What kept you going through training?

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Mooneymayhem

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Mooneymayhem
Hey fellow students,
For 2 years..I've been through 4 CFIs, a lengthy/expensive S.I. medical process, and countless cancelations due to all the usual reasons. I've soloed twice and hated it, now I'm prepping for my cross country training and I'm just not enjoying this anymore. I don't want to quit because I'll be letting myself down along with all the people that have supported me this whole time. I know I'm not alone, how did you all keep going?
 
Mooneymayhem said:
Hey fellow students,
For 2 years..I've been through 4 CFIs, a lengthy/expensive S.I. medical process, and countless cancelations due to all the usual reasons. I've soloed twice and hated it, now I'm prepping for my cross country training and I'm just not enjoying this anymore. I don't want to quit because I'll be letting myself down along with all the people that have supported me this whole time. I know I'm not alone, how did you all keep going?
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I did my PPL in 2 sprints of training with about a 7 month gap in between. What got me to finish is 2 things: I hated looking up on a nice day and seeing planes in the sky and knowing I could be one of them, if only I'd finish my damn training. That combined with realizing life is short and there's no time like the present.

But those thoughts were possible because I loved flying the airplane by myself.

If you're 2 years in and only solo'd twice, not enjoying it either time, then I would question if you're actually interested in this hobby. There's no point in finishing training if you legitimately don't enjoy it. Only you can answer that.
I'll ask... What got you into it in the first place? does that motivation still exist at all? Do you not like the flying itself or the prep work and discipline required to do it?
 
What are the reasons why you hated your solos?
Being able to fly by myself (and ultimately friends/family) are pretty much my primary motivation to keep going. I'm certain that I can classify the few solos that I've done already as some of the major highlights of my life.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
I did my PPL in 2 sprints of training with about a 7 month gap in between. What got me to finish is 2 things: I hated looking up on a nice day and seeing planes in the sky and knowing I could be one of them, if only I'd finish my damn training. That combined with realizing life is short and there's no time like the present.

But those thoughts were possible because I loved flying the airplane by myself.

If you're 2 years in and only solo'd twice, not enjoying it either time, then I would question if you're actually interested in this hobby. There's no point in finishing training if you legitimately don't enjoy it. Only you can answer that.
I'll ask... What got you into it in the first place? does that motivation still exist at all? Do you not like the flying itself or the prep work and discipline required to do
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I grew up flying with relatives who are no longer here. Most of my first year was consumed by the medical process and I flew sparingly during that time. The motivation exists, I love the idea of flying but my confidence is shot. I'll do well for a few lessons and then out of nowhere, make a stupid mistake and the self doubt creeps back in. When you don't trust yourself, it's no fun. I have no problems with the hard work, prep or discipline, in fact, those are some of my best qualities as a student.
 
Baked Potato said:
What are the reasons why you hated your solos?
Being able to fly by myself (and ultimately friends/family) are pretty much my primary motivation to keep going. I'm certain that I can classify the few solos that I've done already as some of the major highlights of my life.
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I hated my solo experiences simply because I felt more lucky than good and luck eventually, runs out.
 
Mooneymayhem said:
I hated my solo experiences simply because I felt more lucky than good and luck eventually, runs out.
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Fly a few more 'solo' flights....with your CFI being a silent partner who is there only if there is a safety issue. There were times I had self doubt but at one point it all clicked into place. I'm with you on the protracted medical process. I had over 202hrs total/35 solo by the time I was able to get my checkride done waiting on my class 3 SI and I was still nervous about the checkride. Three months later I have my IR and 284hrs in the book and fly most all of my flights in the system. At some point it should all fall into place.
 
RyanShort1 said:
Don’t fly to please other people. If it’s not your thing, it’s OK to accept that and move on to something else that you’re more passionate about.
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Exactly. I'm also of the opinion that it's unlikely to suddenly turn into something the OP enjoys - might as well come to that conclusion now before pouring more money into it.
 
If you don't like flying, don't. If you do, quit making it harder than it is. I got my PPL and flew for 300+ hours and took a many year break with kids work etc. Ten years ago, I took up flying again, got a ASES rating (took two tries) and eventually bought a plane and am now assembling another one.
 
