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Old 24th Aug 2012, 13:52
  #38 (permalink)  
MacSki
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Midlands
Age: 54
Posts: 15
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I know exactly what you are going through as I went through it myself earlier in the year. Good news is I have two photographs on my wall, one of me just having done my first solo and the other passing my skills test so I am now a holder of a new PPL.

Like you I put a lot of pressure on myself to get it right when hour after hour of circuits went by without success never seemingly able to repeat the good parts of the previous circuit.

What I learnt which may be of use....
1. Trust the instructor, they have done this so many times before
2. Check your seat height, a very small adjustment upwards in my case did help although didn't solve the problem.
3. Go to another airfield. This helped me enormously, my first solo was not done at my home airfield but another a short flight away. This seemed to work because it was an easier runway to land on (centrally aligned, no hump in the middle) but I think more importantly no negative memories of failed attempts.

What I did also learn was through the 'failed' circuits even though I wasn't getting the landings I needed/wanted I was getting airmanship, learning how to deal with other flyers in the circuit not following local procedures, how to recover when I'd got myself into difficulties etc.

I do feel whilst I wouldn't have chosen that path it made me a better pilot overall and I still treat landings with the full respect they deserve.
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