Toughest part of training to get past

[abev107]

I am still in my beginning stages of flight training for a PPL and was wondering if pilots could share some of the difficult things they had a hard time getting past during their training. They could be either technique or fears or both.

Some of the manuever's get to me a bit, not a sick feeling though; I am really not sure why I don't like them, just uncomfortable. I am not going to list them b/c I feel the anxiety now just thinking about it.

I am finding the more that I listen to the flying community the easier/more comfortable flying gets.

 

[bobbysamd]

Toughest part of training

You have but nine hours to your name. Don't worry; any queasiness will pass in time. Sometimes repeated shots at constant-altitude turns (steep turns) can get to you because of the Gs. Open the vents for some cool air.

Normally, I defer when someone asks me my opinion regarding difficult maneuvers. It's relative. I don't like to tell someone that something's hard, because it may not be for them. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Some people are quick studies while others take longer but get it eventually. Some people get the hang of landings immediately while others never learn how to land. Also, a lot depends on your instructor. I recall that I had a tough time getting onto S turns down a road when I was a Private student. Also had trouble with crosswind landings. I needed a lot of hours to get on to Lazy 8s when I was working on my Commercial. What I found strange later, though, is all these maneuvers and my general overall flying improved greatly when I started instructing. As they say, to learn a subject, teach it.

Good luck with your training.

 

[Rvrrat]

I had a tough time with power on strait ahead stalls as a Private candidate, as a Commercial candidate and when I was begining CFI training until I did the mandatory spin training. Power off stalls were no big deal, accelerated stalls I actually found to be fun. For me it was the power on stalls that felt "this isn't ok." Slow airspeed & getting slower (alarm 1), power full on & still getting slow plus extreme <it seemed like> pitch angle (alarm 3), need to add more rudder to stay strait ahead didn't seem natural (alarm 4), fear of falling off into a spin if I didn't keep the ball centered (alarm 5). The last is the telling thing I discovered; it was the fear of what I thought could be the worst thing to happen. After doing the spin training required of CFI candidates the "worst thing" ceased to be a "five alarm fire".

Take your training one flight at a time, get a complete preflight briefing from your instructor about what will be done on the flight & it will go fine.

All the best in your training. There is nothing like earning your wings.

 

[abev107]

It's good that pilots on this message board are not afraid to talk about what freaks them.

When you think back you may feel that your hesitations were insignificant, particularly b/c you have x hundreds or even thousands of hours. But even if it gave a days worth of anxiety, it's invaluable to post it here. Someone somewhere is going through the same thing and *will* go through the same thing. Future pilots will use this archive and any other archive to advance their learning.

For me, just like rvrrat, power on stalls irk me. I don't want to spin. Even though I have every confidence that my CFI can get us out of it.

It seems like accidents will not always happen for the same reason. Sometimes you do thing that *should* have gotten u in trouble. In one of my first lessons, we got a go around from the tower. We had a citation hot on our tail and the ole 172 just couldnt out run it. We were about 15 feet from the runway and got the go around. I called back tower nicely, "6 sierra pop going around". Then I put the flaps up! We got full power in right away after that, and all was ok. I knew there was something good about always coming in fast. My CFI downplayed it, but to me that could have gotten very ugly.

 

[CFI'er]

I just want to add my .02.

"It seems like accidents will not always happen for the same reason. Sometimes you do thing that *should* have gotten u in trouble. In one of my first lessons, we got a go around from the tower. We had a citation hot on our tail and the ole 172 just couldnt out run it. We were about 15 feet from the runway and got the go around. I called back tower nicely, "6 sierra pop going around". Then I put the flaps up! We got full power in right away after that, and all was ok. I knew there was something good about always coming in fast. My CFI downplayed it, but to me that could have gotten very ugly."

One thing I always stressed with my students is to fly the airplace first and talk with the tower last, after taking care of business. The tower would have recognised that you were going around. If a true emergency happens to you during your flying, do what ever it takes to keep the aircraft flying, then contact the tower or ATC, and explain your situation. Going around is not always an easy maneuver,especially at 15 ft. agl, as some would have you to believe. You recovered this time, next time, the call to the tower mayl not be enough time.

 

[JediNein]

Howdy!
Welcome to flying!
Would a series of stories about conquering fear and general uncomfortableness help? (They would be posted to my website so as to not offend the sensitivities of the macho fighter pilots on this board.)
Let me know, PM if needed.
Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[100LL... Again!]

Don't worry about any of it.

Simple Checklist:

1# Read the PTS (ask your CFI).

2# Know what maneuvers and tasks are required.

3# Practice until you can do it to standards.

4# Study, study, study (Knowing your bookwork can save you tons of cash and frustration)

5# Learn how to write really big checks

6# Enjoy your new certificate


Everyone struggles with one maneuver or another.
Don't let anything psych you out.

