Do you like training?

bjm

bjm

New Member
I am just getting into my commercial training course, and we took a 4-hr night x-country last night. By the time we were heading back, the only thing I wanted to do was get the airplane on the ground and go home. I never really minded training flights through the private and instrument, but I just don't get really excited about training flights now. I still enjoy flying when I'm not training.

So the question is, do you all like training flights? Am I normal, or is this a good sign I should go back to what I was doing before...
 
I feel the same way, Im burn out from school right now and

flying is taking a back seat. I think that private is exiting

because your are learning something new, instrument is a

very different experience but by the time you start your

commercial is easy to lose focus because you realize you

have burn thousands of dollars and yet you are still so far

from the finish line. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Training flights get old after awhile. Part of it for me was paying the extra money for a flight that I needed to do, versus paying less money, taking no instructor with, and doing a flight that I actually wanted to do. Training will take the fun out of flying after awhile. Another thing that I ran into when doing my commercial training was realizing that I already knew how fly... I was just fine-tuning my private pilot flying skills... not learning something brand new, like when working on my private or instrument. Spending extra cash planning cross-countries with an instructor yet again, after I'd flown many a cross-country by myself while a private pilot, was not my idea of a good time. One question I've asked myself a lot on those flights I was not overly excited about taking... would I want to be here more if I were being paid to do this? The answer for me always came up as being a definitive yes! It made me stick with it, and now that I'm done with the ratings, I'm very happy I kept going at it. My recommendation is to take a few days off if you're getting burned out from flying... or else rent an airplane and go re-discover why you started flying in the first place.
 
Sounds like yall are 141? If you guys get burned out flying training flights, what happens when you get to flying the line at an airline (assuming you go airline)?
 
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Sounds like yall are 141? If you guys get burned out flying training flights, what happens when you get to flying the line at an airline (assuming you go airline)?

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Not only 141 guys get burned out from training flights...

I did every bit of my training part 61, and I even got burned out a few times. I think one of the keys if finding a fun flight instructor. They are out there (ahem.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif). Don't go and fly for 4 hours roun trip and not go anywhere. If I take a student 2 hours away from the Nashville area, we're going someplace other than Cullman, AL or Jackson, TN. We're doing Memphis or Atlanta.

We're going to go find a ghetto-a$$ Waffle House, and hit a Krispy Kreme or something.

Bowman Field is a sweet place to hit at 3 in the morning to walk and get Ice Cream.

Or, you can fly to Cullman, AL, swat the 'skeeters and wonder whjy flight training sucks. Take your pick.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
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Sounds like yall are 141? If you guys get burned out flying training flights, what happens when you get to flying the line at an airline (assuming you go airline)?

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Not only 141 guys get burned out from training flights...

I did every bit of my training part 61, and I even got burned out a few times. I think one of the keys if finding a fun flight instructor. They are out there (ahem.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif). Don't go and fly for 4 hours roun trip and not go anywhere. If I take a student 2 hours away from the Nashville area, we're going someplace other than Cullman, AL or Jackson, TN. We're doing Memphis or Atlanta.

We're going to go find a ghetto-a$$ Waffle House, and hit a Krispy Kreme or something.

Bowman Field is a sweet place to hit at 3 in the morning to walk and get Ice Cream.

Or, you can fly to Cullman, AL, swat the 'skeeters and wonder whjy flight training sucks. Take your pick.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

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Exactly! I've done too many flights with little purpose. Why fly 125 miles, do a stop and go, and head back? I've been with too many instructors who pack the students in so tight where that's what my training flights consisted of. It's tough going on a 3 hour flight with no real reward (like getting a bite to eat, or hitting up the craps tables in laughlin), but then to head back into an FBO and throw down $400.00 for it, it detracts from the experience. Pay me $20.00 an hour to fly back and forth from some airport without any amenities, I'm fine with that, at least now I've got a purpose... making some money. I've switched instructors more than once because I wasn't having fun with them... and it's my goal as an instructor now to have a good ol' time and still teach my students everything they need to know to become a competent pilot.
 
You've got it, Drew!

Unfortunately, we're crazy for thinking like that (I'm told every day that I won't always love flying, and that when I "grow up", I'll realize that it's just a job and therefore I shouldn't enjoy it...).

I have folks driving an hour to me, past other flight schools that are cheaper and closer to home, because they've heard that I'm not only competent, I'm fun!!

And I literally mean that I get a new call from somebody wanting to schedule each and every day!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Oh, eyah, and I don't charge a no-show fee.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
you all make some good points. it is definitely more fun flying when there's a purpose to the trip. i'm flying saturday to go watch my brother play football at college, and i'm looking forward to that trip. i think the feeling of "yes, i know how to do stalls and read a sectional already..." comes into play with the commercial training too, as someone said.
 
