If I Did My Flight Training Over

by Jason Schappert

Hindsight is truly 20/20. What would you have done different in your flight training? Even if you’re just a few lessons into your flight training I’m sure you still have areas you wish you could/would have done different.

So what would you have done different? Let me know in the comment box below!

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Tagged as: Flight Training

mzeroa

I like that idea!

Thanks Steve!

Jason
mzeroa

Awesome dude!

Jason
mzeroa

hahahah This had me rolling! That one phrase still haunts me to this day “Quite ridin my brakes!”

Hahah it’s been a while dude! Hope all is well with you.

Jason
mzeroa

Power off landings are a great thing to practice even if not required!

Jason
mzeroa

haha Cool man! That’s what this post is for

Jason
Troy

I would have flown more often and changed instructors more (I had one instructor for the first 25 hours and one for the last 18 hours). I flew in spurts, flying 15 hours one month, then only a couple the next due to my schedule.
http://www.thesquawkshoppe.com/ The Squawk Shoppe

I love this idea!
Cyclefiend1123

If you are taking your training at a towered airport, make an appointment to meet your ATC people.

I suffered mike fright, but once I met the controllers and could ask questions and place a face with the voice I suddenly realized that they are there to help you, and they are typically pretty nice people.

If you don’t get the phraseology right they’ll correct you when necessary.

If you don’t understand a request or clearance, just ask them to “say again”. If the request or clearance doesn’t make sense have them clarify during the readback.
Tracy

I have to agree with cyclefield1123. My local Class Delta airport has a lot of student pilots and the controllers are not dumb; they know the tail numbers of all the training aircraft so they will gladly help out. Can’t say the same for the Class Charlie airports; they have more important things to do.

What rankles the Class Delta guys is when they hear something like ‘Gulfstream 12345 with you, 30.15 in the window”….just poor phraseology. ‘With you’ is unnecessary, and ‘in the window’ sounds like a commercial for Anderson (windows), again, completely unnecessary. Play it straight; trying to use little quips like this just wastes time and infuriates controllers, especially in the busy Northeast.

I’m sad to say I have heard Jason say these things on the videos and I cringe when I hear them; indeed they are my one and only criticism. We should be presenting the BEST in ATC communications to our students.
Rod

Great question, Jason! But for myself, my training has yet to begin. But one thing I did decide upon is to train out of a controlled airport. I’m hoping that will benefit me in the end.
Ann325i

I’m sticking with it, flying’s too good to give up on. I’ll read all I can get hold of and watch every video I can, as I always have. Everyone’s advice is great. I just love the Piper Warrior, it’s the best sight when I walk around the corner.
celine

I agree with the formal ground school prior to flying, especially if you are able to continue to sit in the classes after for review with no additional cost. I had that it is great!
What I would do different is interview my potential flight instructors. I changed schools and my flight instructor was wasting my time and money , having me do cross country flights and night cross country flights, before I even soloed.
Mark C

Ann,

Almost anyone who has ever earned a certificate has had times they felt like they couldn’t do anything right and never would. Relax, and it will come. Stop working on whatever is giving you trouble, and work on something else, or ask your instructor to just ride along and let you do something fun for one lesson, whatever you like to do. Find an active airport and talk with some pilots, and ask them how many flights they have which were perfect. Realize that if you haven’t hurt anyone, you haven’t wrecked the airplane, and the instructor hasn’t messed his pants, you’re doing well.
Mark C

I guess I did things mostly right. I started in a taildragger on a grass strip. I did spins and spin recovery in a Champ at 12 hours. I did self study for ground school and was ready to take and pass the written before I started flight lessons. I did make the mistake of waiting too long to get my medical and got held up like many others. OK City moves SLOW.

Things I’d do different. I took a vacation and travelled 600 miles to take my initial flight training. While this was kind of necessary to do the taildragger/grass strip/spin training, time and money ran out before I soloed and I went home disappointed and without a plan, and it was 8 months before I resumed training in a Cessna 152, which added probably 7 hours to my training. The other thing I’d do is to be less thrifty, and schedule longer lessons. I scheduled an hour with the a/c and CFI, and basically we briefed the lesson during the taxi out and debriefed on the taxi in. Sometimes we spent a little more time after the lesson (which I gladly paid for) but since I didn’t schedule and commit to it, sometimes the CFI was scheduled with someone else. I’d probably have come out ahead if I’d scheduled an hour with the a/c and 1/2 an hour extra w/the CFI, and spent 10 minutes before getting in the plane and 20 minutes after. Finally, I had been advised to know what the next lesson was after the end of each lesson, and I didn’t always ensure that. Sometimes weather or how you feel will change the plan, but for the most part, ask the CFI before you leave, what you will be doing next lesson, and then study and prepare as necessary.

One last piece of advice – join AOPA and EAA, and if possible, go to your local EAA chapter meetings, and don’t be shy about asking stupid questions, because the stupidest question of all is the one that isn’t asked and could have been answered.
Brad

I agree with Mark C, you must stick with it. My dad put me in the right seat when I was 3, and every time after that too. When I was 15 I could handle a Twin Commander 500. When I was doing my private, I had a stretch where I felt totally incompetent and couldn’t do anything right. I almost quite. Instead, I took 2 weeks off from flying. No books no, vids, no anything.When I returned I couldn’t do anything wrong. The grind of training had worn down the love of flying, the break did me good. I don’t know what will work for you, just remember that we all have at some point struggled. I passed my checkride without a hitch and now am instrument rated. You can do it!!
Sean

I would have asked my CFI to let me make more mistakes (safe ones of course) rather than him being quick with corrections & right answers. I believe it would’ve boosted my cockpit problem solving ability in my early solo time. Particularly with VORs and ATC and cross country.
Tracy

Sean: I agree with you. Example: I just finished an IPC (Instrument Proficency Check) last week with my instructor. I was rusty on a few VOR procedures and he let me screw up a few – great. We fixed them. We started a few other things and he’d say “Hold on….don’t overthink this…..” and we walked through the problem and fixed it before it WAS a problem. He KNEW I knew this stuff….I just had to get it out of the brain stem and USE the information the right way.

I’m damn lucky to have such a good instructor. I’ve asked him to take me through my CFI rating.
Caleb

You, as PIC, should immediately deviate from ATC instructions if your heading towards a cloud or obstruction under VFR. Remember, YOU are responsible for the safety, and have the final say…. Not the controller! Its a lot easier to explain to the controller why you deviated instead of the FSDO on why you went VFR into IMC!
Tom

Bar none GROUND SCHOOL and practical test passed FIRST! I may never get my certificate and I think your odds of becoming a pilot become stacked in your favor if you follow this path at the very beginning! Wish I had done this. Tom in Virginia
Tom

Make sure the medical is complete with no issues also!
Hannah

Definitely agree with ground school first. I also wish I’d just saved a bulk of money up from the get-go, rather than flying on & off whenever I could and had the money…it ends up costing so much more when you have to pay for those in-between refresher lessons, even if you’re racking up hours, as opposed to doing it consistently and without long breaks and getting your PPL as close to the minimum required hours as possible.