I soloed, but there is a problem

Get a new instructor or change flight school. I had an instructor who wasn't working out for me that made me feel like everything I was doing was wrong and the school had no others to go to so I switched schools and my new instructor was impressed of what I knew and had me signed off for my check ride in around 5 or so flights and I passed. It took me around 25-30 hours to solo too so don't feel bad!
 
mxflyer said:
You really need a new instructor. A good instructor will push you, not put you down, encourage you, not discourage you. Seriously, you are paying him. But more importantly do not let your grades slide. You can do both, just keep working hard and don't let people (especially your instructor) keep you down.

And I'd like to add;
You sound depressed after your first solo! What the heck is wrong with your instructor that makes you feel like that on the most memorable day of your aviation career? QUOTE]


I definitely agree with all of that! Is there something in particular that you are having a hard time with? Sometimes it helps to fly with another instructor a few times to work on whatever is giving you trouble. It took me 40 hours to solo. I had a heck of a time with landing (kinda important, isn't it?). I spent a couple of lessons with another instructor at the FBO just working on landing, and something just clicked. Just keep on working, and if your instructor isn't supportive, it's time to find someone new! You are paying him for his time. Keep at it, and remember - flying is FUN!!!
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I don't know why you stuck with that instructor. I don't want to bash a working pilot but he sounds like a complete Toolbag. There are plenty of CFIs and former CFI's on this thread all telling you to dump this guy...and Flight sim - I think I'd probably listen to them.

Also...am I weird in thinking that if the instructor thinks you are so incredibly below average...well, what the hell is he doing solo'ing you? I'm not sure a lot of CFI's would solo someone they thought was "well below average"...but I'm not sure. It simply doesn't make much sense to me.
 
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I agree that switching instrucors is a good thing.
Try bot to piss em off, explain it's about your confidence level.
 
I have to say that you really need to concentrate on your school work and don't worry so much about your flying right now.

I don't agree with all the stuff that everybody is saying about flight sim though, I probably had over 1,000 hours on flight sim before I ever touched a real airplane, It did nothing but help me. My radio work was flawless because of flying online. I knew a lot of information already. The argument that people have about how " oh well flight sim makes you just look at instruments" is kind of a crock in my opinion. You just have to discipline yourself to fly looking outside of the window, and not the gauges like on flight sim.

I would say maybe my first flight I focussed a little on the instruments more than I should have, but it only took an hour or two of disciplining myself to be looking outside of the airplane.

That is just my .02 cents, I understand some people may have trouble with the transition from flight sim to real world flying.

No matter what though, don't concentrate on flight sim, concentrate on your school work, that is what really matters.
 
DL31082 said:
If your instructor is saying you are below average then that is a problem. I could understand saying maybe that you aren't studying enough or something like that, but your instructor needs to have some kind of faith in you if you are to succeed. If you are still with the same instructor as you were before, then you need to switch instructors.
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Seriously?

If your instructor rates your performance as 'below average', you advocate switching instructors?

So, apparently you are not a fan of honest feedback. You'd rather just have someone tell you how great you are and/or keep patting you on the back and saying 'good try'?

Just because an instructor gives honest feedback, and that feedback includes noting that a student's performance is below average, it ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT mean that the instructor lacks faith in that student. Honest feedback about performance is THE cornerstone to improvement. You have to identify errors and measure performance before it can improve.

I care deeply about the success of my students, but I never have a problem identifying when their performance doesn't meet the standard. By definition, the FAA *does* have a standard to which pilots must meet, and when a student's performance doesn't meet it, it's our JOB as the instructor to tell them that, then instruct them to meet that standard.

I'm all for encouraging words, and understand that there are many different techniques to motivate a student to learn, BUT the simple act of telling a student where they stand does nothing to invalidate that.
 
There is a big difference between giving honest feedback and putting down a student. 29 hours to solo is not below average, thats right about average. I have no problem telling a student that he is having a hard time with a certain maneuver and giving honest feedback, but what does just saying he is below average accomplish?

All it does is make the student wonder. Good feedback would be what is making him below average. Not just that he is below average.
 
DL31082 said:
There is a big difference between giving honest feedback and putting down a student. 29 hours to solo is not below average, thats right about average. I have no problem telling a student that he is having a hard time with a certain maneuver and giving honest feedback, but what does just saying he is below average accomplish?

