The hardest part of your training

[Ponypilot]

80/20

Thanks for the statistics, I'm a slow learner, glad to know there is hope for me.

Cheers!

 

[JediNein]

I had to think long and hard about the last seven years to find any particular sector of flight training that was easy.

The only two things that were easy for me was learning the latest avionics like GPS, and flying a glider.

Learning to land was tough, stalls more so. Learning to see without vision, the instrument rating was hard. Getting the maximum performance in chandelles and such for the commercial required extra time. The CFI I was ready for, except for the landing part. The CFII required I forget all the hard ways I was doing things and get back to instrument proficiency. The multi, well, no engines is far easier than two. Even getting the flight school's morning coffee right took a few lessons.

My definition of easy is having the right answer or doing the process correctly the first time, or definitely by the third attempt. I've heard that the desire for perfection has a lot to do with my feelings of flight training being hard.

Now I enjoy teasing two instrument pilots about how hard their training was versus mine. Both pilot seem to think they have a patent on struggling to learn skills:

"What do you mean you had a hard time with your instrument? "You mean you didn't solo at 3 hours?" "HOW many instructors did you go through?" "You made a 727 go around while you were trying to land on a 10,000 foot runway?!!!" "You BUSTED a checkride????!!!!!"

It did take six years and one year of active instructing before I could laugh at my primary flight training. . . Flying does allow humans to explore the full range of emotion.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[FinallyAPilot]

Since I just got my PPL two weeks ago, I'd have to say learning how to fly that last three feet above the ground on landing. Especially with a nice, gusty, direct crosswind.

 

[UKflyer]

Sounds like i'm in for a lot of fun! Those lazy 8's sound interesting, is that where you get yourself dizzy and the instructor asks you about situational awareness!!

Thanks.

 

[trybysky]

Re: Training roadblocks

The power of suggestion can be powerful. I learned never to tell a student that something is hard because he/she will think that it is hard. Difficulty is relative and everyone has his/her strengths and weaknesses.

I agree with this 110% For me, the hardest part was the instrument for this exact reason. Everyone I talked to told me that it would be the "hardest" test in aviaion. Of couse, I believed them and it turned out that way--because of stress. The trainning isn't bad at all if you put your time in on the ground or spend some time with the basics on a sim or something like microsofts flight sim (can't log msfs, but it gets the bugs worked out and helps with situational awareness, radial intercepting and tracking, approaches...etc.) this way you spend less time working these basics out in the actual airplane $$$$$.

Don't let anyone tell you what was the "hardest" part. It may take more time, and there may be more to learn, but everyone is different and if you let yourself believe the instrument is the hardest it will be.