If I hadn't done something we would be dead

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pilotstudent

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Pilot Student
I am a student pilot with 30 hours training. Before today I considered myself an average student in relation to piloting skills with above average ground school aeronautical knowledge. I was comfortable with everything except landing. I have studied landing techniques from multiple resources but never felt like I was very good at it.

Today I went for a pre-solo check which if I passed would mean I would be clear to fly solo. The pre-solo check was with the chief flight instructor who is not my usual instructor. Everything went fine except for the landing. I know it may seems strange but I can't remember the details. I remember the traffic pattern was ok, the final approach was ok, glide slope, speed, flaps, etc. but moments before touch down, the aiming point I usual go for seemed off, and remember thinking I'll readjust early on the runway, next thing I know the instructor took over and "landed" pretty hard. We did a touch and go and one more landing that was "ok". I knew I wasn't going to be cleared for a solo which I was fine with, but back in the office with my instructor and another instructor I was told if he hadn't done something we would be dead. For me it was about the worst thing I could hear as I am not a thrill seeker and will not become a pilot if I am not safer than average. I tried to ask for more details but couldn't really hear much as I was about to throw up. He described it as diving for the ground. Maybe he is over reacting, maybe I am over reacting. Right now I don't even know what I did wrong to lead to such a dangerous situation. I think its probably one of two things, I was fixated too much on the aim point and did not flare in time, or maybe I was too high, cut power too much for too steep a decent.

I know from my description no one can tell what I did wrong or didn't do wrong. I would appreciate any similar stories with someone that went on to be a great safe pilot. I am very very close to giving up and not going back. I told myself I would not give up on this but the comment is so harsh its hard for me to continue.
 
There is no scenario where what the instructor said is ok. For him to humiliate you in public like that is just plain wrong. The guy is a total jerk who shouldn't be allowed to teach.

A responsible instructor would have sat you down, alone, and calmly explained to you what you did wrong and how to about it next time.

Don't give up but consider changing flight schools if that is an option for you. If the school thinks this was an acceptable response from a flight instructor they clearly have some serious problems.
 
Dont give up. The instructor is also a human being and may be he was harsh or may be you felt he was harsh. doesnt matter.

not exactly same story but i was told a number of times by my instructor that he has doubts that he can ever solo me. Then i told him that i am buying a plane, pre-solo. He categorically told me that it would be a mistake on my part, a number of times since i had a fear of bank and turbulence and would freeze in choppy weather. did i feel discouraged? of course i did. I also took it as a challenge to prove it to myself, and its important that you prove it to yourself, not someone else, that i can.

350 hrs later, i am still here and flying whenever i can. that doesnt mean i am a great pilot, it means i stuck to my guns. frustration is a part of the journey. ohh, i solo-ed at 60 hours because i hit a plateau while learning to land and just couldn't wrap my head around when to flare and land. one day it clicked, dont know when, but when i stopped focusing on landing, i could land.

dont give up
 
When trying to "find the ground" as a student learns the landing phase they tend to round-out and flare the aircraft too high. Sometimes in an effort to fix that concern and get lower they may let the airplane descend too rapidly and too close to the runway. A good instructor is watching for these things and actually quite expecting them. If he had to take the airplane and fix a bad landing for you ... that's what you are paying him to do! If the airplane landed hard and you really were nearly killed (me thinks he exaggerates too much) then as an instructor he ain't minding the store well enough. I get the part about allowing a student to make mistakes but there is a limit to how far an instructor lets that go.

I agree with others that finding someone else might be a prudent thing to do. Remember ... you are paying him to do a job. You are the student here ...
 
Do not give up! I had similar doubts... I too had a flight instructor that was a bit harsh (not to that degree) but it added to the stress of learning and I thought maybe I didnt have what it takes... I switched instructors and soloed a few hours later... But i left on good terms and still shoot the poo with him when i pop into his airport for a fill up...

But instructor student match up is important...

flying isnt easy to “get” then once ya get it, you spend a lifetime trying to master it... Not giving up is an important trait of a pilot... in an emergency the pilot that refuses to give up stands a hellova better chance relating the story himself...

