Anyone else loathe studying?

[rumpletumbler]

I guess I've passed a milestone in life somewhere. I used to not mind it much but I'm working on my CFII and I just HATE studying. Anyone else?

 

[Flechas]

Better get used to it, it never ends

 

[Frmr Avro Drvr]

I guess I've passed a milestone in life somewhere. I used to not mind it much but I'm working on my CFII and I just HATE studying. Anyone else?

Just wait until you take training at a Part 121 job. 5-8 hours of studying every night after 8 hours of ground school. I guess it is all about motivation.

Don't get me wrong, I would rather be drinking beer on the beach than studying but drinking beer doesn' build a career. Unless you have a career as an actor on beer commercials that is.

Find your motivation. Be the airplane. Visualize the ILS. Flying is all Zen anyway.

 

[minitour]

I don't mind it so much...

What I do mind is studying my ass off for months and months and not being able to put any of the knowledge to use in the airplane because...oh...we only have two of them and there's 18 people that need to fly them.

...or "weather"...yeah, the weather was so bad Sunday that I wore shorts and a short sleve shirt on the golf course and got a sun burn...yeah...weather is just hindering me so much....

...or "maintenence"...yep...those guys on the other side of the wall sure look like they're in a hurry to do the 100 hour inspections on the 10 airplanes that need them...uh huh...

What I mind...is the excuses.

Studying is nothing...learning is fun...excuses are killer weak lame.

-mini

 

[qmaster3]

Mini,

My wife just asked me about your avatar....THANKSSSSSS.

You need to go to an FBO with more than two planes..IMHO.

q

 

[User546]

I used to not mind it much but I'm working on my CFII and I just HATE studying. Anyone else?

I never had a problem studying before, and could do it for hours on end, but I found myself completely burned out after I started working on my instructor ratings.

I think I just had reached the point that I had studied so hard, for so many months that when it came to engross myself in the instructor stuff where you have to break apart and get in detail with EVERY LITTLE THING, it just overloaded me, and I went downhill fast.

Towards the end of my third instructor rating, I could barely motivate myself to even pick up a book and study for the check ride.

But you'll get over it, and things'll return to normal once things slow down a bit. Maybe you should take a few days or a week off and just not study or look at anything aviation related - might do you some good, and refresh your mind a little.

 

[Goose Egg]

I used to have trouble, but now, frankly, I can't get enough--there is just so much to know out there. I suppose I really needed to have a shift in thinking to allow myself to get to that point though. Before, even though I was a fairly good pilot, I was just concerned with meeting minimum standards; I'd gotten my ratings and I was now "cool" and "knew everything" and I didn't want anyone to take that away from me. But now that I've learned to look at flying as a craft, my goal has become mastery of that craft. When viewed in that context, the learning required to master flying is nearly endless. Studying is nearly effortless now.

-Goose

 

[logansun]

Great point Goose! I wish I had more time in a day to study.

 

[cforst513]

i have a classic case of senioritis. granted, i am talking about college and not studying flying-related stuff, but i cannot tell you the last time that i did homework or studied. sad thing is, i 'neglected' to study for my astronomy 100 (haha, electives!) exam and got a 95% on it, highest in the class. i just attribute that to my stunning intelect...

i'd rather read my gleim private pilot books and rod machado's p.p. handbook than do ANYTHING related to my college work. less than 100 days and i'm outta here!

 

[minitour]

Actually, I have hit kind of a mental block. Wondering if anyone can help me out here.

Okay, so I understand why we need a basic working knowledge of aircraft systems. Why does this happen? What causes that to happen?

But why is it that our check airman is doinking people on stage checks because they can't:
1. Recite word for word the airworthiness certificate? Registration certificate?
2. Draw exactly as drawn in the POH the electrical system? Fuel system? Hydraulic System? etc?
3. Tell him what the fuel caps are made out of?

Stuff like that.

I realize that yes, I need to know what happens when I get an overcharging situation in the electrical system. And I understand that I have to know why the landing gear might not lock down if I lose hydraulic pressure when the gear is up. And okay, sure...I need to know why or what could cause an airworthiness or registration certificate to become invalid.

But why do I need to draw in such intricate detail, the systems of the aircraft? I'm not going to be performing maintenence on it. That's why we have mechanics. They went through the training and know what to do...I didn't. I want to learn how to fly the thing.

