Horrible at Maths. Can I still learn to fly?

[moy71]

As the title suggests, i am horrible/stink at mathematics. i freeze when numbers are thrown at me. Isn't flying associated with a lot of maths?

 

Whats 235 minus 89? Quickly? I have no clue. I need a calculator for that one.

 

But I am determined to learn to fly and by golly I will if it is the last thing I do.

 

Any words of encouragement from anyone? I can take calculators with me right? (half joking / half serious here).

 

BTW, will be taking a TIF next month. If i dont get my licence, at the very least I can say I have flown a plane.

 

Wish me luck everyone.

 

 

[Chird65]

Moy71, Don't worry too much. Most of the Math is repeatative and come with practice. Even if you can't handle Navs there are a lot who only ever fly locally for pleasure.

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Moy71, as Chird65 has said, local flying only needs you to add your flight time to a running total and ditto for the number of landings you made. Once you've got your certificate to fly (not a license) you can fly in a 25mile radius of you home base. That's a lot of space to enjoy your new found freedom.

 

Go for it my friend, and enjoy the ride.

 

 

[Guest watto]

Moy71, I reckon if it makes it work for you the take a calculator even if just to boost confidence until you get your head around it I am sure you can get one to strap to your leg!!

 

Go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

[Student Pilot]

Moy, you shouldn't have trouble if you find a practicle instructor. Some make it hard by making all sorts of demands while loading up your workload, Doing checks every ten minutes is an example. I left school at 16 and was in the lowest class for maths and still struggled through the commercial stuff OK. As I said the thing is to find an instructor that will work with you.

 

 

[Thx1137]

I stink at math as well but with a bit of effort I could learn the rules-of-thumb that I can use while flying. There really isn't that much that you _need_ to be able to do in your head. Especially if you aren't doing cross-country flying.

 

My nav book says we can use the whizz-wheel calculators. I am not sure about the electronic ones, I know some of them are allowed in the US but not sure about Australia. The whizz-wheel calculators look a bit scary but they are seriously cool devices. It is sooo much faster calculating on those than the electronic ones.

 

Steven.

 

 

[Adrian Lewer]

i am also hopeless at maths, i can not subtract 89 from 235 without having 30 seconds to think about it. in flight you are required to do some sum's but you don't have to do it in the blink of an eye you will have time to get the calculator out and do the sum's i just wright it down and do the 20-30 second think.

 

 

[moy71]

thanks for the encouragement everyone.

 

and you want to know something even funnier?.....i work as an accountant for an airline! how's that for a funny story!? i tell you computers/calculators are my best friend LOL (ever since high school).

 

i am very much looking forward to my instructional flight next month.

 

 

[facthunter]

Maths and flying.

 

Some people like to have a formula for everything, and complicate even the most simple concepts. Don't fly with these types, as an instructor. I never saw anyone who flew by numbers and did a good job of it. It is possible to understand what is happening to your aeroplane and be part of it and control it appropriately without a lot of complex mathematical formulea having to be applied. You still need concepts. You can understand Newtons laws in principle (and you should). Jim Davis's book might be helpful to you as it gives very practical simple examples of relevant material.. Nev..

 

 

[Skyhog]

My wife holds a commercial licence and she aint real flash at maths,good pilot though.

 

 

[Tomo]

I'm not much chop at maths either...but I'm a lot better at maths than English:big_grin:

 

What I do to make it easier for me is, likes of that number you said, 235 - 89 for me to do that quickly i'd make the 89, 100. then subtracting 100 off 235 is easy, = 135, then 100 - 89 = 11 so you just add 11 to 135 which = 146... and you can do that in about 5seconds instead of 30...supposedly anyway:big_grin:

 

Have Fun:thumb_up:

 

Ps. Nev mentioned Jim Davis's book, It really is a great book, and I reckon it is well worth the dollar you pay for it...

 

 

[facthunter]

Replies

 

Skyhog, that should get you some brownie points, although SHE might think SHE is good at maths.

 

TOMO I can do that on the ground (like you can) but can you do it RELIABLY at 4 am in the morning when you are shooting an ILS into Cairns and it's pouring down rain? Nev.

 

 

[Tomo]

Eeerr, well to tell the truth I've never tried it:big_grin:....

 

But on the RAA side of things you shouldn't be out doing that sort of thing anyway...

 

 

[facthunter]

Relative intelligence.

 

Just giving an extreme example of the effect of getting airborne on your useable intelligence. Try doing a flight plan in the air. I suggest you keep it very simple and basic.. Nev

 

 

[Student Pilot]

TOMO I can do that on the ground (like you can) but can you do it RELIABLY at 4 am in the morning when you are shooting an ILS into Cairns and it's pouring down rain? Nev.

In an RAA Aircraft?

 

 

[Tomo]

Well with some of todays fan-dangled glass cockpits that they are putting in RAA-able acft it's probably possible...:big_grin:

 

 

[facthunter]

Relevance.

 

you are missing the point that I am trying to make .. N....

 

 

[Student Pilot]

It doesn't have to be complicated. It's like any training, starts easy and more involved when you get up to speed. There is a lot of unnesassery stuff pushed, if you can read a map, write a few times down then your almost there.

 

 

[Guest pelorus32]

Bottom line do not worry! If you really, really can't do basic maths then the whizz wheel will do it for you. Want to know what the reciprocal of your course is? You can read it directly off the whizz wheel. Division, multiplication, subtraction, addition - it's all on the whizz wheel.

 

Many pilots are like you...as Nev says you structure your activity to ensure that you do things the simplest way.

 

You are in no way precluded from learning to navigate. You can do it very easily. What you have to do is learn the steps and learn to use the whizz wheel. Beyond that you don't need anything.

 

Have faith and do not stop.

 

Regards

 

Mike

 

 

[Tomo]

you are missing the point that I am trying to make .. N....

 

Sorry Nev... I got your point, but the subject changed a bit that's all....