And my personal soapbox topic:
Respect pilots for how well they fly, not how big their aircraft is.

 

[Rvrrat]

Only if there's money in the bank

5# Learn how to write really big checks

Ummmm, just because there are still blank checks in the checkbook does not mean it's ok to use them.

 

[toneal]

Open Wallet
Position wallet in an inverted position
shake vigorously
manually inspect wallet to make sure all valuable contents are out
pick up the maxed out credit cards and put them back into your wallet
smile! you just went flying and your now broke! I always figured the flying brings on a better feeling. Anyone can be broke.. might as well have fun doin it!

 

[JuJu]

Landings were the hardest for me. Approach would look good, but it took me awhile to get the correct sight picture, flare at the right speed, height, etc. and make a smooth landing. Then one day, it all clicked. (Not saying they're all smooth, but at least I don't tend to arrive three or four times anymore.) I didn't like stalls too much at first either, but I could get through them.

Now, when I start wanting to check out in other a/c around the field, I have to do stalls all over in each of them. They don't bother me so much anymore.

I recently started flying a Citabria for the following reasons:
I want to get my taildragger endorsement;
I want to go up and do spins and get unusual/upset recovery training;
and I wanted to get an introduction to basic aerobatics.

The last two reasons are because I want to really conquer my uneasiness about stalls by pushing past them into spins. Along the way though, my landings feel like I'm learning all over again with that taildragger (two or three touchdowns per landing attempt, again).

 

[Timebuilder]

Aside from getting used to this new and alien environment, where you have a host of sensations like nothing you are used to, landing is probably to most common hurdle for the new student.

It is far easier to get an airplane to safely leave the runway than it is to make it safely land on a runway. You will become familiar with all of the requirements for a nearly perfect landing, and you will learn to enjoy the quest of perfecting your landings.

 

[AvJunke]

Help your instructor and be honest

Let me put in a plea for your flight instructor and tell you to be honest with him when you start feeling a little nautious. I speak from experience. I had a student that would vomit anytime we did steep turns pleading with him to let me know if he began feeling uneasy at all. He never would, two steep turns later, I'd move on to something else, since I realized he couldn't handle it for whatever reason, and two minutes later he'd blow chunks everywhere. Revolting. I felt bad for the guy, had to be real embarassing after the first time. Take small steps with this stuff and you'll get acclimated to the manuevers before you know it.

 

[JediNein]

I find students have to be able to *really* trust their flight instructor before they will reveal their weaknesses, fears, uncomfortable places, and even when they are feeling sick. This trust is obviously harder to obtain than simply the student trusting the instructor with their life.

Comments?

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[Rvrrat]

I find students have to be able to *really* trust their flight instructor before they will reveal their weaknesses, fears, uncomfortable places, and even when they are feeling sick. This trust is obviously harder to obtain than simply the student trusting the instructor with their life.

This is where "Professionalism" & "The Flight Instructor as a Practical Psychologist" strait out of the Aviation Instructor's Handbook comes into use.

Professionalism, because the student must decide that the instructor is trustworthy in order to earn the student's trust.

Practical Psychologist, in addition to Professionalism because the single most difficult aspect of dealing with a student is the student's own self perception. IE: "If you only knew____ you wouldn't continue to help me learn this thing I think I want so badly."

Jedi, have you found a difference between students who are learning to fly for pleasure versus those learning to fly for a career? Also, have you found a difference in dealing with younger students versus older students?

 

[bunnyfufu]

most difficult things for me: visualizing where to have the steepest/shallowest bank in ground reference maneuvers, preparing for the oral exam, and using visual aids for navigation... though it might just be that northern illinois is so flat and featureless

 

[Archer]

Most difficult for me is getting the hang of cross country flight planning and flying. Doing it efficiently, quickly and well.

Short and softs are not difficult, just need practice.

x/c stuff, for me at least, needs a lot of studying and work...as you have to put it ALL together in a x/c...flying the airplane, navigation, communication and all three take a great effort on their own...all 3 at once...it can become hell if you don't know what's going on....

I can't imagine yet how complex IFR flight can be...

ARcher

 

[Kaman]

Hello,
Without a doubt the preparation and practical exam for the intial CFI is by far the toughest thing that I've ever done. Tougher than the military, college and everything else I've experienced in 43 years. The flying is really the easy part, it's the bloody oral and making sure that all your "ducks are in a row" i.e., paperwork, aircraft maintenance records, etc...Just seemed like so many pitfalls to trap you somehow.

Archer-
Don't sweat the small stuff on the VFR flight planning. Work together with your instructor to develop a logical "step-by-step" method that you can use over and over again. For instance:

1. What is my mission? destination?
2. Weather
3. Weight and balance
4. Performance considerations
Then make some decisions:
1. Do I have adequate fuel plus required reserves to safely conduct the flight? If not you might have to plan for an extra fuel stop, or reduce your payload in order to upload more fuel.