What kept me motivated? Money. I spent far too much money pre solo to not at least finish out the license. It would be hard to admit to myself, my wife and others after spending thousands of dollars that I just quit because it got difficult.

It sounds to me like you just need to find your joy in flying again. I would suggest taking a weekend off from learning to fly and go try a different aspect of being in the air. Go take a intro lesson at a glider club, go try an hour of aerobatics with an instructor, find a fellow pilot going somewhere and ask to fly along in the right or back seat stress free and just watch how they do and handle things. Even just flying to a local airport you haven't been to before can bring back the joy you had when you started wanting to fly. Of course if you can make it to Oshkosh it's almost impossible to come away after a week of being immersed in everything aviation not wanting to fly.

Flying isn't all about getting certificates. Sometimes when you get in a training rut it's hard to see past the immediate need of learning how to fly and miss out on the world of aviation that exists and can be accessed even before you get your license. The only thing a license does is let you experience those things on your own. Dont wait for that, grab an instructor or pilot friend and go experience some of them now and enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
 
I think hatred is the key. I mean think about it…..I hate my job but I go there every day. Even got good at it. I hate paying bills but I do that monthly. Sometimes even on time. Kinda makes sense…..if you hate it, keep spending gobs of moneys on it!
 
For a more hopeful aspect on feeling like you cheated death or imposter syndrome, I’d wager there are few pilots who don’t, in the back of their minds, entertain a little bit of that feeling every time they land. On every takeoff, there is a nagging thought about the inevitability of fuel duration and gravity (all takeoffs are optional, landings aren’t).

Recently, “Well, ****, you pulled that off,” kinda ran through my mind on a gusty X-wind. It reminded me It probably wasn’t a good idea to launch in the first place.

I think it’s healthy. And, with more experience it will fade but never go away completely.
 
Mooneymayhem said:
I've soloed twice and hated it
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Why did you hate it? Understanding that might help you know if this is for you or not. Hate it because of nerves, hate it because of the CFI or school? Hate it because you just don't like it?
strikes2k said:
Simple. I want to fly.
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EXACTLY!

Aviation to me is an addiction, but one that keeps me out of trouble and pushing hard in other facets of life.

If you stop enjoying it then stop flying. You have to live for yourself.
 
I don’t disagree with the last post, a healthy sense of fear is good, but there also must be a certain amount of fulfillment if you’re doing it long-term. I’ve had at least one student that I suspected just wanted to check it off as an accomplishment, and didn’t seem to have the need to fly after earning the rating but for most people, I think it’s more than that.
From another angle, if you don’t really enjoy it enough to commit to get really good at it, aviation’s not the best thing to be marginally ok at while carrying pax or flying over other people’s heads.
 
Mooneymayhem said:
I hated my solo experiences simply because I felt more lucky than good and luck eventually, runs out.
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Some of what you’re posting rings a bell with me

But it also seems almost like a lack of good emotional self-control. I’m not sure if that was the case with me.

As a very young man, I was living a life in a rut one of the things that I did that ended up being a good emotional hook to prove my rut was not permanent was going for a tandem skydive. That was Flippin scary. But as I moved on in life, I recognize that parachuting was proof that my emotional experience was often times not to be trusted. I was very very scared jumping out of an airplane. It was exhilarating and fun. I did it two more times over the next year, it really has been, major life event proving that I could move through any negative emotion and achieve success on the other side

Much of my flying over the past couple of years has been coupled with a low level fear a sense of anxiety to work through that anxiety you know I just do what every good aviator does. I do a thorough preflight. I run my own personal checklist like the IM safe, I make sure that the plane is operating well I don’t fly passengers after maintenance. It’s getting to the point now where I’ve had a lot of work done on my plane. I have great confidence in it and I don’t take much risk at all in my flying, and so now the anxiety is decreasing, and the enjoyment is growing .

My guess is it’s kinda like delaying income producing years while pursuing in advanced degree or training. It really sucks for a while, but then it can pay off. I guess it comes down to having a goal and doing the actions needed to achieve that goal. There’s a lot about training to be a physician that seems to suck. I bet a lot of them have depression, unhappy marriages, poor eating, and sleep habits and yet they press on.

