I ever had a flight in which there was not some level of heightened awareness, anxiety or apprehension. I experienced the same before athletic competitions and many other activities that I deemed important. It was a part of what motivated me to be prepared; to assure that my equipment and I was ready for what was ahead. It was not something that immobilized or caused me to bail(except maybe that first flight in my single seat Pitts).
 
Situational Awareness

I think this is a great thread, and I'll tell you why.

We pilots do our best to acquire and refine our situational awareness. We want to know where a problem might come from because we want to prevent it from surprising us and have it bite us on the backside. As we're a clever bunch we sometimes take "that" a bit too far, and before you know it we realize - everything on planet earth "could" be a problem.

We wind up with a litany of issues and they invade our thoughts for a day or two before the planned flight, and by the time "it" arrives we've crashed and burned for a hundred reasons. We can actually picture these things happening.

So, we have to make a choice. Do we want to do this bad enough to "work through" the issues. Or in the end, is it just too much to worry over to be fun anymore? Those are fair questions to ask.

In my youth I was immortal, and so immortality kept worry away. As an elderly fella I have enough scars and bruises to know I was never really immortal. I was fooling myself, and so now I know better.

So... what do guys like us do. Well... we do the best we can. We try to shake the ghosts out of our heads, and think about how remarkable it is to be able to fly. We remind ourselves about our love of flying, and in doing so we push a few more ghosts away. We think of our airplanes as places of magical experiences and recall what made us fall in love with flying in the first place. And if that kind of plan works, we go flying. If it doesn't, then we stay on the ground.

But - remember this my fellow birdmen - everyone is afraid of something, and you don't need to prove your courage by flying an airplane. (I know a retired Delta Airlines captain with a jillion hours who is horrified at the thought of climbing a simple step ladder.)

It does seem though, the more you fly the more it seems okay, and so the smiles begin to return and you find that the seat cushion is no longer stuck in your butt.

But life is too short to slit your wrists over altitude and airspeed. Do the things in life that make you smile, make you happy, fulfill your dreams. If flying is one of those things you'll eventually do "it." If not, you'll move onto something else and take your situational awareness with you. You know somethin', that's okay... it's all okay.

With My Best Rgds..............Ski
 
Weather

I think of all the nights that I plan a flight for the morning and decide not to go due to the forecast, then wake up bummed to clear blue skies. along the whole route.
 
Predicting the future.....

I think of all the nights that I plan a flight for the morning and decide not to go due to the forecast, then wake up bummed to clear blue skies. along the whole route.

"Better to be Down Here wishing you were Up There, than Up There........"
 
My IFR limit is 1000/3, takeoff, enroute and destination. If it’s below that I don’t go or I fly the airlines. Set you’re own limits for VFR/IFR and take the worry out of weather planning.

This is VERY good advice. As a 20K hour military/airline pilot, I have similar minimums in my RV. My goal is to never end up in Kathryns report.
 
I think this is a great thread, and I'll tell you why.

We pilots do our best to acquire and refine our situational awareness. We want to know where a problem might come from because we want to prevent it from surprising us and have it bite us on the backside. As we're a clever bunch we sometimes take "that" a bit too far, and before you know it we realize - everything on planet earth "could" be a problem.

We wind up with a litany of issues and they invade our thoughts for a day or two before the planned flight, and by the time "it" arrives we've crashed and burned for a hundred reasons. We can actually picture these things happening.

So, we have to make a choice. Do we want to do this bad enough to "work through" the issues. Or in the end, is it just too much to worry over to be fun anymore? Those are fair questions to ask.

In my youth I was immortal, and so immortality kept worry away. As an elderly fella I have enough scars and bruises to know I was never really immortal. I was fooling myself, and so now I know better.

So... what do guys like us do. Well... we do the best we can. We try to shake the ghosts out of our heads, and think about how remarkable it is to be able to fly. We remind ourselves about our love of flying, and in doing so we push a few more ghosts away. We think of our airplanes as places of magical experiences and recall what made us fall in love with flying in the first place. And if that kind of plan works, we go flying. If it doesn't, then we stay on the ground.

But - remember this my fellow birdmen - everyone is afraid of something, and you don't need to prove your courage by flying an airplane. (I know a retired Delta Airlines captain with a jillion hours who is horrified at the thought of climbing a simple step ladder.)

It does seem though, the more you fly the more it seems okay, and so the smiles begin to return and you find that the seat cushion is no longer stuck in your butt.

But life is too short to slit your wrists over altitude and airspeed. Do the things in life that make you smile, make you happy, fulfill your dreams. If flying is one of those things you'll eventually do "it." If not, you'll move onto something else and take your situational awareness with you. You know somethin', that's okay... it's all okay.

With My Best Rgds..............Ski
Love the sentiments...Well said!
 
I agree with Bill Boyd and others that a touch of nervousness gives me a fine edge and helps me prevent complacency.

Prior to flying my newly-purchased RV-8 from Texas to Massachusetts (1600+ miles) the longest XC I made was 250 miles. So I broke the trip up into roughly 250-300 mile segments. That way each segment was a "known quantity". As I had no experience with the fuel gauges on the plane the short hops meant I would not come close to running out of gas. Another worry eliminated.