Yeah, alot of that commercial training is stupid....

I wonder how many CFI's strive to make flight training fun.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
 
Hopefully most try to make it fun. I don't have that problem luckily. In fact, sometimes my instructors have had a little "too much" fun, say with unusual attitudes! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/spin2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/insane.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
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In fact, sometimes my instructors have had a little "too much" fun, say with unusual attitudes! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/spin2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/insane.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

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See, I've never considered that to be "fun". Mostly, it's the instructor saying, "HEY, my tool is bigger than yours!!!". Not very entertaining to the student....
 
not very entertaining at all. i finally had to tell my instrument instructor, "ok, you get to do 3 unusual attitudes, then i get sick!" he never attempted to challenge that, and it was a good thing!
 
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Yeah, alot of that commercial training is stupid....

I wonder how many CFI's strive to make flight training fun.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

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So you are saying that showing the student how not using rudder during a power on stall with excessive pitch isn't fun!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
My instrument instructor got off on doing wingovers while I was under the hood....crooked, to say the least.

Last I heard, he left flying to go back to his Daddy's Lumber business....
 
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Yeah, alot of that commercial training is stupid....

I wonder how many CFI's strive to make flight training fun.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

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So you are saying that showing the student how not using rudder during a power on stall with excessive pitch isn't fun!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Action packed!!
 
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If I take a student 2 hours away from the Nashville area, we're going someplace other than Cullman, AL or Jackson, TN. We're doing Memphis or Atlanta.

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Call ahead, and I'll met ya where you land, too. Hopefully, I'll be taking students up to BNA in a few months.....
 
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Yeah, alot of that commercial training is stupid....

I wonder how many CFI's strive to make flight training fun.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

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Lloyd, seriously, you're one of the few that could make a living (and a good one at that) being an instructor. Never having met you I can tell that you're the one in a thousand that know how to entertain, yet educate at the same time. You get to write your own ticket in this market, young man!
 
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Yeah, alot of that commercial training is stupid....

I wonder how many CFI's strive to make flight training fun.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

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Lloyd, seriously, you're one of the few that could make a living (and a good one at that) being an instructor. Never having met you I can tell that you're the one in a thousand that know how to entertain, yet educate at the same time. You get to write your own ticket in this market, young man!

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/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif Well, thank you much!! In all honesty, I learned more being an instructor in the Marine Corps than I did in my CFI training. These kids had to sit in a classroom with me for 8 hours each day, learning fun things about "Turbine inlet temps" and "Bleed Air Discharge valves". Not the most exciting stuff in the world.

My chief instructor would call me and my good friend Shane in the office and question us. "Sergeant Williams, Sergeant Henson....I couldn't help but hear your students laughing this morning. this is serious stuff we're teaching...".

Yada, Yada, Yada. Learning need not be boring! No matter what we're doing in the airplane, there's always a moment to laugh and have some fun!

I had a student in the plane the other day, and it was time for him to make his first radio call. We were on a left downwind for runway 1. I told him what to say, and he repeated it 10 times. Then he keyed the mike and said :

"John Tune traffic, N5268L, we're approaching downwind traffic, 161, traffic....."

I couldn't help but laugh all the way to the ramp!!! He knew it was funny, and he laughed too. He said, "It just came out..."

Now, of course, I could pretend it wasn't funny...but why?? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

It's allll about fun!
 
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If I take a student 2 hours away from the Nashville area, we're going someplace other than Cullman, AL or Jackson, TN. We're doing Memphis or Atlanta.

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Call ahead, and I'll met ya where you land, too. Hopefully, I'll be taking students up to BNA in a few months.....

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I'll take you up on that!! Since you're home and all, might as well enjoy it!!!
 
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So the question is, do you all like training flights? Am I normal, or is this a good sign I should go back to what I was doing before...

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I'm about 30 lessons from being finished with inst & comm and some days flying is about the last thing that I want to do.

Sims and commercial cross countries especially began to become a hastle. There were times last summer where I would fly 12/14 days and eventually I would begin to hope for a weather cancellation or failing that I would even call in sick. Obviously flying that often isn't recommended and I have now made it a personal rule to not fly more than three consecutive days in a row.

Every so often when I get the chance to fly a friend or family member I'm reminded of how enjoyable flying can actually be. Experiencing flight with someone that has never is 50x better than any training flight could ever be!

I've found that burnout is a consequence of reviewing the same thing repetedly or just from flying too often (or both). Fortunately in the last few months I haven't had too many cases of burnout flying the A-36! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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