Degradation of will to learn how to fly

[150 Driver]

A view from the LHS.

I have held my PPL for three years now, approaching 300 hours so still a novice.

But I do have a Type A personality with what sound like the typical business background being mentioned above, and qualifying as a pilot is recent enough to remember what learning to fly was like.

For my 40th I was bought a trial lesson, at the end it was suggested that I buy a log book and log the flight as it would count towards me getting a licence. I asked how many hours it took and was told 45.

Sure, a piece of paper was given to me which said it 'might take more' but 45 is what I heard.

So I bought the log book, and booked my second hour, by the end of which I'd be nearly 5% of the way there, right ?

At the end of every lesson I added it up and worked out how many more lessons I'd need to get to 45, and how many weeks that would be.

More importantly, dealing with family finances there was a figure of how much more I was 'allowed' to spend.

I just assumed that magically everything would just happen at or around 45 hours to make me pass the test. I didn't really need to listen, surely, it would just happen ?

Partway through the course I had to change schools (it was illness of the FI, not anything I'd done !). At around 40 hours I was mortified (and my family financial controller was furious) to be told that I might need another ten.

None of this was helped by a friend who did get his at 45 and assured me that was what 'everyone did'. (I hadn't found PPRUNE by then...)

I pushed to be put in for the test - the system worked and I failed, deservedly so. The same weekend a local experienced pilot was killed in a crash which looked like pilot error.

That was the wake up call for me. It was only now that I started working hard on learning to fly - this bloody thing wasn't going to beat me. At around 70 hours I retook, a bag of nerves but somehow passed. Shortly afterwards in IMC I learned how little I knew - the best leveller I had. At that point the ego got thrown away and from then on I leave the Type A personality on the ground. I took the IRR shortly afterwards and if only time allows am planning the CBIR.

I'd like to think I was nothing like CH's student (I certainly wasn't an iPad user and could fly a visual circuit) but suspect I was seen as the student from hell at the time.

My personality type overall hasn't changed, but I now know my limitations and leave the ego (and quite often the plane) on the ground. I'm now disappointed if at the end of a flight I haven't learned something and improved something.

So perhaps this student might be an OK pilot in the making, just needs something to make him change his behaviours ? Or maybe I'm being eternally optimistic ?

Does he have the 45 hour fixation that I did ? Is that anyone's fault for selling a 45 hour dream ?

Whatever, if anyone can make this guy into a pilot (not an aircraft driver) sounds like it is CH.