I'm struggling with motivation (those of you working on your CFI or that have CFI will know what I mean) and it's really hindering my ability to pick this stuff up.

I can tell you all sorts of neat s**t about the systems, but what I can't seem to do is draw, exactly as it is in the POH, the systems. A general diagram? Sure...the fuel system is actually pretty close to what is in the POH, but I'm told that if I go to him with that diagram, I'll bust.

I don't know. Maybe I'm way way the hell off base here, but it seems to me that if someone can talk to you about a system and explain everything to you, that should be sufficient for a pilot or pilot instructor certificate, no?

Again...any motivation (other than "that's what the examiner wants...I don't buy that...the examiner also wants to see me turn off the carb heat on final...but that's another thread) would be great! I need to get this done and quick if I'm going to get a job!

Thanks!

-mini

PS
Sorry it got long.

 

[bigD]

minitour - is there only one DE in your area? Around here, we send our students to any one of seven different DE's, depending on need. If the examiner is going to bust you for not knowing what the fuel cap is made of - you need to looking for a different examiner.

 

[User546]

I agree with bigD, mini. I don't know what availibility you have with other examiners, but I would by all means try to find another one.

What your describing is exactly what I had to go thru on stage checks at the flight academy I use to attend. The stuff they made you learn, and would bust you on, was so bogus you can't even put it into words.

That's not real world mini, and your not out of line for questioning it. Seems that you know thoroughly what your suppose to know (how systems work in relation to problems, etc.). Just seems like you got an examiner that either has a chip on his shoulder, or is a really miserable human being who enjoys making people fail.

The way I approach systems is through the viewpoint of real-world flying. When I'm flying, and an annunciator light comes on, what are some possible causes of it, what can I do to remedy the problem, and what ramifications might that cause? You'll never find yourself somewhere, especially in flight, where you need to field strip the fuel system and electrical systems via these diagrams you have to draw!

And in your situation, maybe that'd be fine if you were going to be staying in an aircraft as a job, but I know what rating your finishing up, and I know that you won't probably ever fly in that kind of aircraft again.

Hang in there Bro...

 

[Metro752]

Whats wrong with your drawings? Is the guy complaining about crooked lines or something? Hang in there, and don't use him as your DE.

 

[Goose Egg]

But why is it that our check airman is doinking people on stage checks because they can't:
1. Recite word for word the airworthiness certificate? Registration certificate?
2. Draw exactly as drawn in the POH the electrical system? Fuel system? Hydraulic System? etc?
3. Tell him what the fuel caps are made out of?

What stage of what curriculum? I mean, obviously reciting word for word the airworthiness and registration has no value, and the fuel cap thing sounds a little sketchy (but I'd still be interested in knowing what they were made out of and why), but I'm not so sure about the systems stuff. One of my college classes was basically a 737-200 systems ground school. I had to draw a lot of stuff, but I can still tell you how everything works. I think it's about depth of knowledge. The more you know about something, the more likely you are to be able to figure out what's wrong with it.

I think it might be worth mentioning that, while it is good to challenge students to learn more (especially the ones that think they already have it down), it should be an appropriate level of challenge. For example, drawing the fuel system of any given training airplane might be a little much for Private Pilot Stage A, but Commercial Stage C ought to have it down.

I agree that sometimes instructors get carried away with some of the things that they require of students. However, flying is something that absolutely requires that deficits in motivation be "toughed out."

 

[100LL... Again!]

Minitour - your check airman is a TOOL who is in the final stages of terminal mental m-st-rb-tion.

He would not last 6 months as an airline check airman. Busting people over that crap will get you an invitation to go leave the training department.

He is probably bitter that he is not in the position he wants to be in, so he plans to make life he11 for all of the students he can.
Thankfully, unprofessional dorks like him are the exception, not the rule.

I guarantee I could administer an exam on his OWN airplane and on basic IFR operations that he would have no chance of passing. But what would be the point of that?

He's just p-o'd that not everyone else is a big a tool as he is. Where in the US do you train?

 

[Northern Lights]

Mini.

That examiner needs a reality check! Especially if you are at the CFI level. If you can explain it, and give a basic drawing, that should be good enough. If you were actually with a student, you would pull out the POH and have the exact drawing, free of errors right there in front of you. I always told my CFI students to bring every reference source they could carry to the checkride, just in case they had to back up an answer or clarify something.