As for things like dead battery or flat tire I made it a point to research a large collection of airports along my several possible routes and land only at ones that had maintenance facilities. I also kept the flying hours within the working day.

Even today - when I'm just going up for a flight to collect test data, an acro flight, sightseeing (like flying the Hudson Corridor) or flying to see the family in Syracuse NY I feel nervous.

It's a very good thing and I wouldn't have it any other way.
 
I agree with Bill Boyd and others that a touch of nervousness gives me a fine edge and helps me prevent complacency.

...
Not sure who said it, famous pilot or astronaut, something like "if you are not at least a little bit nervous, then you probably don't understand the risk you are about to take."
 
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Weather - IFR limit is 1000/3, takeoff, enroute and destination. If it’s below that I don’t go or I fly the airlines. Set you’re own limits for VFR/IFR and take the worry out of weather planning.

I recommend adding one more limit - winds! Greater than 20 knots (any direction) VFR or IFR!

While I know for a fact the RV7A can handle greater, it becomes a real challenge when those winds become a xwind. Usually winds this high also have significant gust factors.

As I’ve told several folks, welcome to spring time Oklahoma flying! Know your personal wind limits.
 
So your heightened anxiety is troubling you? All that's really happening is that you are being open and honest...a quality that's getting rare these days. :confused:

Its normal to have some stress/anxiety before flights, especially when you are a lower time pilot....its mother natures way of making you focus on the tasks at hand. These feelings your having are fear based and a wee bit of fear is good for all of us but too much is not good, nor is it safe.

We have just returned from a long cross country from the west coast of canada to the east coast of the USA and it was very windy coming and going and especially rough through the mountains. I have over 10,000 hours in multiple aircraft over 55 years, instructed aerobatics and flew the bush up to and including the arctic and my rear end still puckers when its really turbulent so it's not something that you really get over and probably shouldn't get over.

Show me a pilot without enough fear to increase his respect for what hes doing and I'll show you a pilot that likely will get in trouble along the way.

Years ago when I was taking flight training our manual was called...From the Ground up...there were 2 characters featured....Captain Wise and Flat spin Fumble....Captain Wise started out the book by saying....there are old pilots....there are bold pilots....but there are no old bold pilots.

All your feelings are telling you is that you dont have any intentions of trying to be bold....that's good and don't confuse it with confidence...you will continue to gain confidence all the while being very careful...the best advice I can give you is to practice and then practice some more....expand your flight envelope....in time you'll really enjoy each flight but you should never lose that edge that's there to keep you safe.
 
I fly a lot of long trips - some 5-6 hours in a single leg - and I fly a lot of IFR in actual conditions. Over time I've enlarged my personal minimums and have done several approaches to actual ILS minimums. Weather is always something to deal with.

I don't know about "fear" in the true sense of the word, but I most definitely have a heightened sense of awareness about what I'm about to do before I launch. I'm very careful about verifying the status of my equipment and my route, the weather I can expect, the Plan A and B and C for the "what if" scenarios. Brief the flight to your passenger, or yourself if solo - what is Plan A/B/C for each phase, from takeoff to touchdown?

I would reserve the word "fear" for a situation like encountering a bear in a forest, or a strange dog running at me barking, or finding a rattlesnake in my backyard. Fear does not belong in my airplane - but healthy respect for what might happen, and planning for it before it happens, certainly does.

There's a popular meme all over social media right now that especially rings true with me - "Everything kills you, so pick something fun." I'm not going to hide in my basement over fear of what might happen to me - but that doesn't mean that I won't take precautions and due diligence.
 
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You know, I feel a tiny bit of that before a flight, too. And that's after 10,000 hours of flying a pretty wide variety of airplanes and different types of operation. I think the feeling is an acknowledgment of the fact that this is an activity that can get you killed. It's not a video game. There's risk and we have to confront it.

On the other hand, when you're at the end of your life and looking back and how you've spent your days, what you'll regret aren't the things you've done. It'll be the things you didn't do.

So get out there and fly. Besides, who knows how long the requisite time, money, good health, and freedom to fly will be with us?
 
You may just be getting old. I have been flying for over fifty years and am finding that my confidence is decreasing. I know that I can fly and do all the things necessary to travel and maintain the plane, but that little doubt comes now.
I just tell myself that I have done it all before and it will be OK when I get in the air. And it usually is, even if something odd happens, such as oil pressure dropping. Due to a gauge failing.
 
I think getting a little nervous before a flight pretty healthy. It keeps you sharp. I'd be more worried if you found yourself getting complacent.
 
Airplane traveling issues

Nice thread and excellent concerns: things do happen on the road. Since 1986, I have had two flat tires, two exhaust stack failures and one spinner failure on the road. Each one was a problem to solve that was solved: one required an extra overnight to get a stack welded, but the others were resolved in a matter of 4 hours or so. I know of no way to avoid these incidents, so be ready to enjoy the people you meet!

Weather? Look in front, and if you do not like it, park your plane. Yes, get good weather intel, and update often. And many times the actual is different from the forecast, and many times (at least with me) you may launch into forecast ok weather and things go bad. It seems pretty easy in the abstract though I know the decision tree may be not so when flying. But, do not fly into conditions that suck whatever you are told. All that matters is what you can see, so better to be on the ground than in the air wishing you were on the ground.

Have fun!
 
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