How to stay motivated

A

alter

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Aug 6, 2019
Messages
11
Display Name
Display name:
alter
Hello,

I've tried starting pilot training a couple times over the past several years, however, I keep ending up taking a long break from the lessons after getting frustrated over some aspect of the training. There is a lot of things to learn all at once and the trainers seem to think everyone has a photographic memory. After getting the Gleim kit, it recommends learning and passing the written test before doing flight training, in order to be able to focus on fewer things at a time and reduce the number of lessons needed. I'm considering doing this and spending a lot more time practicing in X-Plane 11 before going back up in the air. Is this a good idea? How do you stay motivated to continue training? Thanks
 
Have you considered the possibility that being a pilot may not be the thing for you? Not saying it is or it isn't, but the fact is that flying isn't for everyone.

That said, motivation isn't just an issue during training. Even after you get your PP certificate you still have to deal with staying current, keeping up with changing procedures/regulations, BFR's, etc. And then there's the possibility of climbing the ratings ladder. I think you need to take a hard look at what is your goal, what you hope to get out of it and what it really takes to get there. I, like probably most around here, hope that you stick with it but understand that there's no shame if you don't.
 
I disagree with the "do the written before training" as the flight training can make learning some parts of the written earlier.

As far as motivation...perhaps a shock collar? :)
 
i did exactly that although i didn't use Gleim. i was 62 when i re-started training after a 30-yr interruption. old brains don't learn at the pace or way a 32-yr brain does...at least mine didn't. getting ground out of the way made it easier for me. my cfi covered ground topics as they related to where i was in flight training.
 
I really want to become a pilot but I want to do it in the most efficient and cheapest way possible..repeating the same lesson is frustrating to me and discouraging. I take it as a $200 mistake.
 
Last edited:
alter said:
I really want to become a pilot but I want to do it in the most efficient and cheapest way possible..repeating the same lesson is frustrating to me and discouraging. I take it as a $200 mistake.
Click to expand...

Now we're getting somewhere. Throughout the last 27 years, I've trained a whole lot of controllers. I have found that the most effective way to get them to stop doing something they shouldn't do or to get them to do something that they need to do is make the moment memorable. In other words, I've found that if you simply tell someone "hey don't do that" or "you need to do that" it doesn't stick but if they become embarrassed, ashamed or even angry, they will change their behavior. I'm not saying that your instructor should embarrass you or make you angry, I'm saying that YOU should be embarrassed and/or angry at yourself if you have to repeat the lesson. In your case it costs you money which should be a pretty good motivator.

Everyone wants to learn in the most efficient and cheapest way possible. I've never met a pilot yet who opined that they wished that they had spent more money on their training. (then I hear and fly with others in the pattern and wish they had) You'll get there eventually if you stick with it. Perhaps your aren't being as hard on yourself as you need to be. Do everything in your power to prepare for the lesson well in advance. The instructor can't make you study, that's on you...and your wallet.
 
To learn to fly you need to be in a plane and practice necessary skills in it. Nothing beats reality. It helps to do some reading before each lesson to learn what is expected, and hopefully your instructor is explaining the goal for each lesson. Some skills will require considerable and sustained effort, such as landings and crosswinds. Some will learn faster than others, but the average is around 75 hours, IIRC. But more than that is not necessarily abnormal. Everyone will hit training plateaus. It's normal. The key is to become safe and proficient, not cheap and efficient. I find most people make time and progress for things that are important to them. It's a goal to achieve, not a race.
 
alter said:
I really want to become a pilot but I want to do it in the most efficient and cheapest way possible..repeating the same lesson is frustrating to me and discouraging. I take it as a $200 mistake.
Click to expand...

