time to solo

How often are you flying? Back when I was training if I wasn't flying every 2-3 times per week at least I found my performance dramatically eroded to the point where I wouldn't be making new progress

James331 said:
I'd try with another CFI
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I agree with James here. Even if not to "switch" it might not be a bad idea to go with a 1 or 2 different CFIs to gauge their performance. Being careful and not letting your students get into trouble is good. But I had a CFI who was unfortunately just "not good" - didn't learn much in the way of techniques and skill and it seemed like he was too nervous to really be CFI'ing. Had I had him my whole I probably would have never gotten my license!

I switched to an older fellow with good experience, learned a ton and wrapped up my license. Incidentally I had a total of 3 CFIs. First one was good but left to go work for Delta. Second one was honestly terrible (one I mentioned above). Third was the best, CFI'ing was his hobby, not his job, and he loved it <- and he was the best
 
dont worry about the hours. you cant control how fast you will learn or get to solo. all you can control is how often you fly. which doesnt seem like enough..you should try to fly 8 times a month or more. when i started i was flying 3 times a week most of the time. but dont get burned out..you can also learn to much and not retain information. i know weather gets in the way but thats when you study..

if you havent taken your written go do it..start checking things off so you feel like your accomplishing things.

what other issues are you having??

dont forget to breath!!
 
Thanks all for the words of encouragement, much apprecaited. I will keep plugging in and try to incorporate all the recommendations i got from this thread. i know its matter of time, just wish i was in a place where i could just take the plane out and fly around :)
 
solo time said:
Thanks all for the words of encouragement, much apprecaited. I will keep plugging in and try to incorporate all the recommendations i got from this thread. i know its matter of time, just wish i was in a place where i could just take the plane out and fly around :)
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Yes. The most important thing is to not get so discouraged so you quit (over half do). You will get there with patience and perseverance and calm. One day you will look back and say every hour you trained was worth it.
 
I'm stuck on landings at ~20 hours and it seems to be frustrating my instructor more than me. I'm in no hurry... I'm paying for instruction... Little extra isn't going to hurt?
 
SaltH2OHokie said:
I'm stuck on landings at ~20 hours and it seems to be frustrating my instructor more than me. I'm in no hurry... I'm paying for instruction... Little extra isn't going to hurt?
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Landings are the MAIN sticking point for most. Ask your instructor to refer you to someone else for a couple of lessons to see if you can break through with them. Verbal instruction and advise do not translate immediately into muscle memory. Also, even after thousands of landings each is a little different due to winds and runways. It takes time and patience to build a toy chest of technique.
 
citizen5000 said:
Landings are the MAIN sticking point for most. Ask your instructor to refer you to someone else for a couple of lessons to see if you can break through with them. Verbal instruction and advise do not translate immediately into muscle memory. Also, even after thousands of landings each is a little different due to winds and runways. It takes time and patience to build a toy chest of technique.
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100% this! You also shouldn't feel like your instructor is getting frustrated, I would second this and recommend going with one or two other people to get some variety and see if something sticks. Kind of like learning a complicated math problem sometimes it just takes someone else to walk you through it for you to have the breakthrough.

For what it's worth, if I do 6 Landings in a row chances are two will be perfect, two will be ok and two will be flat-out mediocre... So many variables

EDIT: some epic typos thanks to speach to text
 
Sometimes a new instructor will notice something the first one didn't.

Early on, I was drifting off to the left as I flared. Landing after landing, I'd set down left of the center line. My instructor would coach, encourage, cajole, berate, weep, etc., but could not put his finger on what I was doing wrong. So I went up with another instructor. She watched me do one landing, then said "Okay, I see what you're doing, and you're going to laugh when you hear. Next time around, pick up your left elbow. You're resting it against the door, and trying to flare with your wrist. That's curling your wrist and pulling the stick left." Presto! Problem solved. Such a simple thing, but sometimes a second set of eyes is required to find it.

BTW - I'm starting to think that taking longer, and sometimes going a while between lessons, might not be all bad. Once I get my license, I'll likely be flying every two or three weeks, certainly not day after day, so maybe training that way is wise. Today I flew for the first time in three weeks. Winds were too high two weeks ago, and last weekend family stuff around Easter got in the way. My first landing today, after a three week hiatus, was made in a gusty crosswind and was excellent, smooth and centered. The rest of my landings were also good.

I'm starting to think that a longer, less steep learning curve might also mean that the de-learning curve is also longer and less steep. Which is a good thing.
 
Half Fast said:
Sometimes a new instructor will notice something the first one didn't.

Early on, I was drifting off to the left as I flared. Landing after landing, I'd set down left of the center line. My instructor would coach, encourage, cajole, berate, weep, etc., but could not put his finger on what I was doing wrong. So I went up with another instructor. She watched me do one landing, then said "Okay, I see what you're doing, and you're going to laugh when you hear. Next time around, pick up your left elbow. You're resting it against the door, and trying to flare with your wrist. That's curling your wrist and pulling the stick left." Presto! Problem solved. Such a simple thing, but sometimes a second set of eyes is required to find it.

BTW - I'm starting to think that taking longer, and sometimes going a while between lessons, might not be all bad. Once I get my license, I'll likely be flying every two or three weeks, certainly not day after day, so maybe training that way is wise. Today I flew for the first time in three weeks. Winds were too high two weeks ago, and last weekend family stuff around Easter got in the way. My first landing today, after a three week hiatus, was made in a gusty crosswind and was excellent, smooth and centered. The rest of my landings were also good.