Dont give up you will get it!
 
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I’m at a 1000 hours. I’m a safe pilot (most of the time, I still make mistakes)

I remember an instructor totally freaking out about stalls on a BFR. I was slightly off on coordination. At the time it made a big impact one me. Years later, I realized he was overly cautious.

At your hours, you won’t know the motivations and concerns of your instructors.

Focus on soloing and then on your private license. It will be worth it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
If it doesn’t look good, go around.

Like others said, don’t give up.

Research Jason Shapert of M-Zero-A and the story of what he did as a student and what his flight instructor said to him. He could have given up.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Ah, you are at important stage in your training where you learn about all the possible pilot personalities. lol
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i didnt even think of that, but so spot on... at least in my area that type is few and far between, but ya do gotta love the “i was born knowing how to fly, didnt need to learn it, and ive yet to make an error” click...
 
There is a chance he thinks he is doing you a favor. Forcing you to double down on your resolve and your focus on learning, or wash out before you invest too much time if you won’t double down on your resolve. Those aren’t your only options, but it may be a good time to evaluate what you could be doing differently about learning landings. But don’t let him, or me get into your head. Most of us barely have room for ourselves.
Also, if you keep video of your sessions, go back and review your pattern and approach. Was anything off that set you up for a bad effort? Does comparison with tapes of previous landings give any clues?
 
“Right now I don't even know what I did wrong to lead to such a dangerous situation. I think its probably one of two things, I was fixated too much on the aim point and did not flare in time, or maybe I was too high, cut power too much for too steep a decent.”

THIS is the thing. Your CFI needs to go into detail about what the mistake was so you can correct it. Maybe tensions were high just after, or you were shaken and not able to focus, but this HAS to happen, that your instructor goes into detail about what it actually was. He should be using a model and showing you what happened just before he had to take over and discuss how it got to that point.

I can understand you being leary of your next flight, you don’t have information and he has told you it would have been a serious crash. Nobody would feel safe flying if it is going to be kept an unknown just what the problem was.
 
Here's mine. I was presolo. Like you, my problem was landings. For some reason I simply could not find the runway. Pattern was ok. Airspeed was more or less under control. But on short final I would lose the runway. I would drift way to the right. Completely off the runway. I seem to recall a small structure - it was over 30 years ago - I would aim at! I did not scare my instructor enough to get him yelling but it was a big problem so close to solo.

The solution was a very common one. Another instructor. No, not because my instructor was bad. He was very good. But not only are human beings different, but even good instructors don't see everything. In my case, the second instructor picked up on something the first didn't see and I soloed two lessons later.

Not too sure about the "great safe pilot" part, but I have used the "second set of eyes" solution a number of times as an instructor. I have asked other CFIs to fly with my student if there was an issue I just could not solve, and others have asked me.
 
Crap happens, learn from it and move on! I'd been out of the game for a long while, but the advent of basic med, as well as some other things that lined up nicely, allowed me (with Dr Bruce's help) get back in the game.

So, I'm doing a flight review after not flying for five years, and as you'd expect, rust. Not terrible, and each takeoff/landing pair got better than the last, until my last landing at my home field. A wing got a little low and I was waaay too aggressive on the rudder, causing that low wing to go way high. My CFI grabbed the controls and put us down. I said damn, I guess that means we'll be flying together more for a while, and he said nope! He said I was a good pilot, just a little rusty, and thought I was safe and signed me off. He said he'd ride anywhere with me.

Two years since that, I've not had any landings that were even close to questionable.

Have some confidence, talk it out with your instructor, and move on!
 
I agree with not giving up. There definitely are many jerks in the world who lack the discretion to handle a situation without becoming a nasty tyrant. I have left several places of employment and churches because of such. I had a high school mechanical drawing teacher who got a hate fixation on me and would only put an F on every drawing of mine that he graded, no matter how good or bad it was. It wasn't until I threatened him by holding a 3 cornered ruler like a club in my hand while he graded my drawings that he stopped his determination to fail me. There is no excuse for nasty behavior, especially if you are the customer and trainee. Harness during training is disturbing and does not edify. Some people think that being harsh is good training technique, it is not. It is disturbing and discouraging. No one wants to be around an SOB. Like some have suggested, a different environment is the way to go, in my opinion. If that doesn't work, try try again. It would not be beyond me to write a letter to his company explaining why I decided to leave. No one gets away with being nasty with me without a stern rebuke.
 
