The following is a guest post from Matthew Stibbe writer and chief of GolfHotelWhiskey, and friend of m0a.com
I’ve been flying for nearly ten years. Today, I have a CPL, an
instrument rating and I fly a lovely Cirrus SR22. I even review planes
and airports on www.GolfHotelWhiskey.com. But I started out doing basic
maneuvers in a PA28 just like everyone else. Here are ten things I wish
I had known back then.
1. Flying with an instructor is ‘real’ flying. Don’t be in a hurry to
end your training. A lot of my friends talk about learning to fly as if
the training were only a means to an end. It’s not. Flying with an
instructor is still flying. You’re at the controls and you get to
aviate. The only difference is that you are paying for a skilled teacher
to come with you. I still do currency training with an instructor every
couple of months and it’s some of the best flying I do. I always learn a
lot and I enjoy flying with an old friend.
2. Learning is a skill. Learning how to learn is a vital life skill and
flying is a great way to teach it. Think about what kind of student you
want to be and how you want to relate to your mentor (and, indeed,
anyone else who can help you learn).
3. Some instructors are better than others. If you don’t get on with
your instructor or you don’t feel you’re learning efficiently, discuss
it with your instructor. If that doesn’t help, talk to your CFI and
change instructors or even change schools. Sometimes, a change can be
helpful. When I was beginning instrument flying lessons, I had a strict
disciplinarian who was great. But as I approached my test, he didn’t let
up and began to make me nervous. He and the flight school sensed this and switched
me to a more relaxed, amiable instructor for my final polishing and mock
checkrides. The combination was better than having either one or the
other equally good instructors.
4. Checkrides are fun. Well, no. Mainly they are nerve-wracking. But if
you have a good attitude and you are thoroughly prepared you won’t be
over-stressed or perplexed. I’ve had a couple of really enjoyable
checkrides, including my CPL checkride. The better prepared I am, the
more relaxed I am and the more I enjoy it.
5. Some things you have to learn because you’re going to be tested, some
things you have to learn because you need to know them. Understand the
different and make sure you really learn the important stuff.
6. Mechanics can be instructors too. I’m not very mechanically-minded so
I found it very helpful to spend a few hours with a mechanic going over
disassembled aircraft. This really helped me to visualise the aircraft
systems (rather than memorizing stuff from the POH with no context).
7. You learn more from mistakes than from successes. So don’t be
embarrassed by them or feel cross with yourself. If you pull off a
perfect landing but don’t know how you did it, you’re no wiser. However,
a poor landing followed by a careful analysis will teach you a lot.
8. When you pass, go solo first. I immediately started flying with
passengers and actually it takes a while to build up your confidence as
a solo pilot before you start dealing with passengers. In fact the only
real diversion I ever did was on my second passenger flight. Very
stressful for all concerned.
9. Fly with other pilots. You can learn a lot about how to handle
passengers and the realities of real flying (rather than instruction) by
flying with other, more experienced pilots. The first few hundred hours
after you pass are the most dangerous so you need to get as much
experience as quickly as possible.
10. Combine flying with other hobbies. In the UK, 75% of pilots don’t
renew their licence after five years. I love flying but I blog about it,
I use it to help me learn Dutch by flying to The Netherlands every
month, I have a mailing list of friends who like to go flying with me
and I like to fly with other members of my Cirrus syndicate. The more
you can do to embed flying into your life, the more flying you will do.
Don’t treat your PPL checkride as a hurdle to clear but as a doorway to
enter.
