Private Pilot

Today I finished my private pilot check ride, which was very cool. We started on Friday, but the weather just did not want to cooperate. I'm riding pretty high tonight. I will have some thoughts about the process later.

A Lesson in Overconfidence and *&^% Presidential TFRs

Today I had my "mock check ride" to see if I am ready to take the real check ride. It was quite affirming to hear the examiner's comments, which he apparently passed on to my instructor since he called to ask when I wanted to schedule the real thing. Nice. As expected, I had two big things to work on: putting the blasted plane where I want it when landing and tightening up instrument flying. The former didn't shock me too much, though I was a bit miffed about the latter as I just was having one of those days.

Overconfidence. So, there I am minding my own business trying to fly N399JA sans auto pilot (since it doesn't have one) and dealing with some in flight calculations (my favorite combination... ok, so indicated altitude and, oh fly the plane, and OAT, and oh fly the plane and.... what was I doing again? Oh yeah, flying a plane. You get the idea) when the examiner decided it was time for a simulated engine out. I thought, "No worries! I'm at 8500 feet, there is an airport over there somewhere close at about 800 feet MSL, so I got this." Pitch to best glide speed and trim, turn toward general direction of airport and use GPS to get specifics like distance, heading, and CTAF, and then run through a flow and check list. Funny how none of that works during a lesson. So, I find the airport and start making some radio calls. I talk about what communication procedures I'd use, transponder and how I'd secure the plane for landing. I get in position and circle. So far so good. As I turn into the downwind at about 900' AGL (not too shabby) I start to wonder how the heck I got so close to the runway. Let's just say that I had to do quite a bit of maneuvering and a forward slip to make a survivable landing on that runway. Ok, I am being a bit hard on myself because when I started this maneuver I envisioned a squeaker on the numbers and instead I would have touched down about mid-field and maybe run off the end of the runway. But, we would have survived... that's the good news.

I was essentially focused on congratulating myself for executing a near flawless engine out landing rather than flying the plane. Hopefully, that will teach me in the event I need to deal with the real thing.

Presidential TFRs. One of the things that really stinks about living in the Chicagoland area is that we get those lovely Presidential TFRs from time to time. Those really are an annoyance, and I'm not looking forward to the NATO summit here in May or the campaign season. Although, we are unlikely to see the president here except maybe for one of those $30,000 a plate meals for the people since the last Republican to win Illinois was probably Reagan. I was pleased as punch when they moved the G8 to Camp David, and I could care less if it was moved for a more "intimate" meeting with these leaders where our president can get to know Putin (you know, the president really should have thought about that answer because it sounded like he wanted to drink vodka and play Twister) or to avoid pictures of wacky protesters in an election year. They can take NATO, too. Between the TFRs for dignitary movement and the enormous tax bill, they can't take it away soon enough.

Flying Lessons and Flying Anxiety

My faculty position has brought me to sunny south Florida so that I can teach some of my students about personality assessment. Of course, this meant that I had to suffer the indignities of commercial travel (even if I had my private certificate, there is no way my employer would reimburse my travel expenses if I flew myself). Oh, the joys... Let's see, my first pleasure was forgetting to remove the small pocket knife I always carry with me from my pocket before leaving home... or my car... you get the idea. I figured this out, talked to one TSA agent who told me I could mail it home to myself (for a MINT as it turns out). Another agent chewed me out for not telling them about it when I put it through the scanner. Come on! I did put it all by itself in a dish, and if your colleague had not been patting me down I would have been able to do just that. Then, I get to my destination only to find that the zipper was ripped off of my luggage. I wish I could travel for 8 days and get it all into a carry on.

But I also discovered something very interesting to me. I have always had a mild fear of flying. Nothing that kept me from actually doing it, but I would worry about it and really have to use some breathing exercises until we were airborne for a few minutes. It was bumpy up at FL370, and it turns out that Boeing 767s shake, too. Not nearly as bad as the little Diamond I zip around in, but enough to make passengers uncomfortable. Seemed like the pilots were looking for the smooth air based on what felt like altitude changes (I know, I couldn't see the instruments and I didn't really have a horizon). Interestingly, none of this disturbed me. Though I would have had an increased heart rate in the past, I was only annoyed that my computer did not want to stay in my lap. To what can I attribute this change?

Flight training. I kind of know what's going on and why it is happening now. In my business, we call this exposure. When one is exposed to an anxiety-provoking stimulus and is not able to escape from it, one learns to cope with it. It becomes less frightening for a host of reasons - like the bad thing that is feared does not happen. When one has a phobia (def: irrational fear of an otherwise neutral object or situation that produces severe anxiety and panic attacks) or even mild anxiety about something, exposure often reduces or eliminates that anxiety. This is a basic principle of psychotherapy, and just about any effective form includes some variety of exposure. Each may explain it or use it differently, however. The term "exposure therapy" is most commonly associated with cognitive behavioral therapy, and is direct exposure to the feared stimulus or situation while not permitting the person's usual ways of responding or escaping. If one is afraid of flying (when that is the only real phobia) then one moves closer and closer to actually flying and then does it. There is even a virtual reality application that I saw at an American Psychological Association convention a few years ago. A psychotherapist practicing from a psychoanalytic view point also uses exposure but very differently. Often, it is an emotion, perception of self or others, or an expected reaction from others that is feared, avoided, and defended against. The psychologist will help the individual identify and modulate these feelings. Often, this involves acceptance of the emotional experience.

Flying lessons. A great and fun way to overcome a fear of flying. But please, if you have a phobia of flying (panic attacks are a hallmark of this) or you become very disorganized and upset when you fly, perhaps this is not the first thing you should do. If you are not sure, talk to a psychologist who can work with you to figure it out.

What the?!?!?

Welcome to the blog of the Flying Shrink. I can say that I have many thoughts about what this blog might be about, but the most immediate focus is likely to be on the intersection of flying and clinical psychology. Flying presents a number of interesting thoughts that can be applied to our broader life context, and of course psychology has much to offer aviation. One example that comes immediately to mind is the line of research my sensation and perception professor Dr. Joel Warm was engaged in. At the time of my training at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Warm (or Dr. Diablo as we often called him - his class was the hardest class I have ever survived in my life!!!!) was conducting research on vigilance and perceptual errors as it relates to air traffic controllers. He had a very elaborate laboratory where he simulated the environment of a control tower and presented scenarios to participants to see what caused errors. Pretty important unless you appreciate having 757's zipping past you with a few feet to spare (thank G0d for TCAS eh?).

This line of work is not really my expertise within psychology, but I find this fascinating. I am also troubled about that question on the application for the medical certificate that asks about whether or not one has been evaluated by a psychologist. I will have a few thoughts about that as time evolves, I'm sure.

Thanks for checking out these pages. I'm a busy man, so I can't say that this will be a highly active blog.