Once you've looked at the "big picture" you can then move onto preparing your charts and NAV log. The NAV log is a tool for you to use in measuring the actual track, GS and winds during the flight and to adjust your heading and update your ETA and fuel burn. This is very critical if you are planning a flight on the edge of your airplanes range for the fuel load. Unforecasted winds may require you to make a fuel stop. The MAIN purpose of the NAV log is to remind you to keep a good eye on your fuel as the flight progresses.
Lastly, use every available means to back-up your pilotage naviagation. If you have the tools use them, however, don't get into the habit of using the GPS exclusively. It's a great tool, but EVERY pilot needs to know how to navigate by pilotage and dead reckoning, not the "black box". Mariners and pilots have used dead reckoning since the early days of exploration and the fundamental equation of rate X time=distance still holds true today.

Best of luck,

ex-Navy rotorhead

P.S. IFR is cake compared to VFR nav!

 

[dmspilot00]

Re: Help your instructor and be honest

Let me put in a plea for your flight instructor and tell you to be honest with him when you start feeling a little nautious. I speak from experience. I had a student that would vomit anytime we did steep turns pleading with him to let me know if he began feeling uneasy at all. He never would, two steep turns later, I'd move on to something else, since I realized he couldn't handle it for whatever reason, and two minutes later he'd blow chunks everywhere. Revolting. I felt bad for the guy, had to be real embarassing after the first time. Take small steps with this stuff and you'll get acclimated to the manuevers before you know it.

Not a CFI, but I had a passenger of mine get sick on me (well, not ON me, but you know...). I would recommend asking "How sick do you feel?" (and if they say they don't, and you suspect they might be, keep pushing--ask "not even a little?"). They probably would be more likely say "a little" or "kind of" if you ask that way, in which case, take it as a hint, and consider an expulsion of the stomach imminent.

If you just ask them to let you know if they feel sick, or if ask "How do you feel?" they probably won't give you a true answer because they are easier questions to fake an answer with, and just saying "let me know when" is probably the least effective.

To answer the question that this thread was started for: In private you will encounter your share of learning plateaus but they happen to everyone. Even if you do not make the progress you wish for, it should still be fun (with occasional exceptions for particulary "bad days" and what not). I would have to say getting the instrument is the hardest. The motivation isn't there for me and it seems to be a total pain. I don't really plan on using it once I get it either. To me, it just seems like a hurdle that's preventing me from moving on to Commercial and CFI.

There is probably a difference between which certificate/rating is hardest to get and which checkride is hardest. It seems to me that training for the instrument is the hardest (which a lot of people say), although the checkride is probably about an equal difficulty as the private: once you're ready, you're read. Training for the CFI seems like it would be fun and interesting and not really hard, but instead time consuming; although the checkride itself for CFI is probably the most complex and difficult of all checkrides. Again I am basing this opinion on what I've read about other people's experiences; trust me I've read a lot of them.

 

[JediNein]

Howdy!
I find both professional airline pilot wannabes, business flyers, and the recreational flyer encounter a similar level of mistakes during training. The business types are "Type A," go-getters, have 10,000 people willing to jump at their slightest indication, and want every maneuver perfect the first time. They are the most challenging and rewarding students to work with as a flight instructor.

Airline pilot wannabes are encouraged to bypass our school and head for one of the academies like Flight Safety or AllATPs. We give them a heads up on knowing what they need to do to get the best training those schools can provide.

Business and recreational flyers, well, the business guys could pay for a pilot to fly their airplane. Some end up doing that after earning a private or a private plus instrument. Another wants to work all the way through his CFI because he knows the more he knows the safer he'll be. They don't give up easily when encountering fears or roadblocks. They'll quickly fire instructors that do not meet their needs or make them feel inferior.

Young versus old really doesn't matter from the ability to teach or be taught. Older folks do tire of the 'young whipper-snappers' and may be tired of dealing with time-builder CFIs. Three students have directly told me to not put them with an instructor anywhere close to my age. Who wants someone that's the same age as their good-for-nothing son/daughter teaching them to fly? Some of the younger crowd gets intimidated when someone twice their age is the expert. Fortunately, I have enough instructors to match most student requests.

For encountering fears, older folks simply have had more time for fears to develop. There is no time frame for conquering the fears based on a person's age. Each client will be different.

Fly SAFE!

Jedi Nein

 

[bigD]

For me, it was talking on the radio. I cut my teeth at Van Nuys, and the thought of making mistakes in from of tons of "real" pilots on the frequency always had me nervous. When I mess up a maneuver, etc...only my CFI knows. But over the radio, everyone hears me. That's what kept going through my head.

Nowadays, when I hear someone on the frequency making mistakes, hesitating, or whatever, I just think, "I remember those days." And then smile.

So if you ever have a problem like mine, just remember that everyone else on that frequency was in your shoes at one time.