You know, I'm editing this, at first I thought the guy was a dick, but then realized that you asked him what happened, you had a hard landing after he jumped in. So really, he was harsh, but you should just suck it up, you asked, he told you, you said if felt wrong, now you know it was really wrong, your sense is good and now your reaction to that sense will be good. KEEP AT IT, trust me, you will make more mistakes, learn from them and move on. I'll leave the rest of my post below.


Your mistake was that something felt off and you did not go around. You are a student, if it doesn't feel right on landing, go around, you shouldn't be thinking I can fix it when you are at short final or closer, go around, especially on a check ride, trust me, you will be congratulated for sound decision making. This applies after your first solo too, there are many accidents where a solo student continued landing where a go around should be performed. Conditions change and what worked last landing may not work this landing, go around if it's not feeling right and don't worry about it. As you get experience, (after you get your license), you might be able to fix things like small bounces, but even then it's better to go around. One more hint, don't ever worry about impressing anybody, even your check ride pilot. Worry about doing what you were trained to do.

It's funny, I was flying a brand new airplane, landing at an airport unfamiliar to me, bringing it in for maintenance. It was a gusty summer day, and I wanted to have a greaser landing because I knew I was being watched. Well instead of a greaser I bounced about 8 feet off the runway. 8 feet above the runway at stall speed decelerating is no place to be, so I did a go around, then greased it in next attempt. I asked the guys if they saw me come in, they said yes, we saw you go around, it's really gusty here. And that was it. When there is a doubt in your head on landing, go around.
 
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I have a feeling the instructor was afraid of you and over reacted.

Okay, so maybe your approach was a little steep, your aim point a little off, but you were going to adjust. He didn't know you and he didn't trust you. I think he may have panicked.

You may want to follow up with the instructor. Tell him you want to learn from your mistakes and now that you're calm, let's discuss it again. It would be up to you if you wanted your regular instructor present.

I've been flying the same Piper Warrior for almost 20 years, and still, a not insignificant fraction of my landings are "carrier" landings, basically drop and plop. Interestingly, it's almost the same small fraction that are greasers. :) Most fall somewhere between.

One thing that could change my thoughts on your experience is the length of the runway. If you were landing long/hot on a short runway and potentially could have run off the end. However, I believe if that was the case, the instructor would have gone around.

Something to discuss with your regular instructor, is if it would be useful for you to talk through your landings while landing. Verbalize what you are seeing, doing, and expecting in real time. Some people can stream their consciousness out their mouths, some cannot. If you can, in this instance, it may be useful.

Most importantly, do not let this put you off your training. If you need to, find another instructor, another school, whatever ensures you complete your training and get your certificate. If you don't, it will haunt you for a long time.
 
I had the same kind of thing happen, only my instructor didn't ask - he elbowed me in the ribs and took the controls. We were on short final. All I remember is that we touched down way off centerline and he had similar words for me.

This is also the instructor who didn't even notice a flap failure in the run-up area the on one of my first few lessons because he was too busy looking outside. I switched instructors and never looked back.
 
pilotstudent said:
I know from my description no one can tell what I did wrong or didn't do wrong. I would appreciate any similar stories with someone that went on to be a great safe pilot. I am very very close to giving up and not going back. I told myself I would not give up on this but the comment is so harsh its hard for me to continue.
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Press on. Take what you can from it. Do better.

I'm not a CFI but I was an NFO FRS instructor in the Navy. The luxury of going through that curriculum was that Navy accepted you knew the jet and how to fly it. After all, we were all on our 2nd or 3rd tour and had at least 1000 hours, but they concentrated on the skills on how to be a good instructor.

From what I have seen in my time as a civilian pilot through my private and instrument and flight reviews is either to get your CFI how to be a good instructor is not taught or it just doesn't sink in to some. The number one job of a CFI is to communicate the skills you have to the student in a way that they learn and hopefully a bit beyond just what is required to pass the practical. Part of that MAY be rapid action on your part but you damn well better be able to describe what drove you to that point AND be able to take the student out and show him where things went wrong. Every student learns differently and it's not up to the student to adapt to your style of instructing.

There is zero reason for anyone to be an ******* as an instructor. Yes, I flew with them in the Navy and remember a couple in particular, one from T-2's that I would be happy to punch behind the ear to this day and smirk as he collapsed in a pile.

I've thought about the CFI down the road simply because sharing the love of flying and getting people to love it as much as I do would be worth it. Passing the skills on to others and getting them to be safe pilots with an "ever learning" attitude could be as lot of fun. Whether it's worth the bureaucratic hassle is another matter matter.
 
just a general observation, nothing specific to your incident...
my experience having flown with a bunch of different instructors.... it's hard for them to let things go outside of their defined "norm". Probably a human nature thing. What I mean is if they have a habit of doing/teaching a particular order to things, somebody coming along doing it out of order...or a different way.... is hard to take....so they are quick to show you their way.
Then from the student's perspective it can destroy confidence in the way they were doing it and it makes for a lot of uncertainty.
It's hard enough to learn the way your normal CFI is telling you to do it...then you have a check pilot or substitute CFI doing this and confusing the whole issue.

The one thing I can think of that can be helpful...maybe.... is to keep your mouth going non stop, just talking to yourself really......say what you are thinking...say what you are doing...say what you see.... that way the CFI isn't so quick to think you missed something. I don't like doing this personally, but seems like it could help sometimes.
 
also keep in mind, you are paying, you can always show someone the proverbial door if you dont jive with him/her
 
Another cause of his nasty reaction could very well be that he was simply trying to deceive you into thinking that you need a lot more CFI training, thus more $$money$$ for him or his fellow CFIs/company. I don't doubt anything as being impossible with other people. At my age, I have seen and experienced many such devious evils of men.
 
Kodiak said:
Another cause of his nasty reaction could very well be that he was simply trying to deceive you into thinking that you need a lot more CFI training, thus more $$money$$ for him or his fellow CFIs/company. I don't doubt anything as being impossible with other people. At my age, I have seen and experienced many such devious evils of men.
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That could be and if the op suspects this he should run. BUT from the ops own description, the approach was "off", the instructor jumped into action and still couldn't prevent the airplane from slamming into the ground. I think the instructor was waiting for a go around, then got the crap scared out of him. I think the op didn't react for what ever reason, but learned a valuable lesson and this will never happen again to him. Just my thoughts.
 
Keep in mind that your new instructor had not had a chance to observe you handling the controls like your regular instructor, so he will have no context and be a little more wary of your performance. This may not be a bad thing, as the new instructor is a fresh set of eyes who may notice different things than your regular instructor. While I don't condone the behavior of your instructor in front of you as an example of a good teacher-student relationship, it is quite possible that your actions during the flight caused some flight safety concern.

Keep plugging away, and do get a debrief after every flight to learn from your mistakes. All trainees are going to make mistakes. To be a safe pilot, you need to respond to bright lights and loud noises, as it were, and take proper action without delay. When you recognize the need and make the appropriate actions in flight with confidence and without hesitation, you will be turned loose to solo. Not before. It's not a race. You will be ready when you are ready, when you can command the plane reliably and safely. If you overemphasize getting to solo ("Today's the day!"), you may simply get frustrated rather than letting it happen when it happens.

I like Brad's advice of "talking" your way through maneuvers as a trainee. It lets you and your instructor know that you are aware of what is happening and what you intend to do to deal with it. I did that with my instructor, too. If we were high, low, fast, slow, left of course, etc., I let my instructor know I knew things were not exactly right, and we often discussed what the options were to fix it or just practice a go-round.

The day I soloed I was surprised the instructor was going to let me go without him. I didn't go into that day thinking "this will be the day if I do certain things." That's probably how it should be. My solo landings that day were utterly routine. And I had worn a nice shirt. :(
 
Diving at the runway to hit a predetermined touchdown point not only does not work, it can result in serious damage. Diving just increases airspeed, which means either touching down at a high speed, meaning a flat attitude that can result in porpoising, wheelbarrowing off the runway, blown tires from braking when there's still too much lift in the wings, running off the end of the runway, lots of stuff. If you hold it off until the speed is right after diving at the touchdown point, you'll float a long way down the runway. Got to get rid of that speed somehow.

Better approach planning is the answer. A good landing starts way back on downwind.
 
How did he know that you weren’t about to do something that would have kept you from killing you?
 
pilotstudent said:
I am a student pilot with 30 hours training. Before today I considered myself an average student in relation to piloting skills with above average ground school aeronautical knowledge. I was comfortable with everything except landing. I have studied landing techniques from multiple resources but never felt like I was very good at it.

Today I went for a pre-solo check which if I passed would mean I would be clear to fly solo. The pre-solo check was with the chief flight instructor who is not my usual instructor. Everything went fine except for the landing. I know it may seems strange but I can't remember the details. I remember the traffic pattern was ok, the final approach was ok, glide slope, speed, flaps, etc. but moments before touch down, the aiming point I usual go for seemed off, and remember thinking I'll readjust early on the runway, next thing I know the instructor took over and "landed" pretty hard. We did a touch and go and one more landing that was "ok". I knew I wasn't going to be cleared for a solo which I was fine with, but back in the office with my instructor and another instructor I was told if he hadn't done something we would be dead. For me it was about the worst thing I could hear as I am not a thrill seeker and will not become a pilot if I am not safer than average. I tried to ask for more details but couldn't really hear much as I was about to throw up. He described it as diving for the ground. Maybe he is over reacting, maybe I am over reacting. Right now I don't even know what I did wrong to lead to such a dangerous situation. I think its probably one of two things, I was fixated too much on the aim point and did not flare in time, or maybe I was too high, cut power too much for too steep a decent.

I know from my description no one can tell what I did wrong or didn't do wrong. I would appreciate any similar stories with someone that went on to be a great safe pilot. I am very very close to giving up and not going back. I told myself I would not give up on this but the comment is so harsh its hard for me to continue.
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I am just going to guess, since I wasn't obviously there. It sounds like you were too high on short final, and pointed the nose downward rather than reducing power. That could result in porpoising, or even a prop strike. But no one would have died. At the very least you should have been given a thorough debriefing on what happened. If the debrief was given but you were too upset to hear anything, you should ask to meet on another day. The presolo is a very delicate stage and instructors often don't understand the impact of their statements and actions. You were likely also stressed by the new instructor evaluating you. Remember you are paying them to give you flight instruction. You are not paying them to judge you.
 
sarangan said:
......You are not paying them to judge you.
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I disagree with this last statement. You are most certainly paying them to judge you and you are paying them to make sure you are safe. As I said before, I gave my primary instructor a run for his money years ago, but never did he have a hard landing saving me.

The op says " but moments before touch down, the aiming point I usual go for seemed off, and remember thinking I'll readjust early on the runway, next thing I know the instructor took over and "landed" pretty hard." I think this check instructor got caught off guard by a sudden move toward the runway and saved it just in time, remember the plane landed pretty hard. I also think this would have been a damaged airplane had the instructor not intervened. A student just about to solo can't have a brain fart like that and expect to solo.

In the end I don't think it's a big deal as long as the op learned his lesson. He is in no position as a student to fix an approach close to the runway. I'm not a student and I will occasionally abandon an approach I don't like, it ain't worth it.

OP, you need another lesson of landings, which I'm willing to bet will go perfectly, at least by the end. Do the solo check again, don't get nervous and if it isn't right, go around, even if it's twice in a row. You have to prove you won't bend the airplane or kill yourself to solo, just do what you've trained to do.
 
Salty said:
How did he know that you weren’t about to do something that would have kept you from killing you?
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I suspect the OP was allowed to go right up to the point of no return.
 
