Newbie Curious About Aerobatics

Eric, First of all, a big Congratulations to you on your decision to learn to fly, and also taking on the challenge of building your own airplane.

Learning Aerobatics will only serve to make you a better pilot. I personally liken it to learning to drive in a standard car. If you can drive a standard, you can comfortably hop into any automobile and are able to drive it safely. If, however, you've only ever driven an automatic, you may not necessarily be safe in a standard when you get stopped at a red light on an incline and someone is riding your bumper behind you.

You see there are all types of attitudes and situations you can encounter in any type of flying that, if you haven't "been there and practiced that" could have you reacting in a not-so-safe manner, or worse. If you've had even a 5 or 10 hr aerobatic course you're much better equipped to deal with the unexpected. If you never go past that initial introduction, great so be it, but who knows your stomach may handle it just fine and you might wish to continue. Either way you're much better off having learned these all important piloting skills.

With that being said, it's like anything else. Aerobatics should not be taken lightly. you need to respect the machine and your own limitations. Approach it properly, with the right attitude (no pun) and with the right instructor, and you're on your way. Just remember the old saying...it's SO true..."There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are NO old bold pilots"

Tailwinds,

Doug

p.s. If you're on facebook, be sure to check out our group of Aerobatic Enthusiasts called "AkroNuts" You can find us at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=163129053700764

Doug,

Thanks for the response. The thing I'm most uncomfortable with in an airplane is not knowing where the edge of the envelope is. I'd feel a lot more confident if I had a better sense of where the limits are and some practice bringing it back if I get close. That alone would be worth the expense of a few hours aerobatic training.

Eric

That's exactly what a basic aerobatics course will teach you, Eric. 

Many long years ago, I learned to fly soon after the FAA dropped the requirement that private pilot applicants must have spin training.  But I flew with instructors who were from "the old school", and my introduction to spins took place at 4000' over the Knik Arm near Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska, in January 1973.  That first experience at the edge of the envelope scared the bejeebers out of me, but when the instructor calmly stopped the spin and the little 150 started flying again, with everything intact and both of us still very much alive, I realized how much more there was to learn about flying.

So I got out of the Air Force, and at some point in my budding aviation career, I had arrived at a sort of pinnacle of single engine capabilities--I had earned my Commercial and Instrument and CFI and CFII, I was doing single engine charters, and I thought I was pretty hot.  We still had to demonstrate spins to the FAA Inspectors back then, to be CFIs, and I did, well.

But my buddy, my partner in a Skylane RG, suggested that we should learn aerobatics.  So I went to an aerobatics school in Boulder, and over the course of the next 10 hours or so, I learned basic aerobatics--but most importantly, I learned where the edges of the envelope are, and I no longer feared them.  In the process, I got to fly with Betty Stewart, then the World Aerobatics Champion--and what she could do with a Super Decathlon would amaze you!  My poor efforts at rolls and loops and the like made the airplane look like some sort of broken-down tub, but when she took the controls, it totally changed personalities.  Afterwards, I had the privilege of hand-propping her Pitts so that she could fly on to her next gig! 

I don't claim to be a super pilot, but there is no doubt that I am a much better pilot than I would have been, had I not had a little training in that Decathlon.

So after you get your airplane built and after you have become a private pilot, spend the extra time learning a little about aerobatics.  It will open your eyes to what your airplane can safely do, and you'll be able to safely do it.  That will make you a much better pilot, under any circumstances.

Cary

Hey Eric,

I am a low time pilot (200 hrs)  also about to undertake the aerobatics plunge, so I can relate to your questions.

The first thing you should do is take an aerobatic orientation flight to see how you feel about it.

The aerobatic schools usually offer it to prospective students so just ask them.

 The weak stomach is something that can adapt to aerobatic flying in most cases or you could take motion sickness pills before hand, but what you really want to know from your demo flight is whether you enjoyed the flight or if it scared you silly.

Fear can also be overcome with practice but its not really fun then which defeats the purpose of you learning it.

 There is no doubt that learning aerobatics will make you a better pilot, increase your confidence considerably and likely save your life some day.

 The most important thing about aerobatics you will learn is the proper recovery from unusual attitudes created by botched manuevers, and this training is what will save your bacon, as most non experienced pilots  will do the wrong thing when recovering from certain attitudes that can lead to their demise.

 This is something you could undertake right after getting your Private Pilot License.

You should get the PPL under your belt first as that will give you enough to handle and you will need to learn the basics of flight and get some stick time first to really derive the most benefit from the aerobatic training.

Ray

The fear thing is an interesting issue. My experience has been that the best way to deal with it is to face down what frightens me until I'm on the other side of it

One of the reasons I decided to learn to fly is that I've always been afraid of heights. I'm overcoming that with air time. Now I've got some fear that the airplane will do something unexpected that I'm totally unprepared for. I figure that a couple hours of aerobatic training should get me through that and subsequently I think it will do a lot to help me get that PP certificate because with greater confidence I won't have that worry at some level that I'm going to accidentally do something that will make the airplane fall out of the sky.

I think that there can be a lot of satisfaction in mastering one's personal demons. I've been into hot motorcycles since the early 1970s and have spent a fair amount of time on the track, so I've had more than a couple opportunities to be scared. But then again, a little bit of fear now and then can add some spice to life.

Funny thing is that before I decided to start on my RV-6 project I was working on a Jr. Fueler dragster project. I took the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School and concluded that compared to riding a bike down the track a mid eight second rail is kind of boring. After some soul searching I hung the dragster on the wall and started building an airplane instead.