Just a follow up to some of the things the DE and I talked about. Things that you may feel are helpful. Although his comments were for me specifically, they might pertain to you as well.
First he commented on my improved procedure, said I was much more organized this time, and did not get behind the plane. This is something that I worked on over the past couple weeks, and I will continue to work on in the future. In fact I told him to expect much improvement by the time I do my Commercial Ride. Now that I am switching to a Multi Engine Plane, it will be even more important. I kind of feel that I may have become too comfortable in the C172 and as a result became a little too relaxed about my procedures.
The other important thing we talked about is a comment he made. He said that a Pilot needs a balance of two things, Skill and Technique. I asked him what he meant exactly, and what he thought I needed to work on. He said that I have excellent skill as a pilot, better than most in fact, but technique wise I was lagging behind. He says that skill is natural ability and the ability to "feel" the airplane and also to process information and apply that to flying the plane. Technique he described as having a specific way of doing something and doing it the same way every time. He said that a pilot can get away with being good at either of the two and be plenty competant. However he said that a pilot who can recognize his weakness in one or the other and improve in tat area will become a superior pilot.
In order for me to become a superior pilot, he says that I need to pay more attention to detail on procedures, mental checklists, and doing things with specific technique in mind. I will take what I have learned and apply it to my further training. I hope this is helpful to some of you as well.