Domenick said:
Something to discuss with your regular instructor, is if it would be useful for you to talk through your landings while landing. Verbalize what you are seeing, doing, and expecting in real time. Some people can stream their consciousness out their mouths, some cannot. If you can, in this instance, it may be useful.
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It was not until I learned this technique that my CFI finally stopped interrupting my mental flow with suggestions and commands. One day it occurred to me that I was always behind the airplane because I was spending too much critical brain power listening to and processing what he was saying and not doing what I knew needed to be done. As soon as I started talking through what was happening and what I was doing (to counter undesirable conditions, what I was doing next, why that last steep turn was not within PTS tolerance, etc) from Pre-Flight to Shutdown he shut up, quit interrupting my thought process, and let me fly the damn plane. Of course he still spoke up if what I was saying was wrong or misplaced or he was introducing something new, but for the most he left me alone as long as he knew what I was thinking and planning. This habit continued through Instrument, Commercial, and Multi-Engine training and came in very handy during my CFI certification process.
 
smv said:
It was not until I learned this technique that my CFI finally stopped interrupting my mental flow with suggestions and commands. One day it occurred to me that I was always behind the airplane because I was spending too much critical brain power listening to and processing what he was saying and not doing what I knew needed to be done. As soon as I started talking through what was happening and what I was doing (to counter undesirable conditions, what I was doing next, why that last steep turn was not within PTS tolerance, etc) from Pre-Flight to Shutdown he shut up, quit interrupting my thought process, and let me fly the damn plane. Of course he still spoke up if what I was saying was wrong or misplaced or he was introducing something new, but for the most he left me alone as long as he knew what I was thinking and planning. This habit continued through Instrument, Commercial, and Multi-Engine training and came in very handy during my CFI certification process.
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what you said here is one of the things all new CFIs feel they need to do, talk non stop! For some reason they feel if they keep talking, they aren’t teaching. They need to learn that sometimes, not talking is more valuable then just repeating themselves. As a CFI I talk when I need to talk, if I am not talking, I am observing.
 
PaulS said:
That could be and if the op suspects this he should run. BUT from the ops own description, the approach was "off", the instructor jumped into action and still couldn't prevent the airplane from slamming into the ground. I think the instructor was waiting for a go around, then got the crap scared out of him. I think the op didn't react for what ever reason, but learned a valuable lesson and this will never happen again to him. Just my thoughts.
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well, except shouldn’t the instructor be able to see it going bad a little more ahead of time, maybe comment first, correct the student? Why wait until even taking over controls would mean slamming into the ground? Or if it was just wrong, advise “do a go around”?

Also it bothers me a lot that the OP was not given a debriefing that included the things he did wrong. If you read the OP’s post, he’s still left wondering whether he did one of two (or an unknown third) things wrong, that are very different types of mistakes, aren’t they? Students can’t correct if they don’t know what they did wrong for sure.
 
PaulS said:
I suspect the OP was allowed to go right up to the point of no return.
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My post is a thought experiment for the OP. He should be trying to answer that question for himself.
 
LongRoadBob said:
well, except shouldn’t the instructor be able to see it going bad a little more ahead of time, maybe comment first, correct the student? Why wait until even taking over controls would mean slamming into the ground? Or if it was just wrong, advise “do a go around”?

Also it bothers me a lot that the OP was not given a debriefing that included the things he did wrong. If you read the OP’s post, he’s still left wondering whether he did one of two (or an unknown third) things wrong, that are very different types of mistakes, aren’t they? Students can’t correct if they don’t know what they did wrong for sure.
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But this was a pre solo check ride, a test for when the pilot is alone with no instructor there to save him. The instructor is on this ride to evaluate, not teach. He was waiting to see if the student was going to save himself, I think the student ended up high over his aim point and pushed the yoke to dive toward it. Not a good strategy. The instructor gave him every last chance to go around..... or figured the student was just landing long and got surprised.
 