I think you’re focus should always be on getting better, not on costs and efficiency. If you focus on number of hours and costs then that’s a mistake. You should understand now that aviation is not cheap and worrying about that is just not helpful. I’m not saying that throwing money away is what you should be doing, just that your focus should be on learning and getting proficient. However long that takes and cost is what it is. I think most of us struggled with some aspect of training. I remember early on it’s like your learning to juggle - when you first start it seems confusing and impossible. Then when it “hits” you can do it with your eyes closed. Flying has lots of moving parts both mental and physical. It takes time to get it all right but when it happens it’s a joy. But even after you reach that point you always have to stay on top of it to be proficient and safe. You never stop learning.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Flying is not going to become cheap after you get your license. You’re going to have to fly with an instructor enough that you can make him certain you are safe. That’s going to take longer if you’re focused on “quick”. Your focus should be on “safe”.

I get the feeling maybe you aren’t flying enough. Trying to do this on the cheap often means long gaps between lessons, which often means repeating lessons because you’re not doing it frequently enough to burn it into muscle memory.

It sounds to me like your motivation to save money is stronger than your motivation to learn to fly.
 
How often will you be able to fly after finishing training? Try training at the same rate. When your skills no longer atrophy terribly between lessons, they won't fade away after you finish and begin flying on your own.
 
Flying more regularly and not less reduces the likelihood that you have to repeat a lesson. Be prepared. It’s been said, and I agree, the cockpit makes a lousy classroom.
 
alter said:
Hello,

I've tried starting pilot training a couple times over the past several years, however, I keep ending up taking a long break from the lessons after getting frustrated over some aspect of the training. There is a lot of things to learn all at once and the trainers seem to think everyone has a photographic memory. After getting the Gleim kit, it recommends learning and passing the written test before doing flight training, in order to be able to focus on fewer things at a time and reduce the number of lessons needed. I'm considering doing this and spending a lot more time practicing in X-Plane 11 before going back up in the air. Is this a good idea? How do you stay motivated to continue training? Thanks
Click to expand...

I teach ground school to over 100 students a year while teaching a heck of a lot of students flying. There is a large amount of material to be learned, understood, and applied in the airplane. I expect no student to have a photographic memory, but I do expect all my students to study and not be goofing off on X-Plane. Especially if they are Part 61 students who opted to self study for the ground training.

QUOTE="alter, post: 2772593, member: 38526"]I really want to become a pilot but I want to do it in the most efficient and cheapest way possible..repeating the same lesson is frustrating to me and discouraging. I take it as a $200 mistake.[/QUOTE]

When we teach we demonstrate a maneuver, then the student attempts and practices the maneuver with coaching. To get a maneuver to a safe standard, the standard required for solo, the student has to practice the maneuver under instructor supervision. This does not happen in one lesson for anybody.

Getting a pilot certificate requires a lot of effort and money. A lot of people who start never finish. Maybe you aren’t cut out to be a pilot, you want cheap and easy.
 
Last edited:
One thing I found is I went through phases where it seemed like I would never get the hang of some aspect of flying. First it was take off, the whole p-factor, right rudder thing took forever to get a feel for. Then it was landings, found out how strong a 172's gear is. Then the written, airspace rules was a killer for me.

Reason for mentioning that is that when I was not getting it, I'd start to question why I was doing this. Then it would come together and I'd be re-motivated. If flying is something you want to do, don't listen to the folks saying maybe this isn't for you. It's a hard thing to learn, there's a lot of both physical stuff as well as book stuff and it can feel overwhelming. You might look at a thread that @Sinistar had about a year ago as he was getting his PP. He went through a lot of highs and lows and it can give you an appreciation of the journey.
 
alter said:
I really want to become a pilot but I want to do it in the most efficient and cheapest way possible..repeating the same lesson is frustrating to me and discouraging. I take it as a $200 mistake.
Click to expand...

How much time between lessons? Long gaps between lessons is the most common reason for doing the same thing over again.

Does your instructor use a syllabus? A syllabus lays out what each lesson consists of and is meant to accomplish, with completion standards. You and your CFI should be working from the same page so that you can compare your progress with the completion standards. You will also be able to see how the training should progress, one step at a time, with each new experience being based on something you already know.

Gleim nonwithstanding, I am not a fan of getting the written out of the way first. I have taught far too many ground school classes where the class progress was slowed by one or two students who had not get gotten into an airplane and could not connect what I was trying to teach to something beyond their experience.

