Confidence, lack of
 

Hello,

I'm just about to learn stalling then circuits before my solo, I've been flying on and off for a couple of years I seem to pick it up and put it down probably due to my confidence which I think I lack ! I know what to do when flying but seem to forget little things or concentrate on doing something to much which then give me a blank. Like to today I just completely forgot about using carb heat :* I don't seem to just go a fly my lesson remembering everything from lessons before while adding new stuff in this lesson. Not sure if I should just call it a day as I just can't see myself on a solo. Maybe I just enjoy flying but getting a ppl isn't for me ?

You sound like me and every other student I've ever spoken to. If it was that easy to pick up and get right, we'd all have our PPL's in 10 hours :)

Seriously, though - it's just part of it, or is for me anyway. I've been doing solo consolodiation and circuits for hours now and I'm okay at them, yet today I did a few practice force landings from overhead the field (2000ft glide approach basically) and consistently forgot my 300' checks.

vwdan has it right. you and everyone else.

You will find later on that you will love 'unusual positions' they are fun to do when you have got a bot more confidence.

Did anyone tell you it was easy? No it isn't. Learning to fly has so many different things to learn that there will always be something that will make you despair.

Having said that I have known people who have had the lessons for their own enjoyment and never bothered to take the PPl or even go solo some of them.

There is so much which could be said about that sentence......

Stick at it, checks are important. Think about why you need carb heat and you'll stop forgetting it. Have you a flight sim you can practice circuits and doing your checks on? I think that really helped me.
Do you need to consider a different instructor for inspiration?
It took me three years in between horrible Scottish mountain storms finding days to fly in.

Hi Saw77.

Just stick with it, and try to link actions together in short 'packages', rather than trying to remember single actions on their own.

For instance, think of 'Carb air to hot' as the first action in the sequence that starts every descent, eg, Turn base leg, then:

Carb air - Hot
Power - 1500 RPM (or whatever initial RPM you use)
Flaps - 20 degrees (or whatever your base leg flap setting is)
Trim - Adjusted to maintain the required speed

Good luck :)

vwdan:

Just as a matter of interest, what checks do you do at 300' on a PFL?


MJ:ok:

Apologies - that was less than clear. Because they were PFL's above the airfield to actually land, after the PFL Downwind checks, we were treating them as normal Glide Approaches.

So, the 300' check I've been taught is:

C - Carb Heat Off
R - Runway clear and available?
A - Approach stable?
P - Permission granted?

With "Go Around" being the "No" answer to the last three.

But that's a normal approach, rather than a forced landing where there's little you can do about most of it :D

Ah ok. Thanks.

I love checks that make a rude mnemonic. A lot easier to remember. :O

MJ:ok:

Learning in aviation is a steep learning curve: PPL, IR, ATPL, type rating etc. Confidence comes with time and as to forgetfulness, hands up if you've ever accidentally pulled the mixture instead of carb heat.

AD you have a valid point maybe in a different way to intended. Even experienced pilots thrown into an unfamiliar aircraft are all fingers and thumbs.

You only really know an aircraft when those fingers flick instinctively around the cockpit while you are thinking about what you are doing at the weekend.

I can remember learning to fly instruments all your concentration was 100% fixed on keeping the thing upright add other tasks like radio work or navigation tasks and everything went pear shaped.

Far off from today where it makes no difference in or out of cloud where your eyes scan instinctively and often flying instruments you can find your mind wandering to other thoughts its now so easy and natural. The other way around and you don't really know the aircraft

the same is the process learning to fly or riding a bike its only when it all comes instinctive and takes no mental power to do it can you say you have a full grasp on flying.
Its the same with checklists I think it was the RAF who taught you to fly without a checklist before you were ready to use a checklist if you get my gist )
The one means you really know the aircraft the other means you are flying by numbers )) The one the checklist is a backup the other its a command list for a lack of knowledge and familiarity. When it becomes a backup you know you have it

Pace

The common theme here is spreading lessons out over a long time and forgetting stuff before the next lesson.
Take a week or two off work and learn full time, 3 or 4 hours per day, that way you will quickly get the knack. 3 times around the circuit will not get you doing a decent landing, 30 times should have it sorted.
It helps to do this on a holiday somewhere where you can rely on the weather to let you fly every day.
If you pick somewhere like Johannesburg in their winter/our summer you will never see a cloud.

If you cannot afford to do this you probably will not be able to afford to fly regulary to keep your skills current in future so ask yourself the fundamental question - can I afford an expensive hobby for the foreseable future ?

You're certainly right there! My early IR work was in real not simulated IMC - grip of death on the controls desperate to stay in control. The other side to to the learning behavior is just that, learned behavior - reverting to what you're learned before. The rudder failure over NY in the Airbus could show how training in fast jets can be a problem for airline operations. After flying GA aircraft to keep your feet of the rudders in a jet and vice versa let alone becoming "ground shy" on landing after operating larger stuff.

Learning in aviation is a steep learning curve: PPL, IR, ATPL, type rating etc. Confidence comes with time and as to forgetfulness, hands up if you've ever accidentally pulled the mixture instead of carb heat.

Indeed or pushed the throttle in rather than carb heat over the threshold.

funniest and true was a microlight pilot taking Granny for a flight on het 80th Birthday. He forgot to get in with her or rather got out to hand start the rear prop with the throttle on full.

started the engine watching Granny bouncing down the field as it streaked off leaving him behind.

The Microlight took off and disappeared into the distance with family and friends chasing in cars below.

luckily the engine stopped and the microlight made a successful unassisted landing into another field where Granny was retrieved not being aware the flight was anything but perfect or that he was not on board somewhere ))

Think there is an accident report somewhere :ok: