PPL (H) training, what did you find most difficult?

[Whiskey Hotel]

When you all were training for your ppl, what was the one (or more) thing that you just couldn't master?

The hover?
Navigating?
RT?
Straight and level flight?

Opinions and long winded rambling stories welcome :-)

[whoknows idont]

I found the most difficult to be radio communication. It was very distracting for me in the beginning. And it was the only part that was no fun.

[Ascend Charlie]

The most difficult thing, as an instructor teaching a student, is to make them BELIEVE that holding the attitude steady in the window is the key to hovering, not staring at a blade of grass in the chin bubble. If the attitude moves, FIX IT! Don't just watch it wander all over the window.

[Flyting]

PAYING............................:uhoh:

[John R81]

Seeing other aircraft in VFR flight when they are lower (looking against the ground clutter).


Got better at it, with scanning techniques, but still on occasions I know traffic is near (from radio) but it can be damn difficult to see.

[aa777888]

Hovering, beyond any shadow of a doubt. Oh that first time (hovering--I must make that clear with this crowd ;)) was exciting! The instructor says to give it a go on the ramp area while surrounded by $20M of private jets parked there. Let's just say that this was my first introduction to how brave helicopter CFIs are :eek:

After that we went to a very large, frozen lake (it was winter) :}

I was an add on from fixed wing, so radios and nav and that sort of thing was not a worry.

[Arm out the window]

If the attitude moves, FIX IT! Don't just watch it wander all over the window.

Amen brother!

If everyone could be convinced straight up of how beneficial it is to just look out the front and fix it if it looks wrong, they'd get away with a lot less time and money wasted. Unfortunately it seems to be one of those things they have to get to in their own time, when there's a big 'aha' moment and it all makes sense...

[topendtorque]

Trying to figure out what it was that precipitated the comment, "don't stop flying now or we'll all bloody crash", as his hand waved all over the cabin, or massive punch on the shoulder followed by, 'you stupid moronic peasant what did you do that for?"

The next hardest by far was being ordered to get into that bar and clean the pooftas out, "so's a decent man (him) can have a drink." Anyone who knew Rundle Street in 1970's will relate.

This was after we had been at the aero club bar with Herby? Thwaites for a solid session drinking traffic lights. Thwaites was a DCA F/W examiner ex P40 jock from PNG etc, I think 75 sqdn.

I tell you me and another bloke going through at the time were not military, but by gees we marched double time everywhere. yessirreee.

[flighttest-engineer]

For me, approx. 40 years ago, training on the Bell 47G-2 the most difficult task was hovering and second the correlation of throttle/pitch.

[krypton_john]

The bills....

[Evil Twin]

Managing my instructor and making sure he wasn't ripping me off

[cattletruck]

Transitioning to the R22 after someone bent the H300. It was like learning all over again, my first 3hrs were in 20+ kt winds which were quite hands and feet-ful :E.

[Ascend Charlie]

I felt a bit the same - I had at the time 7000 turbine hours, and stepped into my first ever piston, the R22.

The brain was just saying "Double-you tee effffffff!!!!!":sad:

[Soave_Pilot]

For me I think it was side slope landing, it involved a bit more risk than hovering and the R22 is pretty unstable for its own nature, so It turned out to be the last manouver I got straighten it out.

[BOBAKAT]

First : hovering
second : slope control
third : pedal control when turning
fourth : ......

[muffin]

Hover autos and after 650 hours I still can't get them right every time.

[n5296s]

Hovering - seems impossible at first but after a few hours became OK-ish
Slopes - seemed impossible at first and now (130 hours heli time) just barely possible!
Smooth pickup - lifting off with absolutely no translation is way harder than professional pilots make it look.

[Hedge36]

Solo landings with the R-22 in light gusts.