How to Prepare for Your First Aerobatic Flight

You have booked a loop, a roll and a view of the world you have never seen before, and now the nerves are doing their thing. Good news: a little preparation is most of the battle. Here is how to prepare for your first aerobatic flight so the only thing left to feel is the fun of it: how to eat, what to wear, and how to walk out to the Extra 300 calm, comfortable and ready.

What should I eat before an aerobatic flight?

The short answer: normally, and a couple of hours early.

Aerobatics is far more about your inner ear than your stomach, but an empty tank and a heavy one both work against you. Aim for a light, ordinary meal a couple of hours before (porridge, a sandwich, some fruit) rather than a big fry-up on the way in or nothing at all.

• Eat light, and eat early. A small meal or snack, not a feast, a couple of hours before.
• Stay hydrated. Drink water through the morning; dehydration makes queasiness worse.
• Go easy on caffeine. One coffee is fine, three will not help your nerves.
• Skip a heavy night before. Arrive rested rather than fragile.

Do that and your body has one less thing to think about while the horizon rolls past the canopy.

Will I feel sick? Managing motion comfort

Most first-timers worry about this more than anything, and most are pleasantly surprised. Positive G (the pull of a loop pressing you into the seat) feels heavy and planted, far more natural than people expect. It is the floating, tumbling sensations that can unsettle a stomach, and your pilot introduces those slowly.

The single best tool you have is your eyes. Keep them up and on the horizon rather than down in the cockpit, breathe steadily, and let your head follow the aircraft. If something starts to feel like too much, you say so, and your pilot eases off at once. You set the intensity, every second of the flight.

What to wear for aerobatics

Comfort first, and nothing loose.

Wear ordinary, comfortable clothes you can move in. A T-shirt and light trousers are ideal. Infinity provides the flight suit, parachute and headset, so you do not need to dress for the part. What matters is what you bring and what is on your feet.

• Closed-toe shoes with good grip. Trainers are perfect. No flip-flops or sandals; they offer no support and can come off.
• Leave loose items behind. Scarves, dangling jewellery and anything that can float around the cockpit under negative G.
• Secure everything. Phones and cameras get stowed, not held. A loose object in an inverted cockpit is a hazard, not a keepsake.
• Skip heavy jumpers. You will be snug in the flight suit.

The mindset that makes the difference

Nerves before an aerobatic flight are completely normal, and they are not the same as fear. A little adrenaline is part of the fun. The trick is to arrive curious rather than braced.

Two things settle the mind quickly. First, understand what is coming: a rough sense of a loop, a roll and how G-force will feel turns the unknown into the expected. Our guide to what actually happens on your first flight walks you through the day minute by minute. Second, remember the aircraft. The Extra 300 has a symmetrical wing and flies as happily inverted as upright. It is built for exactly this, and your pilot flies it every week.

A slow, deliberate breath on the walk out does more than any pep talk. So does the reminder that you can ask for less at any point.

In the aircraft: what to actually do

Once you are strapped in, your job is simple: relax, look out, and communicate.

• Talk to your pilot. Ask questions on the ground and speak up in the air. Want it gentler? Want more? Say so.
• Look outside, not in. The horizon is your anchor. Watching it keeps your inner ear and your eyes telling the same story.
• Breathe, and never hold your breath. Short, steady breaths through a loop; let your stomach and legs tense on the pull.
• Let yourself enjoy it. The first time the world tips past vertical, most people laugh out loud. Let it happen.

Your flight is recorded, so there is no need to reach for a phone. You will have the footage to prove you really were upside down, and to talk through with your pilot afterwards.

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Prepare well and there is very little left to do but grin. Eat light, dress sensibly, keep your eyes on the horizon, and let the Extra 300 do what it was built to do.

Book your first aerobatic flight → · or treat someone with an aerobatic flight gift voucher.