I'm starting to think that a longer, less steep learning curve might also mean that the de-learning curve is also longer and less steep. Which is a good thing.
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Ah, you were limp wristing it.
 
I had a period where my landings became inconsistent. The worse it got, the worse it got. I'd get frustrated, start gripping the yoke too hard, and end up making large changes and inconsistent landings. I owned the plane I was flying so I decided to get some right, think about how I did that, and then keep practicing that until I had several in a row that were 'good'.

I ended up doing 29 touch-and-goes in a row that day. I started getting it right about 5 or so in but decided to keep it going until I didn't have to think about it as much, even if I pulled power at some non-standard point in the pattern.

I had to change the mains that week but it worked for me. I still have periods where things don't go right but it's usually because I fail to shift my focus to the other end of the runway when I get near the flare. If I keep my focus close in it's going to be a rough landing.

Gary
 
I have worked with a lot of students in the OP's situation. A vast majority of the time, the issue with their training came down to the quality of instruction they had been receiving. By "quality of instruction," I don't mean just what's happening in the airplane. Part of what could be going on here is a lack of honesty on the instructor's part as to what it's really going to take to get the OP ready to solo.

The OP mentions the instructor is booked "back-to-back." Has the student been given enough attention on the ground before and after the flight to ensure he or she understands what concepts are/were being taught in the lesson? Is the student provided with suggested study materials to review between lessons (especially considering the 10-day gaps)? Has the student been counseled on the need to increase his or her training frequency in order to accomplish his or her goals?

What about pre-solo knowledge? If all the OP is doing is practicing landings, how is the instructor going to endorse him or her to solo if it's been 40+ days since the basic private pilot maneuvers have been reviewed, assuming they were even taught in the first place? Is there a plan in place to verify the OP has the required pre-solo knowledge and flight experience by a given date? Does the OP even have a medical required for soloing? What about that new IACRA student pilot application? If not, then why not?

All of this stuff is pretty well outlined in the Aviation Instructor's Handbook and is a fundamental part of the CFI oral exam, but a lot of it tends to get thrown away in the field, to the detriment of many students. All of these questions are things I ask of students who come to me with 40+ hours and are still in the pre-solo stage. The answers I get are usually rather unimpressive.

Does this apply to every situation? No, but in the vast majority, it does. The OP should at minimum increase his or her training frequency and try a different instructor or school.
 
I shud come out of the closet.... I posted this, I am the OP

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I soloed around forty hours. Started and stopped a lot, my first instructor milked me for hours, and I did a fair amount of sight seeing. ;-P

Rich
 
citizen5000 said:
No one is getting a PPL at 40 hours.
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This is simply untrue.

My instructor signed me off for the check ride at 39.6 hours. I had to fly to meet the DPE to meet the minimum. I did almost all of my training at a busy Class D. It took 10 minutes just to taxi into position for run up and another 15 to get to the practice area. Sometimes had to wait on Airbus'. It can be done.

Approach it like you would if you're trying to be successful at anything in life. The more you put into each lesson in advance, the more you'll get out of it.

Get your finances in order first. Fly often, several times a week. Several shorter flights are better than one long one. Chair flying each night can't hurt. Get a simulator if you don't know up from down already. Study. Knock out the written and medical ASAP. Have a plan. Be prepared for each lesson. Review each lesson afterwards. Don't turn the key on the airplane until you've done everything you can in advance. At that point the clock is running and you're paying for the hobbs.
 
Ryanb said:
Never give up.



B: The CFI is taking advantage of his/her students and milks them for as long as possible.

Sounds like a combination of the two.
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Maybe. I actually have a similar student now. Came from another school with 30-40 hours and hasn't soloed yet. I've flown 4-5 hours with him so far and last time he landed consistently. It's been windy the times we've flown and it makes him unfirtable. Hoping he stays consistent so I can solo him soon.
 
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mscard88 said:
Maybe. I actually a similar student now. Came from another school with 30-40 hours and hasn't soloed yet. I've flown 4-5 hours and last time he landed consistently. It's been windy the times we've flown and it makes him unfirtable. Hoping he stays consistent so I can solo him soon.
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Okay, I'll bite...what is unfirtable?
 
If you're not going to give me a straight answer on this important topic, then firt you sir! ;)
 
Guys... chill, I just did a solo flight to another airport, and came back and still alive and the other guys flying big cans survived my pattern entry too.
It’s all good, well apart from the freaking blizzard that’s coming


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WannFly said:
Guys... chill, I just did a solo flight to another airport, and came back and still alive and the other guys flying big cans survived my pattern entry too.
It’s all good, well apart from the freaking blizzard that’s coming


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Did you mean a firtin’ blizzard?
 
Timbeck2 said:
Okay, I'll bite...what is unfirtable?
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Holy Moonpie! Self correct from uncomfortable to in flirtable!

So, unflirtable. Lemme think. How about an ugly airplane just so undesirable you won't even bother admiring it or giving it the time of the day.

Or conversely such a bad ass plane (like a P51) sooo hot and desirable, but way out of your league, you just don't bother admiring it, even though you do stare. :dunno:
 
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