Bob Gardner
 
Wow, I'm humbled at the amount of responses I got...there is a lot of good advice in there, which I will keep in mind.

I know many people recommend doing as much training in as short of a time as possible. Although this might be ideal, this isn't practical for me unfortunately from a time and money standpoint. So I understand that due to this restriction, that I should expect to pay a bit more and do a few more repeat lessons than otherwise and I'm willing to live with that. Since I do have a lot of time between lessons, I have time to study before going up, which is why I considered just getting the written out of the way. I would much rather have the reason for doing the same lesson over again to be due to a skill issue, rather than a knowledge issue or problem grasping the theory.

Getting a pilots license has been a goal since I was little and I'm not about to lose interest in it, I just want to go about it in the best way, its more about being frustrated with myself rather than frustrated at having to pay for the same lessons again.

Bob Gardner, I actually have one of your books. Yes the instructor has a syllabus and he asks me to study specific things before each lesson. Thanks for the response.
 
Last edited:
alter said:
I really want to become a pilot but I want to do it in the most efficient and cheapest way possible..repeating the same lesson is frustrating to me and discouraging. I take it as a $200 mistake.
Click to expand...

Hold on to that thought, but recognize that learning complex operations isn’t an easy thing. Both cheap and efficient are subjective terms in an activity that demands a certain level of proficiency.

alter said:
...I know many people recommend doing as much training in as short of a time as possible. Although this might be ideal, this isn't practical for me unfortunately from a time and money standpoint....
Click to expand...

You recognize a constraint, but not the impact of that constraint.

Would it be possible to solve the problem differently by saving up a significant amount of the cost so that you can train with the frequency necessary for you to obtain and maintain the proficiency required?

If not, can you recognize and accept the impact this constraint has on you?
 
alter said:
I really want to become a pilot but I want to do it in the most efficient and cheapest way possible..repeating the same lesson is frustrating to me and discouraging. I take it as a $200 mistake.
Click to expand...

Unless you are a prodigy, the first section of lessons are all learn, try, repeat, meet ACS standards. After that you get to the fun stuff of cross county and night flying.
 
alter said:
I really want to become a pilot but I want to do it in the most efficient and cheapest way possible..repeating the same lesson is frustrating to me and discouraging.
Click to expand...


Forgive me for being harsh, but that's a good way to end up in a bloody wad of smoking aluminum.

Your goal should be maximizing safety, not minimizing cost.
 
Half Fast said:
Forgive me for being harsh, but that's a good way to end up in a bloody wad of smoking aluminum.

Your goal should be maximizing safety, not minimizing cost.
Click to expand...
If I wanted to maximize safety, I would just forget about learning to fly.
 
Half Fast said:
That would also be the cheapest approach, thereby satisfying both goals.
Click to expand...
My goal is to become a pilot in the cheapest, most efficient manner. But your advice is probably good for someone else.
 
alter said:
My goal is to become a pilot in the cheapest, most efficient manner. But your advice is probably good for someone else.
Click to expand...
Well you left out good so there's still the possibility of doing it.
Good, cheap, effificient.
Pick two :D


Seriously though , the way to do it is fly 4 days a week. Do it that way you'll knock it out in minimum time because you won't have time to rust out and because you'll knock it out in minimum time you'll spend the least amount of money. That's the way I did it and was signed off the day i hit minimum time.
 
Along with all the other good thoughts in this discussion, why do you stop when you get frustrated? Do you do this in other areas of your life?

I think you’ve identified a pattern here that needs to be addressed. Even after the rating is earned, things will occasionally be frustrating.

If you quit every time that you’re frustrated in this and notice this happens in other areas of your life, you need to address it.

The learning process is nothing BUT frustration at times. Ever learn to play a musical instrument? Then learn how to play it mediocre? Then learn how to play it well? Then have your butt handed to you in a jam session by a better musician, or have them carry your sorry butt in a band while you got better?

