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7 Answers

Too nervous to fly or bad timing?

Asked by: 7281 views Student Pilot

Hey - I recently started piloting lessions. I've always been afraid of flying and thought that learning to fly might help me get over that. I went on a discovery flight and actually really enjoyed it. I was nervous but it was also thrilling and I walked away from the experience really wanting to become a pilot. 

I have a really busy professional career and I can only fly once a week, and due to weather, it's been almost four weeks since I last flew. My instructor counted the discovery flight as my first lesson (I vaguely remember doing straight and level, turns to headings, we might have done climbing / descending turns but I'm honestly not sure, it was only a 30 min discovery flight).  My second lesson (first "real" lesson as a student pilot) we only had time to do a couple touch and goes, and it was my first time taxiing which didn't go real well, though I've done better with that subsequently.  Today we did low velocity flight and power off stalls.  

At this point I've had maybe 3 total hours of flying. I'm having a lot of trouble using visual references instead of instruments, maintaining altitude, turns, basically everything. My instructor thinks I'm too nervous and basically said there needs to be some kind of progress between lessons. I guess I'm just curious if I'm really this terrible or if I'm being pushed too quickly before learning and being comfortable with the basics. 

I know it will take my longer going at the pace I must because of my day job. I'm fine with that. My CFI says most of his students test after 40-45 hours. I'm fine with this taking more hours than that. I want this to be fun and I want to feel confident with the basics before moving any further but it seems like that's not allowed? I would really appreciate input from other CFI's as far as whether there is a curriculum which must be followed or if it is allowed to spend a couple lessons on basics before moving on. I mean, I don't even understand or feel comfortable using the rudder... I know it counteracts yaw but as far as knowing when I need to use it, I'm not sure, maybe that's part of using visual references which as stated, I'm not doing well with. 

In short, I enjoy flying and I want to continue, is it ok to slow down and spend more time on flight lessons if I am okay with it taking longer to get my license and costing more? Or is my instructor's attempts to push me forward because we have to adhere to a curriculum? 

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7 Answers



  1. Abdel Shabazz on Dec 04, 2011

    Learning to fly is a challenging task, not the hardest thing in the world to do, but nonetheless, it takes dual patience on the part of your instructor and yourself. There is more than one answer to your question, but I suggest listening to your instructor for direction, ask lots of questions, and if you have to slow your training down to fit your lifestyle, do it. You are the paying customer, and the process of learning should be enjoyable, not a chore.
    Be sure to listen to the others on here, we all have different backgrounds, but the one thing that we all have in common, is that we all had to learn also.

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  2. Wes Beard on Dec 04, 2011

    PM,
     
    I think it is wonderful you are actively engaged in your flight training.  You are correct.  The basics of straight and level, climbs and descents and turns have to be mastered now if you are going to be able to do the maneuvers with any success later on.  Don’t let the instructor move you along till you have mastered this skill.  It shouldn’t take very many flight lessons but it is a skill that will become invaluable to you later on in your flight.
     
    I would recommend reading Chapter 3 in the Airplane Flying Handbook.  It has some really good illustrations and discussions on how to maintain straight and level flight, climbs / descents and turns.  Try to keep yourself with +/- 100 feet in altitude, +/- 10 degrees in heading and airspeed.  Most importantly, have a good prebrief session with your CFI and have him/her explain in detail what you are looking at outside the airplane to maintain the four fundamentals of flight.
     
    Flying once a week, doesn’t provide well for retention between lessons but that can be overcome with a good ground study on the maneuvers between lessons. 

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  3. JamesCFI on Dec 04, 2011

    If you feel you need to work on your rudder skills, or want to go back over something because you dont feel good about it yet THEN THATS WHAT YOU DO.
     
     Your CFI should jump at the opportunity to cover and re-cover your weak areas, in the end of the day he is YOUR CFI, you are the customer, he has a curriculum however you need to make sure he takes a break from it if you feel you need to re-cover something or redo a lesson.
     
