[Skyhook]

My very first flight was a brief hop in a Stinson Stationwagon during an airshow when I was around twelve y/o. I liked that enough to go back to the FBO on the local field and lay down some hard-earned cash for an Indoctrination Flight in a J-3. It was a hot day and the flight over the homestead, etc., plus the brief stick time had me grinnin' from ear-to-ear!
Being a hot day, the instructor had the window opened and pinned to the bottom of the starboard wing. Glorious! Until, on final and without warning, he threw the freaking plane into a very sudden and steep slip in the direction of the open window! Hell, I was sure something was wrong with the controls and we were going to crash, burn, and die!
Once on the ground, the instructor told how my arms flew up to the exposed piping above my head.. HAR! HAR! HAR! I hated that ride, I hated that instructor, and I hated that FBO. What an a-hole thing to do to an unsuspecting beginner.
I got over it and went on a couple of years later to earn my solo/private/commercial ratings and I have NEVER done anything to purposefully or intentionally scare anyone in an airplane. Ok, some flights did, but it was never intentional.;f

[Timotheous46]

I understand what you mean by being discouraged by an instructor.

I was soloed without ever having done any stalls. I left my first instructor and went to a flight school with many young instructors. While in flight one of them was going through my logbook and noticed that I never had done a stall. He proceeded to show me all the stalls he could think of. When he was through I was scared out of my wits. It wasn’t till years later when getting my instrument rating that I finally learned to do stalls with out white knuckles and sweat.

Tim

[Skyhook]

There ya go- no moderation.
It might also be said there was very little intellect at play in those two instances, either.
This is where the new curricula with its caring and professional flight instructors can literaly make a world of difference.
We have come a long way.

(It is a small wonder that those trained by the military are usually superior in their flying procedures.)

[M2 Carbine]

I would never try to scare anyone. (that didn't ask for it)
Anyone that does that deserves to get their butt kicked when they get on the ground.

I have played "Air Wolf" with a few smart ass passengers though.;f


Another time, when I was instructing Army helicopter students, a student rolled the throttle off, while I had the controls, giving me a forced landing.

I demonstrated a "back up autorotation".

All he could say was, "What the Hell was that".

He never gave me another forced landing.;f