Same deal. Learning is try, fail, try, fail, try succeed, try again, fail ... so many people today think the learning process is supposed to be done without failure. It literally can’t be.
 
only a student, but my wall is after disassembled a vehicle, & then long process of cutting metal out & putting new metal in, then repairing (restoring) replacing each assembly, & keep at it until I have a complete car, I definitely prefer Harleys to rework than cars, as seeing results come so much faster. when I spend too much time with little results I wonder if I am doing anything, right now I am working on a vintage Toyota truck, 4 months & not put 20 hours in it, I cant find the time, during daylight hours when not raining, I keep getting called in to 1 of my 3 jobs & working 70-90+ hours a week, I am looking at it as summer is almost over & almost nothing done, but next year I will be out of debt thanks to my hectic work, it isn't easy, but slowly plugging along, truck will be completed eventually.
 
Salty said:
Flying is not going to become cheap after you get your license. You’re going to have to fly with an instructor enough that you can make him certain you are safe. That’s going to take longer if you’re focused on “quick”. Your focus should be on “safe”.

I get the feeling maybe you aren’t flying enough. Trying to do this on the cheap often means long gaps between lessons, which often means repeating lessons because you’re not doing it frequently enough to burn it into muscle memory.

It sounds to me like your motivation to save money is stronger than your motivation to learn to fly.
Click to expand...

Half Fast said:
Forgive me for being harsh, but that's a good way to end up in a bloody wad of smoking aluminum.

Your goal should be maximizing safety, not minimizing cost.
Click to expand...

Those were essentially the same post, but you liked mine and got upset by his. Maybe you didn’t understand mine?
 
denverpilot said:
Along with all the other good thoughts in this discussion, why do you stop when you get frustrated? Do you do this in other areas of your life?

I think you’ve identified a pattern here that needs to be addressed. Even after the rating is earned, things will occasionally be frustrating.

If you quit every time that you’re frustrated in this and notice this happens in other areas of your life, you need to address it.

The learning process is nothing BUT frustration at times. Ever learn to play a musical instrument? Then learn how to play it mediocre? Then learn how to play it well? Then have your butt handed to you in a jam session by a better musician, or have them carry your sorry butt in a band while you got better?

Same deal. Learning is try, fail, try, fail, try succeed, try again, fail ... so many people today think the learning process is supposed to be done without failure. It literally can’t be.
Click to expand...

Exactly
Maybe the OP doesn’t really want it that bad.
 
If you want to just be a cheap, efficient pilot, spend a couple grand, buy one of these and call it done:

14GST.jpg




If you want to be a pilot that flies in the system, I'd take a look at the advice already given. I gave up flying for 20 years before getting back into it and believe me when I got back into it, I wasn't looking for a cheap/efficient way to get it done. I flew 4 days a week, after work. Most times in the evening while maintaining a full time job and going to school for my Masters. I "wanted" it. Started in December, soloed in January, flew a crap-ton in February, checkride in March.

Bought my plane, same month, got my instrument rating and CPL over the next couple of years at my own pace flying a LOT in the meantime.

I flew WAY more than I needed to, because I wanted to be safe (I frequently fly with my son) and I love it.

Not sure what your goals are as you only said you wanted to be a pilot, but maybe figure those out? You can be a trike pilot, a sport pilot, private pilot, etc etc..

You don't see many people asking for cheap efficient ways to do anything worthwhile, because those aren't always "good". Would you want a doctor who went the "cheap efficient route"? What about a professor who is educating you in school?

Cheap and efficient is great for building a table over 4 months, or maybe for a car choice, but I much prefer quality and a thorough understanding for anything worth doing. Especially when you are shelling out the 100's to learn.

My 2 cents..
 
Caramon13 said:
If you want to just be a cheap, efficient pilot, spend a couple grand, buy one of these and call it done:

14GST.jpg




If you want to be a pilot that flies in the system, I'd take a look at the advice already given. I gave up flying for 20 years before getting back into it and believe me when I got back into it, I wasn't looking for a cheap/efficient way to get it done. I flew 4 days a week, after work. Most times in the evening while maintaining a full time job and going to school for my Masters. I "wanted" it. Started in December, soloed in January, flew a crap-ton in February, checkride in March.