 

[minitour]

hmm...well...

Thanks for confirming what I was thinking...that kinda makes me feel a bit better .

Anyone know a good way to learn to draw the systems exactly as drawn in the POH? I guess committing the Airworthiness/Registration certificate to memory won't be too hard...just another memory thing...it just seems so trivial, but...

Oh well...there's at least 2 here that are like this.

Giving an instrument ride the other day, the other guy (after takeoff) asked the kid, "so what would you do if you experienced a compressor stall right now?".

The kid had no idea what a compressor stall was...he's flying a freakin 172!

Ah...thanks for letting me vent again...

-mini

 

[User546]

Giving an instrument ride the other day, the other guy (after takeoff) asked the kid, "so what would you do if you experienced a compressor stall right now?".

The kid had no idea what a compressor stall was...he's flying a freakin 172!

You've got to be kidding me.... What a total Tool that guy is.

He probably rode right seat in a jet for 20 minutes one time, and now wants everyone to know that he knows all things turbine.

 

[minitour]

You've got to be kidding me.... What a total Tool that guy is.

He probably rode right seat in a jet for 20 minutes one time, and now wants everyone to know that he knows all things turbine.

well I'll at least give him credit for not busting the kid on it...as though a checkride isnt nerve-wracking enough, the kid was probably thinking "I didn't know something and we just took off!?!"

actually about a month ago there was a Global Express in here...the CA took a bunch of folks from the flight school and he was one...

I guess he looked like a total ass...

At one point he said "oh so it's not like the airlines" and the CA replied "we take pride in not being like the airlines" or something like that...

I wish I could have been there...

-mini

 

[User546]

Your darn right he didn't bust that kid on it. That would've went over like a lead baloon with the Chief Pilot! Busted a kid in a 172 on an instrument checkride for not knowing what a compressor stall was!

Sounds like the CA handed it to him though with his reply! That'd been great to witness!

 

[UGAflyer]

at least you're studying flying...you could be studying for 3 economics, a real estate and a psychology class...there is always somebody that has it worse

 

[minitour]

at least you're studying flying...you could be studying for 3 economics, a real estate and a psychology class...there is always somebody that has it worse

That's next.

First - get the ratings I can (fun)
Second - get the four year degree (responsible)
Third - Start flying three days a month for 120k a year....that's what airline pilots do right? (facetious)

-mini

 

[MTpilot]

Crazy!

I can't believe they want you to memorize the airworthiness certifacte. What for, even on a ramp check all you would do is hand it to the guy. As far as DE's go they can vary quite a bit, there seems to be three kinds: those that are in it for the money, those that are in it for the ego and those that are in it because they actually give a sh-t, you want to find one of the latter. We are lucky to have one like that here.

 

[User546]

...and those that are in it because they actually give a sh-t, you want to find one of the latter.

Absolutely! I took the majority of my checkrides with a guy who was a captain for a major airline, and he gave checkrides "real-world" style.

Everything he would ask was real world, and every point he would make or question he'd ask he'd back it up with why it was beneficial. All he wanted was to make pilots as safe as possible and get the big picture and not just the FAA/PTS picture. Everything he did was for a reason, and he looked for safety and judgement above proficiency (although you still had to be!).

Like he told me one time: "If I'm going to sign a license that certifies you to be up there flying around in the same airspace as me and my 200 passengers, I want to make darn sure that you know what your doing - for both yourself and myself."

I learned more from that guy thru my plethora of checkrides then I ever could've learned from an instructor or reading any FAA publication.

 

[minitour]

Everything he would ask was real world, and every point he would make or question he'd ask he'd back it up with why it was beneficial. All he wanted was to make pilots as safe as possible and get the big picture and not just the FAA/PTS picture. Everything he did was for a reason, and he looked for safety and judgement above proficiency (although you still had to be!).

The way it should (or at least I wish it would) be.

-mini

 

[Ralgha]

That DE is full of it. Except possibly for the system diagrams. You shouldn't have to draw them exactly like the book, but often the book has a pretty efficient way to draw it without leaving anything out. Again though, you shouldn't need to draw in every little detail on some of the systems. Who cares if you know where every cap is in the electrical system.