All it does is make the student wonder. Good feedback would be what is making him below average. Not just that he is below average.
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Also, we don't know for sure if this instructor was the same in a previous thread. You know the one that yells and screams at his student? That's a big no in my book. There isn't really a time I need to raise my voice, unless he's just being a total nuisance, ie. trying to kill me, horse playing (happened a lot in teaching college students.) But when flying and working on maneuvers, I'll never yell.
 
Ok guys...I'm not understanding why the "norm" to solo is now between 20-30 hours. Can someone explain to me what has changed since the mid 80's that now make 20-30 hours the new "norm" for solo? Not criticising at all, just curious. Seems high compared to when I was learning to fly. Thanks in advance.
 
My former instructor wanted me to solo at 13 hours but I didnt have my medical at the time. I was that good. :D
 
WacoFan said:
Ok guys...I'm not understanding why the "norm" to solo is now between 20-30 hours. Can someone explain to me what has changed since the mid 80's that now make 20-30 hours the new "norm" for solo? Not criticising at all, just curious. Seems high compared to when I was learning to fly. Thanks in advance.
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There is a list of items that must be completed to standards before solo now.
 
This may have been said previously, but I'll say it again....

Some folks just take a little longer to have the lightbulb go off in their head. Nothing wrong with that, and eventually you will "get it". Doesn't mean you won't ever be a good pilot
 
kiloalpha said:
Stay away from the flight sim until you are working on instrument... I've had so many students get very bad habits from starring at the six pack on the computer that their VFR maneuvers suffer in performance.

While it may seem like you are getting ahead, you're actually creating more work for yourself, and your instructor.
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I'll second this.
 
///AMG said:
This may have been said previously, but I'll say it again....

Some folks just take a little longer to have the lightbulb go off in their head. Nothing wrong with that, and eventually you will "get it". Doesn't mean you won't ever be a good pilot
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I'm glad you brought this up - certainly I didn't mean to imply in my post anything other than "if somethings changed". It just seems as if in the mid-80's 15-20 hours was more "norm" and now the overwhelming consensus is 20-30. You do bring up a good point.
 
DL31082 said:
There is a big difference between giving honest feedback and putting down a student. 29 hours to solo is not below average, thats right about average.
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Sorta putting apples and oranges together here, if I understand the OP correctly.

The IP never said he was soloing in below-average time -- he said his performance was below average. Hours to solo is not the only yardstick of performance.

Again, telling a student he is below average isn't "putting down" a student. It's telling him how he compares to other students of similar experience -- again, it's honest feedback.

I haven't read the other thread with other posts about this particular CFI, and indeed he may be putting down this particular student. Regardless, saying someone is "below average" is not putting anyone down on prima facie value.

DL31082 said:
Good feedback would be what is making him below average.
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C'mon...really? His CFI giving honest feedback about his performance is *making* him below average? Sure...if you think there isn't a standard, then there's no way to be below it, I suppose.

Unfortunately, there *is* a standard, and by definition half of every CFI's students are below average.

It's the IP's job to teach a student to fly -- not to be his personal life coach. This is the real world. The FAA does not issue pilot certificates based on "Participation Ribbons".
 
Hacker15e said:
Sorta putting apples and oranges together here, if I understand the OP correctly.

The IP never said he was soloing in below-average time -- he said his performance was below average. Hours to solo is not the only yardstick of performance.

Again, telling a student he is below average isn't "putting down" a student. It's telling him how he compares to other students of similar experience -- again, it's honest feedback.
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I understand what you're saying about honest feedback, but you don't know if what your instructor is telling you is the truth until you get a second or third opinion from other instructors. It's the reason flight schools have check pilots who sign off another instructors students, to give an honest assessment of that students abilities.
 
b3181981 said:
I understand what you're saying about honest feedback, but you don't know if what your instructor is telling you is the truth until you get a second or third opinion from other instructors. It's the reason flight schools have check pilots who sign off another instructors students, to give an honest assessment of that students abilities.
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No argument against getting a separate opinion if you want one.

Again, I was rejecting the idea that this particular CFI should be "fired" because of his assessment of the OP's progress and performance as below average.

Of course there's the possibility that this CFI is out to lunch, but his assessment of the OP isn't in and of itself reason to think he is.
 
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