Difficult Concepts During Training

The main concept that people need to get clear in order for their training to progress is that 'Fear blocks learning, if your scared of something happening, go up and make it happen so you learn to deal with it.'
 
Henning said:
The main concept that people need to get clear in order for their training to progress is that 'Fear blocks learning, if your scared of something happening, go up and make it happen so you learn to deal with it.'
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This happened to me in scuba training. The Instructor said we'd all have a panic moment either during training or during dives. Mine came early and was 16 feet under in the training pool. I got so worried it would happen in the ocean that I stayed after class and asked the Instructor if I could practice over and over until I wasn't scared anymore.
 
Getting the airspace visibility and cloud clearance limits right was a challenge. Kknowing what is a class and what is a category was difficult (and they are backwards in certification of airmen and aircraft).

As far as airplane control goes, I don't feel like anything in PP curriculum was particularly difficult, even though I'm a clumsy and inept pilot. Unless you want to challenge Bob Hoover and Chuck Yeager, it just takes understanding of the basics and practice.
 
When I was doing my private everything was hard, but I seemed to especially have a hard time with crosswind landings. During my Instrument holding was a challenge and on my Commercial/CFI Lazy 8's were my primary source of frustration.
 
In terms of knowlege, Engines (being able to explain how they work), Basic Aerodynamics, and Meteorology (not WX services...I'm pretty good at analyzing WX products and making an informed decision , but basic weather theory) were tough for me to grasp while Regs and Airspace came pretty easy. I would say that of my tough areas, meteorology still needs quite a bit of work.
 
Henning said:
Well go out and get comfortable spinning and realize you can recover it before it gets started or anywhere along the first 2 turns to a desired heading within 500' in most all light singles. There's no bugaboo there for modern planes. There are multiple methods of recovery all effective, learn them, become proficient at it. Now you don't have to fear it anymore. PP should have 3 hours basic aerobatics, that is a big difference in military training, doesn't matter if you're going to a Herc, you get an aerobatic introduction and capability.
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I intend to get some spin training as soon as i'm able. Trouble is finding a plane they'll let you spin intentionally. Friends just went to fly with Greg Koontz. They all felt they were better for the experience.
 
ScottK said:
I intend to get some spin training as soon as i'm able. Trouble is finding a plane they'll let you spin intentionally. Friends just went to fly with Greg Koontz. They all felt they were better for the experience.
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There is an international acro association that lists acro CFI's and airports, etc. That should help you find someone in your area who can show you spins. (I just took a stall and spin awareness class for WINGS taught by a master acro CFI)
 
John Baker said:
I would sit there, with my charts and POH trying to work out every little detail, my eyes would glaze over and I would find myself thinking of anything but what I should be thinking about.


Once I did that, the whole thing fell in place, flight planing was easy,
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John, this is interesting. I find myself doing the same thing when I'm planning a xc-- everything is laid out in front of me and then my eyes glaze over. Maybe I'm feeling overwhelmed? :dunno:

Anyway, if you didn't feel hypnotized, perhaps you remember what she said to you during the hypnosis session that helped to change your attitude? I'm all ears if so!
 
I get very frustrated with physical phenomena with over simplified wrong or inconsistent explanations that have to be memorized and regurgitated to get the answers to test questions scored as correct (for example: Lift & Bernoulli effect, P- factor). My problem with P-factor is that in one case(tail drager tail coming up), the prop is a gyroscope (force acts 90 degrees away in the direction of rotation) and in another case (more bite from the descending blade), the prop does not act as a gyroscope. Otherwise, the increased bite of the descending prop blade would lift the nose.
 
Graueradler said:
I get very frustrated with physical phenomena with over simplified wrong or inconsistent explanations that have to be memorized and regurgitated to get the answers to test questions scored as correct (for example: Lift & Bernoulli effect, P- factor). My problem with P-factor is that in one case(tail drager tail coming up), the prop is a gyroscope (force acts 90 degrees away in the direction of rotation) and in another case (more bite from the descending blade), the prop does not act as a gyroscope. Otherwise, the increased bite of the descending prop blade would lift the nose.
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You only get a gyroscopic turning force during the transition between steady states. The nose high left turn is caused by a difference in offset thrust between the sides of the blade do to angular differences in advancing and retreating blade angles to the relative wind. Think of it like a twin running one engine harder than the other, it will turn toward the side of lesser thrust.
 
Ghery said:
We all have different things that give us trouble. Then, you'll pass the check ride and you'll be fine. Until you start instrument training, then you'll forget how to land again. Trust me on that one. :D
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Glad I'm not the only one who's landings sucked during IR training :wink2:. Luckily Commercial training fixed that problem for me after I finished my instrument.
 
One concept that took me a minute to understand was the wind report on the ATIS/AWOS and runway selection. Our main runway is 5/23. So I would hear "Wind 050 at 8," I'd be like, "Well, we'll just mosey on over to runway 23." Turns out that the wind is coming from that direction, so you would actually go to runway 5. It was strange to me. But now I just know that whatever the ATIS/AWOS says the wind is, it basically tells me which runway to use.
 
First off ya need to know humans werent ment fer flight, ergo trust and be one with ur gages...second most "flight instructers" are just tryin to get there 1500 hr in to be viable to a commercial job at ur expence. Find a instructer who loves to fly and teach, not one workin on there resume.
 
StrokerAce said:
really? how bad:wink2:
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Who are you?

They are the worst landings in the history of the universe. Worst in memory was the one last weekend - in front of a CFI, no less. We got better but then the lesson ended. I never thought once I finished my training that I would be taking "lessons" again but it is better safe than sorry. I go up again on Sunday to practice landings some more.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Who are you?

They are the worst landings in the history of the universe. Worst in memory was the one last weekend - in front of a CFI, no less. We got better but then the lesson ended. I never thought once I finished my training that I would be taking "lessons" again but it is better safe than sorry. I go up again on Sunday to practice landings some more.
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you have a good disposition, i think that will make u a fine pilot one day.... good job:)
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Who are you?

They are the worst landings in the history of the universe. Worst in memory was the one last weekend - in front of a CFI, no less. We got better but then the lesson ended. I never thought once I finished my training that I would be taking "lessons" again but it is better safe than sorry. I go up again on Sunday to practice landings some more.
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Were you able to use the plane afterwards? If so, they weren't the worst in the history of the universe :D
 
GCA319 said:
Were you able to use the plane afterwards? If so, they weren't the worst in the history of the universe :D
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Details, details. Yes, we made at least 3-5 more landings afterwards and when I tied down the plane it looked OK. Though the takeoff after the worst landing made the plane shake violently (and every takeoff after that). He said "it always does that" and that is when I did not finish filling out the check out test, or go back for the manuevers. My planes are way cheaper and they don't shake for unknown reasons.

On the ground, I asked my BF if that shake was from my bad landing, or if he remembered whether or not it had shaken like that when we first took off from KSTS at the start of the lesson. He said it always shook.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Details, details. Yes, we made at least 3-5 more landings afterwards and when I tied down the plane it looked OK. Though the takeoff after the worst landing made the plane shake violently (and every takeoff after that). He said "it always does that" and that is when I did not finish filling out the check out test, or go back for the manuevers. My planes are way cheaper and they don't shake for unknown reasons.

On the ground, I asked my BF if that shake was from my bad landing, or if he remembered whether or not it had shaken like that when we first took off from KSTS at the start of the lesson. He said it always shook.
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Sounds like a bad shimmy dampener to me.
 
HerrGruyere said:
One concept that took me a minute to understand was the wind report on the ATIS/AWOS and runway selection. Our main runway is 5/23. So I would hear "Wind 050 at 8," I'd be like, "Well, we'll just mosey on over to runway 23." Turns out that the wind is coming from that direction, so you would actually go to runway 5. It was strange to me. But now I just know that whatever the ATIS/AWOS says the wind is, it basically tells me which runway to use.
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And then one day the wind is reported as 140 @ 10G20. ;)
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Details, details. Yes, we made at least 3-5 more landings afterwards and when I tied down the plane it looked OK. Though the takeoff after the worst landing made the plane shake violently (and every takeoff after that). He said "it always does that" and that is when I did not finish filling out the check out test, or go back for the manuevers. My planes are way cheaper and they don't shake for unknown reasons.

On the ground, I asked my BF if that shake was from my bad landing, or if he remembered whether or not it had shaken like that when we first took off from KSTS at the start of the lesson. He said it always shook.
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Bad shimmy dampener or mis-rigged/out-of-balance nose wheel. Quite common on beat up rental Cessnas. Doesn't matter if they're new or old, they all eventually do it.

Can also be a nose wheel bearing failing but not usually in rental trainers if they're checking them at 100-hour.

Pull the elevator back and do a soft-field takeoff next time. It'll save you and your passenger's teeth from rattling out. Or just pull enough to get most of the weight off the nosegear. It'll stop.

And tell the cheap asses to fix their airplane. ;)

(Which they probably won't bother doing because students and low-time pilots will keep slamming the nosegear down and allowing side-loads on the nosegear to beat up and wear out the next expensive shimmy dampener they buy, so many places will just ignore it. Until they start having to replace gyros prematurely and that gets expensive too. Probably more expensive than doing the right fix.)

Main gear is for landing. Nose gear is for steering and holding up the engine after you let it land. If it starts shimmying on landing you can pick it back up if you're still rolling fast enough and have enough runway left to get off the brakes. Elevator back in your lap all the way during rollout.
 
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