I earned my PPSEL in 1977, trained by a 28,000-hour CFI who became a family friend. I soloed after twelve hours and passed my check ride at forty hours. My wife began her flight training in 2006 at a different place with a different instructor. She loved the experience, but even after nearly twenty hours of dual instruction, she was unable to execute a decent landing. (She did not, however, bend the airframe and she and her instructor always walked away.) Long story short, she abandoned her training. It turned out that she was suffering from undiagnosed Multiple Sclerosis which had robbed her of binocular vision. Without the visual dynamics of convergence and binocular rivalry, she had zero depth perception! Several years later, after a scary episode of facial paralysis, she received the confirmatory diagnosis. So, we thought, that explains everything! We had blamed her CFI for poor instruction when, in fact, her visual dysfunction was at fault.
I certainly don't mean to imply that you have a neurological disorder, LAWings, and I wish you success in your laudable goal to join the Brotherhood of the Sky. Remember: Genius is nothing; Persistence is all. Take a break from Flight Simulator, and when you find an instructor who's a good fit, spend most of your time aloft with your eyes out of the cockpit. After all, that's how the birds do it!
- Ed