Another good reason for going modular!
VC10 - your story struck a chord with me, not just because I too went solo a few weeks ago (and loved it, despite similar concerns), but also because it gives a useful insight into how we learn - anything, including flying.
Until recently, I was a Training Mgr with a large high street corporate, and would often introduce something called the 'Conscious Competence' model to help folks understand the typical stages that we all go through when we learn a new skill. It goes something like this. . . . .
Stage 1 -
Unconscious Incompetence -
"you don't know that you don't know"
OK, this flying lark looks a bit tricky, but it can't be THAT bad can it? Well let's give it a go anyway. . . . .
Stage 2 -
Conscious Incompetence -
"you know that you don't know"
Blimey, it IS tricky!! How will I ever learn all this? What does that do again? And what does that mean? Q and H what? Q F E ?? You want me to do WHAT??
Stage 3 -
Conscious Competence -
"you work at what we don't know"
Hang on a bit, some of this is actually starting to make sense. Yep, I definately remembered that from my last lesson. Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. . . Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. . . It's hard work, but I'm getting the hang of it. . . slowly anyway. . .
Stage 4 -
Unconscious competence -
"you don't have to think about knowing it"
OK, not suggesting for a minute that we leave our thinking caps back in the club house every time we jump in the LHS - good awareness, discipline, airmanship (and more besides) are critical to safe flying. . .HOWEVER, what started out as something we didn't know we couldn't do, and quickly found very tricky. . . begins to feel easier, more natural, instinct perhaps. . . I don't consciously have to remind myself to do this bit, it happens by itself.
Useful? Ring any bells? I guess one of the lessons from this is that for most of us, we get there in the end. If my instructor got a £pound for every time he's said "don't worry, it WILL get easier", well . . he'd be a much richer instructor for a start. But it does get easier
.
HW