     Be friendly with you CFI, but if he doesnt want to play ball and make sure you feel comfortable the their are plenty of other CFIs who would jump at the opportunity.
     
     You dont have to adhere to ANY curriculum, if all else fails he can teach you part 61 vs 141 (less stringent curriculum), there are a million paths to getting your license and all that matters in the end is that you are a safe and proficient pilot (part of that is FEELING CONFIDENT).
     
     If you want to repeat a lesson or need more ground on rudder tell him, if he doesn’t help you find another CFI.

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  4. Matthew Waugh on Dec 04, 2011

    Some good advice from others. You might just want to make sure you are being trained at a Part 61 school and haven’t in advertently got yourself into a Part 141 school. If you are in a Part 141 training curriculum then that’s where the pressure is coming from. It’s VERY unlikely that’s happened, but…..
     
    You are the paying customer, and if your flight instructor isn’t working for you then you should find another instructor. There should be some sort of hierarchy you can work with to find the right instructor. BUT – before you do that it’s worth sitting down and having a conversation with your instructor. He/She may believe they are acting in your best interests by trying to move you quickly through the process to save you money (because for most CFIs money, or rather their lack of it, is pretty important to them). If you are clear on your needs your current CFI may well be able to adapt.
     
    CFIs are not Gods (well I am, but the rest aren’t) and we all have differences and motivations about how we train. Most instructors can adapt to their students needs, and you can help by being clear about your needs and communicating often and clearly. Good luck with your training.

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  5. JamesCFI on Dec 05, 2011

    Also if you are at a 141, they CAN train you part 61, it’s not like one or the other.

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  6. Barrett on Dec 08, 2011

    It sounds like you have a very practical and realistic attitude since you already recognize the challenges of flying infrequently. So if you’ve got the drive, go for it! Just try to relax. At 3 hours, I doubt anyone is greasing every landing or nailing all the maneuvers first try. If you have the time, patience, money, and desire, you absolutely can do it. Take JamesCFI’s advice. If you’re not comfortable with your instructor, there are any number of others to choose from. Even if you really like your CFI, I would recommend flying with a different instructor at least some point in your training, especially if you run into a problem with a specific maneuver or challenge. It’s always good to get advice from a new viewpoint.
    If you think your CFI may be right that you ARE nervous, you might ask if you could ride along with other students and just familiarize yourself with and get comfortable being in the airplane (assuming the school isn’t all DA-20s or C-152s, of course). In that case, just be considerate of the student who is paying for the plane/instruction (i.e. don’t interject your own questions, that’s what your instruction time is for). You might take along a pen and paper and write questions down to remember them later.

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  7. David Eberhardt on Dec 10, 2011

    Some very good answers have been presented here already … I’ll throw in my two cents.
    It’s hard to know what is going on in the mind of your current instructor … but it does sound kind of odd that your incentive flight is being counted as your first “lesson”. The number of lessons don’t mean anything unless you are enrolled in some kind of formal school (Part 141) …. If you are taking lessons on a pay as you go basis, then you’re probably Part 61 – which means there is no rigid schedule to worry about. Some student pilots can pass their Private Pilot check ride in the minimum required hours while others take more “hours” to get ready.
    You have a good self awareness and that is a sign of good airmanship!
    You might need to have a good discussion with the instructor where you both can understand each other a little better – what is his motivations and what are your motivations, etc.
    Your instructor might be trying to push you a little harder than you are comfortable with right now, but he might be worried that you would get discouraged for lack of progress in the early stages unless he pushed you a bit.
    I know you’re a busy person but you might want to work harder at finding time to get back to the airport when weather disrupts the schedule. Once a week is pretty good frequency, especially when you start to get the hand of it (perhaps 5-10 hours expereince) …
    Letting 4 weeks go by will definitely hurt your progress.
    Hope you keep at it!

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