Delayed in Training

[Radio Flyer]

I started my training last May. Except for normal stuff like vacations and weather related delays, I have flown pretty consistently once a week. I soloed in November of last year and by Spring of this year I was at the x-country part of training. I was working on a short x-country (about 25 nm) in February, when I had an accident resulting in a prop strike and the loss of the plane. No injuries, but a little disturbing to me in any case. The official result of the FAA inquiry was that I had not recovered properly from a bounced landing. Up to this point, nearly all of my landings were textbook, if there is such a thing. I had bounced one landing previously (while solo), but recovered by applying full power and going around. Other than that, landing was not the part of my training that I felt I needed work on.

Since February, I have worked on my landings as well as basic maneuvers (slow flight, steep turns etc) and also have had some time under the hood for my simulated IMC training. My landings are consistently good. I know what I did wrong in February and will not make the same mistake again. I have had some issue with scheduling MY CFI since then also. So I have been up with about 3 other CFI's since then at my CFI's request. He said that he doesn't want to delay my training because of his availability.

For the CFI's out there, how would you handle a student like me? I realize that individual skills are varied, and since you don't know me you don't know my skill level. But how long would you give an average student before allowing him/her to solo again?

When the accident happened, my CFI said that it would not delay my training at all. However, I assumed that my skills would be re-assessed, and in any case, I was rattled enough that I wanted my skills re-assessed, but I didn't expect to not solo again for nearly 6 months. I realize that some of the delay has been in not being able to fly with my CFI, who would renew my solo endorsement, and now some of the delay will be because I'm transitioning to a different type of airplane. I guess I'm just wondering if this is normal. Since all I had to do was my x-country at that point in February, I kind of expected to be getting for my checkride now.

 

[poadeleted20]

I had bounced one landing previously (while solo), but recovered by applying full power and going around.

I would certainly have sat down with you to try to learn why you didn't do the same when it happened again, and how we can be sure you won't make that same mistake again.

But how long would you give an average student before allowing him/her to solo again?

Whatever it took for me to feel comfortable that you wouldn't make the same mistake. It would be more a qualitative assessment than a set number of hours or landings.

...but I didn't expect to not solo again for nearly 6 months. I realize that some of the delay has been in not being able to fly with my CFI, who would renew my solo endorsement, and now some of the delay will be because I'm transitioning to a different type of airplane. I guess I'm just wondering if this is normal.

Each time you change instructors or airplanes, you are restarting the clock on convincing that instructor you can safely fly that airplane. If you stick with one instructor and one type of airplane, things should progress better.

 

[Jaybird180]

Thought provoking questions:
What are the corrective actions to a bounced landing? Are there exceptions?
What is the preventative measures for bounced landings?
Are there situations that make a landing more/less prone to bouncing?

 

[Radio Flyer]

Each time you change instructors or airplanes, you are restarting the clock on convincing that instructor you can safely fly that airplane. If you stick with one instructor and one type of airplane, things should progress better.

I haven't really changed instructors. My initial instructor is still my instructor. However, when there has been a scheduling conflict, he has sent me up with different CFIs. He also told me that if I had a problem scheduling time with him, that I was OK to schedule myself with another CFI who was free. I've probably had 5-6 flights in the last 5-6 months with instructors other than the CFI I started training with last year.

That being said, I know that scheduling with different CFI's may lengthen my training somewhat because my CFI is the one who ultimately determines where I am in my training. On the other hand, each time I've gone up with someone else, I've learned a different approach to how I've done some things too, so I think it has been beneficial to have had a different set of eyes.

 

[poadeleted20]

On the other hand, each time I've gone up with someone else, I've learned a different approach to how I've done some things too, so I think it has been beneficial to have had a different set of eyes.

Maybe, maybe not. While there is often more than one way to skin a cat, it usually doesn't matter which one you use as long as the cat gets skinned, but if you keep changing methods, you never get very good at any of them and it takes a lot longer to do the skinning.