Ill Feelling

[Guest Rillert]

Hi all

 

I have logged around 4 hours in a drifter. After two seperate lessons i have bad feelings about whats happened. The 1st time was when we were landing and it was all bit much for me and we stopped in the grass. The 2nd time was we had a light cross wind and being oh so new things went bad while I was not packing it i was spooked. In debrief I was told the wing was some 6 inches from ground. Now this time the following days have been real bad. Feelings range from total incompentancy to we might just stop before I end up becoming a fatality. While these are powerful feeling these are the truth. What i am seeking is, are these just normal feelings when this happens. I do not fear flying and have flown since but have not had a lesson. All in all is this just natural and will pass with time.

 

cheers

 

 

[Barefootpilot]

It sounds without knowing more than you have said that your instructor has got you in over your head. This is not your fault! With 4 hours under your belt you should still be talked through everything that is going on and if things seem to be getting on top of you the instructor should be in there easing (not totaly taking over) some of the pressure off. Not sure where you are but maybe its worth going for a fly with another instructor and see if a change in instructing styles would help. It sounds to me you've just been thrown in the deap end with any floaties!

 

Keep your chin up everyone feels like its all to hard at some point but give it a bit more time and you'll appreciated it all the more when in all comes together!

 

Adam.

 

 

[Yenn]

That should not be happening with 4 hours tuition. Find another instructor, who can teach you rather than point out dangerous situations he should not have allowed to occur. Learning should be a pleasant experience with just enough chaallenge to keep you on your toes, not scare you.

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Hmmm...attempting wing down X-wind flare technique after 4 hours. in a tail dragger.... simple...find a new instructor...

 

As to the feelings, yes, its completley normal. Most students get these feelings at some stage during training, and it usually accompanies a bit of a dip in the learning curve.. Don't sweat it, you'll be back ontop in no time.. don't expect to much prescision at 4 hours, your instructor won't be expecting you to fly perfectly, by any means... (well, shouldn't be)...just relax, take your time and try to enjoy the parts you ARE getting good at..

 

cheers

 

 

[Guest Rillert]

Thanks to you all for your helpful posts. Adam may be right that they may think i know more than i should. My father flys and has got an ag rating as well. Now having found out that some of these emotions are normal, would it be wise to air these feelings or should i ask to slow things down a bit. I am not worried about how long this takes I just want to do it right. Thanks again

 

 

[motzartmerv]

It wouldn't matter if your dad was Charles Yager, someone can "know" heaps about flying, but skill takes time to learn, and there's no way round it..Otherwise we could just give you a days talking to and throw you the keys..It just doesn't work that way, and id be very surprised if any instructor treated the flying part of your training any differnetly to someone who's dad is a ganitor.

 

Yes, talk to your Instructor about how your feeling.. Always.. Even in the air, talk talk talk.. tell him what your thinking, ask him if what your thinking is right, this will help him know where your head is. As others have said, training should be above all, enjoyable, challenging but enjoyable..

 

Cheers, keep it up.:thumb_up:

 

 

[Guest brentc]

I agree with everyone who has posted. It's too early for you to be trying these yourself fully. At 4 hours I would have thought you would be out climbing and descending in the training area rather than practicing landings. It is often a mistake that instructors make to assume that the student knows more than they acutally do and articles have been written on this very topic - in fact a forum member David Hill (Hihos Island) wrote about his experiences when that very thing happened to him when he converted from Cessna to Aerochute. This ended in a crash.

 

On the flip side he may have a lot of confidence in you and can see that you are doing really well.

 

 

[poteroo]

This happens more often than you'd think.

 

My wife began instruction back in the early 80's - the CFI must have mentioned to the young instructor that 'she'll have been flying lots in their C180' - result was nearly an accident as said young instructor relaxed back in seat and my wife proceeded to fly the 150 into the ground.

 

The opposite end of the scale is when someone with huge flying experience, but no currency, or type knowledge, appears on the young instructors doorstep asking for a currency check, or an endorsement. Friend of mine broke a taildragger because the instructor assumed that with 25k hrs, he'd be able to manage a crosswind after 30 mins instruction. He couldn't....and the remains are with a LAME!

 

Never let the instructor assume anything other than that you are a blank page. Don't let an instructor assume other than that you are still learning.

 

For instructors - never assume Capt Bloggs knows all! The highly qualified respond well to instruction - you have to make sure it's given.

 

The best 'student' I've ever trained on a taildragger was a current RAAF QFI - what you said was what he did....so your instruction had to be concise and timely.

 

happy days,

 

 

[Tony]

Rillert,

 

Mate, that is nothing. My flying instructor (on my 4th lesson) missed the runway completely, landed 30 degs away on a 'spare' sand strip 200 m long in the bush on one wheel, we were surely short to brake to anything I could see, and particulary to the line of trees ahead, still running fast, but instead he added the power up, after that it was obvious to me he cannot successfully take off over the trees in front of us or anything else, surely this was not touch and go damn ride now, so yeah, what now ?, but he with the left wing 6 inches low and full power turned on one wheel around into another runway around the corner, where we stopped, he checked the mags saying it is ok for another take off. They do it to test you.

 

Check the record of your flying instructor, his reputation over all, talk to former students, his family members if possible....and, if you find his latest graduate is the Solicitor General you are right.

 

Tony Milan

 

 

[Guest disperse]

Steep learning curve there !!!

 

 

[Bidgee]

Rillert

 

I know just what you're talking about. I've just been through one of merv's "dips in the learning curve". Landings went from tidy to really ugly and I couldnt seem to get it together. Then all of sudden it all clicked again. My instructors agree with Merv, this is quite a common phenomenon. Dont sweat it, it will all come together sooner or later.

 

Scott

 

 

[rage83]

Its sometimes suprisingly simple as to why your having trouble. I have done about 8hrs in a drifter and just when i thought my landings where coming together nicely i had a lesson where I couldnt figure the trim out ended up bobbing up and down banging the aircraft around. For the life of me i couldnt work out what was going wrong conditions werent bad was just flying really bad. Then next two lessons i got the trim set right for landing and have been going fairly well since.

 

 

[Guest Rillert]

Well a huge thanks to all who have posted. All of your thoughts have been all relevent to whats been going on in my head. Since then I have had a talk to my instructer about my feelings. We then went for another lesson and he kept talking to me about just everyday stuff for about 10 mins i felt real relaxed not tense and choking the stick. after that the lesson was just about climbing decending and getting use to using thermals and not let them push you around. So i am sure this will be only one of many challenges that i will face in learning to fly. So from here on its game on.

 

Once again a huge thanks to you all cheers

 

Rillert

 

 

[rage83]

Good to hear mate