I think some of the best advice I received on here when I’ve been complaining has been to suck it up, buttercup

Suck it up, buttercup
 
What kept me going? A bit of being too stupid to quit, a lot of being too stubborn to give up, and a few well-placed virtual slaps from POA.

For the fear/anxiety part, I found information to be the best cure. I learned everything I could about what to do in every emergency situation, chair-flew them, studied a sectional to identify any possible landing spots, and then made peace with the fact that I did a lot of dangerous stuff every day, like getting out of bed and driving. :biggrin: A little bit of anxiousness is good, actually. It helps you do a good preflight and plan for things not always going right. If you're feeling a skill-based nervousness, maybe just let your CFI know that and ask him to help you feel the edges of the plane's ability. How far away from normal flight they are might be reassuring, and knowing the plane is controllable up to those limits might help you feel more in command of your own destiny, so to speak.
 
That is quite a journey. What's in front of you is the fun and excitement of flying. Don't let the journey so far slow you down.
 
Mooneymayhem said:
Hey fellow students,
For 2 years..I've been through 4 CFIs, a lengthy/expensive S.I. medical process, and countless cancelations due to all the usual reasons. I've soloed twice and hated it, now I'm prepping for my cross country training and I'm just not enjoying this anymore..
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Saw your other responses. How often are you flying? Put differently, on average, how many days between each flight, once you got past that initial SI period?

In the learning phase, confidence goes away quickly if you’re not frequently reinforcing it through successful repetition. Infrequent flying also directly results in more time spent building back those atrophying skills instead of building new skills.

Only you can make the decision to continue or not, but there’s no harm/no foul not doing something you enjoy and if you don’t enjoy it now, you’re not going to suddenly love it on the day of your check ride and fly with passing colors.
 
For me motivation wasn't a problem. I enjoyed each and every lesson from start to finish, whether difficult or easy, all I wanted to do was fly. I realize that probably doesn't help the OP. If you're not enjoying it, take a break or maybe book a lesson or two in something completely different (glider, aerobatic, seaplane, whatever) just to get a different perspective. If you really don't like it, maybe it's just not for you, there's no shame in recognizing that.
 
I suppose one thing that helped me was confidence in my instructor. Including trusting that she wouldn't solo me until I was ready.
 
eman1200 said:
I think hatred is the key. I mean think about it…..I hate my job but I go there every day. Even got good at it. I hate paying bills but I do that monthly. Sometimes even on time. Kinda makes sense…..if you hate it, keep spending gobs of moneys on it!
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Adulting really does suck
 
Hating solo? Most people worry about it, but hating it? That’s different. I mean you should feel a rush after. If you don’t and simply hated it and fear it then what exactly are pushing for? Unless your goal is to keep punishing yourself, why?


Prep for xc can be annoying especially when you know they will be picking at your choice and asking a lot of questions. However, once you get good at it should feel like another accomplishment.

I think like others have said maybe this isn’t for you. I worry before take off, I worry wait what’s the engine doing when I am in the air. That’s normal and it’s not fear it is constant vigilance. Doesn’t stop me from enjoying myself. And the rush after is awesome. If you don’t feel that find something else.
 
I've wanted to fly since I was very small. If you don't want to do it ... don't.

I admit to having some trepidation at times before launching off of the planet but I believe a healthy respect and some thought as to the possible dangers/risks involved are quite healthy.

Earlier on I flew very light weight ultralight type sport planes that would get tossed around in the rough and tumble of the the winds and thermals. More than once I told myself, "when I get this thing on the ground I'm selling it and buying a boat." But once the landing was made I would come to myself and think, "well ... that wasn't too bad, we'll do it again tomorrow!"

Kinda like America, love it or leave it!
 
It took me 17 months and over 100 hrs. I stayed with it non stop. Took me a long time to solo because I was terrible at landing. I went through 6-7 instructors as they got enough hours they moved on to get a job or go to atp school.

At the beginning I was not serious enough about it. I didn't study enough and too much partying.
My wife was very patient as I was gone a lot flight training, she is the one that got me started.

I was older and was able to take off work a lot to flight train. I had no idea where I was with my flight training and how much longer it was gonna take.

Luckily for me the last CFII I got was a older 70 year old very experienced guy. He was very patient with me, he was a saint to ride around the pattern with me until I learned to land so I could solo.
Toward the second half I got serious, no more partying and more studying.

