Hi FlyingHeels!
You sound really despondent… but don’t be!
You’re 99% of the way there, only 1% to go. Everyone learns at different rates. Some of the best ab-initio students don’t always make good PPL and CPL holders.
Firstly, you need to talk to your CFI. That’s what they’re there for, that’s why they hold that delegation. If they’re helpful and put a plan in place, you’ll be back on track in no time. If they seem disinterested in your concerns… change schools immediately. A good CFI will probably want to do your next lesson them self!
I have several thousand ab initio instructing hours, was an instructor of instructors and have worked in check and training extensively for airlines. I was much slower than most of my colleagues to first solo. It doesn’t matter.
The first thing you need to get your head around, is that you don’t land a light aircraft. You need to change your thinking on this. What you do, is put it in the right spot, give it all the tools it needs to land (correct configuration, power back to idle) and then when it’s ready, it will land itself. This might sound dumb - but I’ve done remedial training with hundreds of cadet pilots with landing issues where this change in mindset has made the difference. MAKING the aircraft land is not your job.
Where you look is imperative. All the way down final, you should be looking frequently from airspeed inside to the aiming point. Not “the start of the runway” or “near the numbers” … I’m talking an exact aiming point, for example “the very start of the first centreline marking” or exactly halfway between the top and bottom of the runway numbers. Hold this aiming point, and don’t let it move. Don’t undershoot it, don’t let it disappear under the nose. Fly the aircraft to that point, with the mindset of “if I don’t flare, the crater on impact will be at exactly at my elected aim point”.
Make small changes. Tiny, very frequent changes make a much better approach. And then just wait and keep that aiming point from moving.
When you have passed the start of the runway and are now approaching your exact aiming point, and it looks like you’re going to lose sight of it under the cowling of the nose, look up. Look at the threshold of the runway at the other end and then gently round out and try to fly level. As you do so, reduce the power slowly to idle. Don’t slam it back, that creates a pitch change. Make sure you can feel it back on the idle stop, and then just wait. You’re ready to land, but the aircraft may not be. It might be a few knots fast. There might be a small increase in headwind. You might be a bit lighter than the approach speed which is designed for MTOW. None of this is your problem. Your job is not to force the aircraft to land.
Your job is just to fly level, as the aircraft runs out of energy and starts to sink (which you can only see if you’re looking at the far end), then just use gentle back pressure to check the sink rate.
And then finally, and only when the aircraft is ready, it will land itself. Once it touches down, don’t let go of everything. Just keep being gentle and make small, smooth adjustments and then start using the brakes.
Right speed, right place, eyes at the end - and WAIT.
All the best with it! You’re doing great
