Bad news

jholloway_1

New Member
So I arrive at the airport at about 8:50am last wednesday, and my instructor was already there. I knew something was up, Because he was talking to all of the mechanics. Just so happens that he sent one of his private students solo, and crashed on landing. Not to bad, but had a prop strike, and I'm not to sure how the rest of the plane is. He was fine, but of course pretty freaked out. Right now this doesn't effect me much, because he crashed the 152, and I'm instrument in the 172. The problem is our insurance. I'm in a flying club and the word was that we had already taken too many claims, and that we might be getting dropped. In that case, no flight club/I don't know how I'm going to train. I think the FBO has a plane for rent, but I'm not too sure. So possibly good by to our extremely low rentals... I'll brag again
c152 $35
c172 $52 (two of them)
c182 $68
Arrow $70
Instructor $20
Seminol (instruction only) $140 with instruction
Club fees $50/month, but when I'm flying about 15hrs a month, it still comes out really cheap.

It also makes me question my instructors judgement. I'm taking my instrument checkride on friday, and I'm not that confident that I'm ready. He's been trying to get me to take it for a long time, but I didn't think I was ready. I'm not usually confident when it comes to any kind of test, so I went ahead and scheduled it friday, trusting my instructors judgement. Then the whole private student accident, it just makes me question my instructor, but other than that, I think he's decent. Not an awesome instructor, but I think adequate, and hes a good guy too. Anyone else have any "anxious" instructors out there?
 
Don't be so quick to place blame on the instructor! Just because someone bent the prop on a landing doesn't mean that he did anything wrong - maybe he did, maybe he didn't - maybe the student passed out for a medical reason? Maybe their was a problem with the flight controls? My point is that you probably shouldn't say anything until you at least have all of the facts to form an opinion.

About the checkride thing - if he thinks you can pass the test then you probably can. I was always nervous and thought I could have used some more training but I always passed - I've seen this as a student and as an instructor - students in general have a lack of confidence when facing a checkride.

Jason
 
I'm not blaming my instructor at all, but I've always questioned his judgement on his ability to determine his students flight capabilities. I still have had hardly ANY crosswind training even though I have around 150 hours. If there is much of a crosswind, I don't go, that is just one of my personal limitations. I've had a couple pretty close calls myself with crosswinds, and until I get some practice with my instructor, I'm still not going to go. My instructor on the other hand has encouraged me to go up and practice xwinds landings. I just don't think he knows my capabilities, and after seeing his other student have an accident, it makes me use more of my own judgement and less of his. I just want to make sure that I'm a safe pilot, and that I don't get overconfident and fly when I shouldn't. But I'm definitly not blaming my instructor, because I know personally how something could go wrong on landing with a low our private student.
 
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. . If there is much of a crosswind, I don't go, that is just one of my personal limitations.

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So what's your plan if you takeoff on a calm day, and there's hefty crosswinds by the time you RTB?

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My instructor on the other hand has encouraged me to go up and practice xwinds landings. I just don't think he knows my capabilities, and after seeing his other student have an accident, it makes me use more of my own judgement and less of his. I just want to make sure that I'm a safe pilot, and that I don't get overconfident and fly when I shouldn't. But I'm definitly not blaming my instructor, because I know personally how something could go wrong on landing with a low our private student.

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I understand your dilemma between not feeling ready/ wanting to be safe, but at the same time, you do need to be kicked out of the nest, so to speak, to learn/apply what you've learned too. I'm making a general statement, because I don't know the specifics of your situation nor have I flown with you.
 
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If there is much of a crosswind, I don't go, that is just one of my personal limitations. I've had a couple pretty close calls myself with crosswinds, and until I get some practice with my instructor, I'm still not going to go. My instructor on the other hand has encouraged me to go up and practice xwinds landings.

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I just got some great x-wind flying done this weekend. I went on a nice round robin (SFB -> SGJ -> CGC -> SFB); I'm trying to build up my PIC XC time in prep for pt 61 instrument (I work so no acadamys for me). Anyway, when I got back to SFB at around 12:30, winds were 030@13G21 or so. We were landing 9 so it was pretty fun. Havent had any x-winds like that since I moved to FL. In Austin it wasnt that uncommon, but I was alwayws with an inst when it happened. I was alone in a 152 with about a 1/2 tank so it was challenging with such a light plane and the gusts, but I did well I think, touched down on the centerline in a nice slip and no sideload. The only bad thing was I came in way too shallow, and had I lost the engine would've been screwed. Since moving to FL I haven't had to deal with the winds like in central texas, so I need to remember that my groundspeed was very low and I should have waited longer to descend.