Bought my plane, same month, got my instrument rating and CPL over the next couple of years at my own pace flying a LOT in the meantime.

I flew WAY more than I needed to, because I wanted to be safe (I frequently fly with my son) and I love it.

Not sure what your goals are as you only said you wanted to be a pilot, but maybe figure those out? You can be a trike pilot, a sport pilot, private pilot, etc etc..

You don't see many people asking for cheap efficient ways to do anything worthwhile, because those aren't always "good". Would you want a doctor who went the "cheap efficient route"? What about a professor who is educating you in school?

Cheap and efficient is great for building a table over 4 months, or maybe for a car choice, but I much prefer quality and a thorough understanding for anything worth doing. Especially when you are shelling out the 100's to learn.

My 2 cents..
Click to expand...

What do you call a person that went to med school, was lowest passing grade in class??

Doctor! Do you check out their credentials? Class grades? Lol. This was a joke a Dr friend of mine used often. He was old and talked bad of so many new to field. He passed a few years ago
 
old_biker said:
What do you call a person that went to med school, was lowest passing grade in class??

Doctor! Do you check out their credentials? Class grades? Lol. This was a joke a Dr friend of mine used often. He was old and talked bad of so many new to field. He passed a few years ago
Click to expand...

Exactly but I did not say grades, I said cheap and efficient. When I hear people say give me the cheapest way to do XXX and that thing is a profession, I immediately think either they don't care or don't appreciate the effort people who put in the extra effort (either money or time) go through to be proficient.

Maybe the OP isn't looking at being a pilot as a profession and its more of a hobby. Dunno.

You can still put in effort and get sub par grades. I don't know anything about your friend, and sorry to hear he passed, however I would guess he probably didn't go into that profession thinking, hmm..how can I be a doctor by spending the least amount of money and time?

Anything that's worth doing is worth doing right. Being frugal and budget saavy is different than being cheap and efficient. And..to go one step further, I'd almost argue that being cheap ISN'T the same as being efficient and that you can't really do both all the time.

There are a lot of efficient ways to manufacture something, for example, betcha they aren't all "cheap" though.
 
Funny how some criticize for not wanting to waste money, other experienced trainers says that everyone wants to do it that way. Anyway, I got some good advice from some of you, others, did the exact opposite of tips for motivation. Thanks for those of you who helped.
 
No offense but if you need someone else to find motivation for you so you don’t quit maybe it isn’t for you. If you can’t stay motivated training have you considered that every time you fly it’s training? And there is no one there to hold you accountable, you have to do it all yourself.
 
alter said:
Funny how some criticize for not wanting to waste money, other experienced trainers says that everyone wants to do it that way. Anyway, I got some good advice from some of you, others, did the exact opposite of tips for motivation. Thanks for those of you who helped.
Click to expand...

I think you are confused. I don't think anyone flying hasn't sought ways to save money or find better value, goodness knows it's expensive enough as is. There's a difference between picking the lowest cost option and the right option.

Here's a great difference between being cheap and being frugal: Cheapness uses price as a bottom line; frugality uses value as a bottom line.

It was the way you asked the question and phrased it. Sure you can find yourself a cheap flight school, cheap instruction and cheap education, that just means you paid less for it, doesn't mean you got a good value out of it.

Here's a more obvious difference. For a headset you could go buy the cheapest one on the market right now, or you could search craigslist or somewhere online for a used, but perfectly functional headset that represents a great value and MIGHT be the same price as the "cheap" alternative.
 
"No offense but if you need someone else to find motivation for you so you don’t quit maybe it isn’t for you. If you can’t stay motivated training have you considered that every time you fly it’s training? And there is no one there to hold you accountable, you have to do it all yourself."

I don't need anything from you, especially don't need posts like yours which I won't listen to anyway. I ASKED for opinions for help. You didn't. So why post?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top