smv said:
It was not until I learned this technique that my CFI finally stopped interrupting my mental flow with suggestions and commands. One day it occurred to me that I was always behind the airplane because I was spending too much critical brain power listening to and processing what he was saying and not doing what I knew needed to be done. As soon as I started talking through what was happening and what I was doing (to counter undesirable conditions, what I was doing next, why that last steep turn was not within PTS tolerance, etc) from Pre-Flight to Shutdown he shut up, quit interrupting my thought process, and let me fly the damn plane. Of course he still spoke up if what I was saying was wrong or misplaced or he was introducing something new, but for the most he left me alone as long as he knew what I was thinking and planning. This habit continued through Instrument, Commercial, and Multi-Engine training and came in very handy during my CFI certification process.
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great point!
.....I think that is me too. distracted by the CFI.
I think that also is the reason I don't like to, as Domenick said "stream my consciousness".
 
PaulS said:
But this was a pre solo check ride, a test for when the pilot is alone with no instructor there to save him. The instructor is on this ride to evaluate, not teach. He was waiting to see if the student was going to save himself, I think the student ended up high over his aim point and pushed the yoke to dive toward it. Not a good strategy. The instructor gave him every last chance to go around..... or figured the student was just landing long and got surprised.
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good point, but even so don’t you think he should have gotten a debrief where the instructor told him exactly what he did to get to that point? Just in the interest of educating him? Maybe it isn’t his job, I don’t know, but it is information that would be useful for him, no?
 
pilotstudent said:
I am a student pilot with 30 hours training. Before today I considered myself an average student in relation to piloting skills with above average ground school aeronautical knowledge. I was comfortable with everything except landing. I have studied landing techniques from multiple resources but never felt like I was very good at it.

Today I went for a pre-solo check which if I passed would mean I would be clear to fly solo. The pre-solo check was with the chief flight instructor who is not my usual instructor. Everything went fine except for the landing. I know it may seems strange but I can't remember the details. I remember the traffic pattern was ok, the final approach was ok, glide slope, speed, flaps, etc. but moments before touch down, the aiming point I usual go for seemed off, and remember thinking I'll readjust early on the runway, next thing I know the instructor took over and "landed" pretty hard. We did a touch and go and one more landing that was "ok". I knew I wasn't going to be cleared for a solo which I was fine with, but back in the office with my instructor and another instructor I was told if he hadn't done something we would be dead. For me it was about the worst thing I could hear as I am not a thrill seeker and will not become a pilot if I am not safer than average. I tried to ask for more details but couldn't really hear much as I was about to throw up. He described it as diving for the ground. Maybe he is over reacting, maybe I am over reacting. Right now I don't even know what I did wrong to lead to such a dangerous situation. I think its probably one of two things, I was fixated too much on the aim point and did not flare in time, or maybe I was too high, cut power too much for too steep a decent.

I know from my description no one can tell what I did wrong or didn't do wrong. I would appreciate any similar stories with someone that went on to be a great safe pilot. I am very very close to giving up and not going back. I told myself I would not give up on this but the comment is so harsh its hard for me to continue.
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If you continue on with your training (and you should) and it comes time to solo, you'll discover that NOT having an instructor next to you puts you in a different mindset and causes you to be more aware and quicker to react in a situation where definite reaction is necessary. After flying with an instructor for perhaps 15-30 hours you get rather used to him be next to you and have a built-in “he will deliver me” attitude. I found that once he stepped out of the airplane my feet started shaking on the rudder pedals but my concentration was 110% as the burden of safe flight was mine and mine alone! Scary, but doable. Your training does kick in as it’s the only thing you have to rely on.
I had both good and bad instructors and my favorite was the one that kept his arms folded during an accelerated stall attempt that I biffed through total misuse of the rudder. He let me struggle through the results (which was good) and then went over it again and again until I “got it”.
Like most people, I don’t respond well to harsh teaching methods. I prefer someone that is talented enough in their teaching to know when to take over and know when to not without making a big deal when you perform poorly. Believe me, a student doesn’t have to be yelled at or embarrassed to know he did a boo-boo.
Don’t give up but find a new instructor. I changed up early in my training with an instructor that had no talent for the job. Arrogance, combined with a supercilious attitude are not desirable traits for an instructor
 
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