First Flying lesson - Not what i expected

[mad_jock]

Go and have a chat with your GP and see if they would sign you off for a HGV medical. I suspect your correct about the JAR medical.

The problem with us lot giving an opinion is that it means didly squat in the grand scale of things. And will either give you a false sense of hope or make you depressed thinking you won't get it.

I have seen folk get a NPPL medical which I thought how they hell did they manage to get that. And others who were refused and nobody can quite work out why although in hindsight it was proberly a mental health issue.

The link below gives car and HGV medical requirments

At a glance guide to the current medical standards of fitness to drive

[tggzzz]

If you ever tried gliding and it was good soaring day, you'd be likely to see instructor suddenly do steep turn after the little clock started beeping mad and depending on the size of thermal, keeping turning. Also, where there's rising air, there's also sink.

You normally hit the sink just before you find the lift, since the sink surrounds the lift. Imagine a mushroom cloud (or petrol explosion) rising through the air - the air in the "bubble" rises fastest in the centre and goes downwards on the periphery.

By "steep turn" you mean up to 70 degrees, and if there's another glider at the same level then to see them you look "upwards" and see the top of their hat. Great fun.

Glider pilots (proper pilots) learn to all sorts of turbulence, learn to read it, feel it, seek it.

"Flying by the seat of your pants" is not an abstract expression.

[freon1978]

Spinning is a bit hard core these days most new instructors poo themselves if you even suggest they spin anything.

Its not even part of the course these days unless the student wants to do it.

they don't need to haver anything hammered into there brains apart from how to fly properly using attitude which is the whole point of the exercises anyway. Its more lively than a cessna but it ain't an aero's machine.

Never had a problem with students in them. In fact I have had more folk barf in a C150/C152 than I have in a PA38. In fact we do a fear of flying course in them which so far has a very high success rate.
Another advantage in the tommy/pipers is that as soon as you start the prop the vents put a blast of air right where its needed on your face/torso instead of cooling your ankles so the cockpit is more pleasant on the taxi out.

Go and have a shot in one, they are bloody good fun and you might see what I mean. I have 750 hours in them and even after 3500hours of flying twin turbo props I love going back to fly them and teach in them. The other 200 hours instructing I have done is in C152's and if I get my way I won't do another hour in the smelly under powered cramped heaps of poo.

I'd second all of that! approx 600 hours on PA38's now and i wouldn't instruct ab initio on anything else that i've flown so far out of choice. Simple matter is that the PA38 was designed as a trainer and therefore behaves as one.

Oh and so far not a single student has even asked to do any spinning!