Anyway, my advice with the x-winds, is have him go up with you the first time they are really bad, he should be happy too. If he isn't there's a problem. Eventually, though, you're going to have to do it alone.
 
I agree with what people have said about not blaming the instructor for another student's misfortune.

We all have bad days. I had my first a few weeks ago. I too was solo. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as the student you described, but it easily could've.

It had nothing to do with my instructor. It was all me, and because of this it was up to me to keep myself (and the plane) in one piece.

I suspect that what you're feeling is your internal voice telling you that maybe you're not sure you're ready for the checkride.

I had this same problem before I soloed. I didn't feel quite ready. My CFI felt that I was, but was cool and let me do some more dual until he knew for sure that my confidence was in the same place as my skills.

Like someone said here, if something doesn't feel right. My guess is that you're insecurities don't have a lot to do with your CFI. It may also have to do with your instructor's style. I've had 3 so far. First one basically felt that learning to fly was an intuitive process, so she threw everything at me, and just sorta let me fly by the seat of my pants. The second instructor was very disiplined. Everything had a flow to it. Also he expected a lot of manuvers to be PTS caliber on two demos. My current instructor is very disiplined as well, but doesn't expect perfection from the start. He's also atuned to what people think. That is to say that if I'm not comfortable about something he knows it without me having to say anything to him.

Anyhow, you might try going up with a different instructor just to have him evaluate your progress. Tell your CFI you just want to fly with a neutral party. It may be helpful for him too since he can find out where he might not be imparting enough knowledge.

Good luck.

Naunga
 
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So what's your plan if you takeoff on a calm day, and there's hefty crosswinds by the time you RTB?

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That did happen a couple weeks ago. I took off with winds calm (as they had been all day) and on downwind, I noticed quite a bit of turbulance, and tower called wind to be 18 and gusting higher. I did infact make a pretty scary landing, definitly one that effected my confidence, so it made me decide that I just need more practice. Until then, I'm still going to play it safe and do my best to avoid much crosswind.
 
You are a customer to your instructor and if he doesn't meet your expectation or you are in anyway uncomfortable with him, switch instructors! Its your money, nice guy or not!
 
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(SFB -> SGJ -> CGC -> SFB);

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Well, that covers about all of central Florida.
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I like practicing touch & gos at SFB since they have three parallel runways. I did my solo x-country to CGC. Much better than the standard OCF boring trip, and the view is a lot better.
 
You really need to stop runing away from x-wind landings. You are never gonna learn how to conquer them on the ground. Get your butt up in the pattern and learn how to grease in a x-wind landing. You can only learn how to fly a plane by doing. So go do it already. You will find that it gets easier the more that you do it.

Remember that everyday isn't gonna be perfect when you go up to fly, but it's up to you to make it perfect. Have more confidence in your abilities otherwise you have picked the wrong hobby or career.

"A good landing is one in which everyone is alive and well, a great landing is one in which the plane can be used again."

Marilyn
 
If you are flying IFR you can espect to do lot's of X-wind landings. The best way to gain confidence in your self is to take it slow. Start with small X- wind landings and go from there.


You know your own limitations and no one else. It's easy for someone to say " Just go up and do it "

Don't do that!! Do it when your ready !!! and start slow
 
Take instructor and find some good x-wind to practice. You will need it eventually, even in the airlines you still have to do them. For example: three nights ago runway 34 wind 270/24G32. Good luck.
 
I built confidence by going up when there was a strong wind down the runway. I'd go up and get to a height where I felt safe, make an imaginary hard deck height of say 1,200, and then "land" the plane crosswind down to that height over a landmark that I had picked out as my touchdown point.

It let me practice slipping and crabbing and get really comfortable controlling the airplane all at a height where I wasn't nervous about really missing a runway. My instructor suggested it and it worked great. Now I don't get nervous at all in a crosswind.

Hope that helps,
Heath
 
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