About 3/4 way through my older wise CFII said to me one day out of the blue..."you got too much time and money invested to quit now"
Well I never thought about quiting but it must have looked like it to him. After that day I buckled down and thought about nothing except flight training 24/7. I didn't want to waste his time. I did nothing but study and scheduled at least 3 flights a week and flew my butt off. I got my PPL in 2016 at 56 years old. Couple years later I got my instrument rating and now 1500 hrs later I can land pretty good and don't worry about the X wind much anymore.
I spent a fortune getting my PPL and a ton of time. Was it worth it? Hell yes! I have my own 172 now and fly 3-7 days a week. I really do love flying and have met so many great people in aviation.

Don't be the majority that don't finish.
 
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The last day before my checkride, I wanted to quit. My instructor got on my butt for literally everything I was doing. He let nothing get by without chastising me. By mid-day I was exhausted and was so overwhelmed with all the mistakes I made, I just had to go home and tell myself that if I really screw up, I can reschedule for another checkride. Since it was only 1 day I had to wait, I stuck it out and showed up the next day before everyone at the building. I was ready for failing and for passing. Fortunately, I passed and my instructor was given the thumbs up for training someone brand new to gliders and worthy to fly them in 3 weeks.
 
After I soloed is when I really learned to land by myself. I was only thinking about flying the plane not what my CFII was thinking. I flew many days just in the pattern by myself in a school plane before I got my PPL. At the end of each day I felt better and better and started to hold my head up a little higher.

What was really fun and rewarding was when I started flying my own plane by myself. Then I really was able to push the envelope and learned to land on grass and bunch more stuff. It is so rewarding and fun. As soon as I landed I couldn't wait for the next day so I could learn some more on my own. I flew by myself 98% of the time because I didn't feel comfortable with a passenger at first. I still fly solo most of the time like last night in really choppy winds. Except my dog goes 99% of the time, so I guess I am not solo?
Last Saturday morning I flew with another CFII to complete my IPC that I do every 6 months whether I fly IFR or not. I dread it a little because it is hard mental work but when I land I can't wait to do another one with him next time.

It is fun as hell learning to fly a small plane by yourself.
 
Gary Ward said:
After I soloed is when I really learned to land by myself. I was only thinking about flying the plane not what my CFII was thinking. I flew many days just in the pattern by myself in a school plane before I got my PPL. At the end of each day I felt better and better and started to hold my head up a little higher.

What was really fun and rewarding was when I started flying my own plane by myself. Then I really was able to push the envelope and learned to land on grass and bunch more stuff. It is so rewarding and fun. As soon as I landed I couldn't wait for the next day so I could learn some more on my own. I flew by myself 98% of the time because I didn't feel comfortable with a passenger at first. I still fly solo most of the time like last night in really choppy winds. Except my dog goes 99% of the time, so I guess I am not solo?
Last Saturday morning I flew with another CFII to complete my IPC that I do every 6 months whether I fly IFR or not. I dread it a little because it is hard mental work but when I land I can't wait to do another one with him next time.

It is fun as hell learning to fly a small plane by yourself.
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100% this. I can't wait to experience that as well. It leaves only you, yourself, and you to do things right and to listen to your own scolding for messing up. When I come down hard, I can blame it on myself and self-reflect on what I did wrong. Good story Gary! Thanks for sharing.
 
If you think a student pilot is supposed to feel confident you are mistaken. Same for newly minted private pilots. And newly minted every-other-certificated-and-rated-pilots.
 
Why do you hate it? Why are you doing it? Those are the two questions that matter.
 
Did you hate your solos, or were you terrified during your solos? Asking because those are two different things to me. If you're terrified, it sounds like you weren't ready yet, but congratulations, you survived. I'm also wondering why you're thinking about cross country if you're not comfortable...and I mean comfortable, with solo flight. That doesn't make sense to me.

I kind of want to ask if you don't like flying, or you don't like the structured puppy mill environment that you're learning in. And yep, I'm making some assumptions here.
 
Flight training sucks, it's not realistic and you're not allowed to fly as you can once you're certificated. Its a grind you have to complete to get out of student-pilot jail.

You'll use Foreflight for all of your flight planning and chuck that stupid whizwheel in the trash where it belongs.

I don't like to fly. If I could teleport myself I'd never sit in another aircraft. I have zero interest in making laps in the pattern and only fly when there's a mission or a friend wants to go up.

But I enjoy the lifestyle. I'll suffer a week in a tent at Sun N Fun because the crowd I camp with - who were complete strangers minus one friend last year - is awesome enough to make the trip.

Most everyone I meet at airports are interesting and friendly.

Other than the last-mile logistics, flying yourself is a great way to travel. There's a huge difference in the facilities for your SO between a Sheltair and a Citgo. A lot of times you'll have the whole airport to yourself at rural stops.

You don't have to be thrilled about flying. If its a tool you will use to enrich your life, you may learn to like it later.
 
TommyG said:
Why do you hate it? Why are you doing it? Those are the two questions that matter.
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I hated soloing simply because I wasn't confident in my abilities. I wasn't scared during the flight, as I just kept telling myself to stick with my training and was honestly, too busy to be frightened. Afterwards, I chalked my survival up to dumb luck that nothing bad happened. As for why I'm doing this, I grew up flying with relatives and always loved it. I love the freedom, I love the feeling of flight, I love adventuring. It's ME that's the problem. I think I put too much pressure on myself to improve in great leaps and bounds and its just not happening. Every flight leaves me with the feeling of, "I did such and such alright BUT my 3rd landing was awful and I couldn't remember the proper procedure to set up for a power off stall"
 
Mooneymayhem said:
I hated soloing simply because I wasn't confident in my abilities. I wasn't scared during the flight, as I just kept telling myself to stick with my training and was honestly, too busy to be frightened. Afterwards, I chalked my survival up to dumb luck that nothing bad happened. As for why I'm doing this, I grew up flying with relatives and always loved it. I love the freedom, I love the feeling of flight, I love adventuring. It's ME that's the problem. I think I put too much pressure on myself to improve in great leaps and bounds and its just not happening. Every flight leaves me with the feeling of, "I did such and such alright BUT my 3rd landing was awful and I couldn't remember the proper procedure to set up for a power off stall"
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I see a common thread among people who get frustrated with training, which is that that get upset when they make a mistake (which to an extent is normal and human nature, I guess it would be a problem if they didn't get some upset) but then they let the mistakes make them feel like a failure rather than using them as a source of motivation. No one is born knowing how to fly and even a private pilot certificate is often called a "license to learn" because it's well nigh impossible to master flying in less than a few hundred hours. The challenges of flying are what motivated me even more to conquer them. It's been awhile since I've done GA training, but before my Captain checkride at my airline, I had taken notes and made a list of 20 or so things I wanted to improve on or ensure I did correctly.
 
Mooneymayhem said:
I hated soloing simply because I wasn't confident in my abilities. I wasn't scared during the flight, as I just kept telling myself to stick with my training and was honestly, too busy to be frightened. Afterwards, I chalked my survival up to dumb luck that nothing bad happened. As for why I'm doing this, I grew up flying with relatives and always loved it. I love the freedom, I love the feeling of flight, I love adventuring. It's ME that's the problem. I think I put too much pressure on myself to improve in great leaps and bounds and its just not happening. Every flight leaves me with the feeling of, "I did such and such alright BUT my 3rd landing was awful and I couldn't remember the proper procedure to set up for a power off stall"
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Totally normal. That's what 'chair flying' is for.

Add some ground time with your instructor to chair fly through your questions or weak points. Keep your appointments on bad wx days and use the time to chair fly through scenarios. Removing yourself from the task saturation of flight helps clarify questions as its very hard to learn while you're actually flying.

Why 'touch and goes' are part of training is beyond me. You're completely task saturated throughout the cycle. There's no time to review the landing as you're reconfiguring and taking back off.

Find a quiet airport and do full stop - taxi back landings. Use the taxi time to review the landing you just made and make a plan for a better next landing.
 
What kept me going was my passion for flying and aviation in general. Also, having a great airport community with people that were willing to take me flying in their planes. It allowed me to have some fun and relaxed flying experiences. If you have an EAA chapter at your airport, join it. If not, consider joining a chapter at an airport up to an hour away. Most of them organize fly-outs and that's a good way to go flying with other people.
 
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