"Agricultural" PPL finished next step ?

[thirtysomething]

Greetings,

I have just finished my ppl in Fly in Spain Jerez ( if your thinking about going there PM me ) . I have 64 hours and think the only thing I know is that I know very little. The examiner was Mike Penny from FTE and for anybody who knows him he gave it to me straight. " Agricultural but effective " is how my handling was described , and im so glad it was because I think he was the one of the few who was honest with me during the PPL experience.

Im very aware of the need to kick bad habits and learn good ones now when it comes to general handling . My end game is what is referred to as the frozen ATPL I believe but I´m open to how I get there . I dont need it to be the minimum cheap as chips route.

Im selecting a distance learning school for the ATPL exams ( im in Madrid so it seems to be BGS or Aerofan ) but wonder what you would advise to tidy up the flying / handling . A previous thread I found that is closed now seemed to get at doing an instrument rating instead of hour bashing.

As I said Im keen to make a move that confronts my handling and smooths the edges providing more foundation training ( while im still young to flying ). Any advice people might have would be most welcome.

David

[Whirlygig]

If your landings are a little agricultural, then there is a low-cost airline to whom you would be well-suited!!! :} :p ;)

The important thing is that you're safe when flying. My landings have been equally described as such but that description is now getting mentioned less and less. The finesse will come with experience.

Reading between the lines, you may benefit from a different instructor, at a different school and maybe a different airfield. Another person's perspective can work wonders.

Cheers

Whirls

[MIKECR]

With your new licence you should just simply go off and enjoy yourself, the handling and the finesse will come, your still early doors yet. If you get the chance of some tailwheel flying then I would suggest you give it a try. You'll learn what the rudder pedals are all about and how to properly coordinate your turns and handling. Try something lke a super cub(clacton aero club) which suffers lots of adverse yaw, you'll be working stick and rudder in no time. You'll also learn how to master your landings ie how to properly hold off and learn why speed control is all so important. Tailwheel pilots general handling skills I think are much better but then im biased, i've over 200 hours in chimpunks and pawnee's:}!! But well done though and just enjoy your flying, as whirlygig says - BE SAFE!! Thats much more important at the end of the day, thats all your future examiners will be looking for when you progress the ratings.

[Artie Fufkin]

Out of interest, what does an examiner mean by "agricultural"?

I have heard the term before and understand it to be not exactly complimentary but my dictionary doesn't give any definition that would fit this context.

I don't mean to be thick...

[Whirlygig]

One could wax lyrical and suggest that it could be akin to landing on a furrowed field but really, as you say, it's not particularly complimentary. How about, "rough".

Cheers

Whirls

[Ivor_Novello]

If the examiner thought even for a second that your handling and landings weren't safe I don't think he would have passed you, so there is nothing to worry about !

[thirtysomething]

I think he meant i looked at times like i was driving a tractor and not flying a plane. He commented that i should " let go " of the plane more. He is an FTE instructor who has a reputation for telling the truth , it was that and i have to be honest and say theres nothing in it that i dont agree with. I believe that were i to continue to fly the same way i would have problems " if " i managed to get my hands on something bigger. Possibly some of the habits i have would go away with time , but i dont think flying is something that i can teach myself so am keen to be funnelled into a bit more finess . I believe it possible to progress onwards and have problems later on with more engrained habits being harder to break or reverting to them when under pressure. I do agree that I deserve my PPL and provided i maintain a certain attitude ill be safe but i want to as i said be a good pilot and this now means addressing the feedback early ?

The tail dragger idea sound interesting to me

[badboy raggamuffin]

Mate, I wouldn't worry about it. Id reckon most pilot's flying is agrigultural fter they have just got their ppl. I remember that my flying was dreadful after Id just got my ppl, went off to the states to hour build and lo and behold after about 20hrs or so on my own in an aircraft, where I was free to play around on my own without an instructor breathing down my neck things improved dramatically. I also had the same examiner you speak of for my ppl and found him also to be very critical, if not a little patronising. Don't let him knock your confidence.