Losing it

Mandla

Mandla

New Member
Ive only got a mere 11hours and am in my 4th hour of touch and go training. The 1st 2 hours in my touch and goes went really well. Infact, my instructor had faith that something special was going to happen, I was going to solo sooner than the average number 15. Suddenly when I went back yesterday I'd lost it all. I flew an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon...both sessions sucked, I sucked. Ive never felt so disheartened. My instructor told me it was just a bad day for me...I donno.
 
Don't sweat it. One flight before my rotor checkride I fell apart. I wanted to cancel but couldn't. When seeking advice from my CFI he said, "just do it better next time." I did and I passed no problem. Sometimes the day gets us.
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I'm sure we've all days that we were just "off." I know I've had a day when I just couldn't get that flare over the runway the way I wanted. It is fustrating sometimes. A good lesson I learned when I raced motocross was if I wasn't in a good mood after a race, it wasn't worth doing at all. I think it's similar here. Good Luck.
 
Sounds like you've hit the presolo slump... Most pilots I know, myself included, have gone through it, where you just have a few terrible flights. Finally, you get it back and solo no problem. Don't worry about it. I also did pretty bad the flight before my checkride, and I know a few other people that did... its a common occurance, just don't sweat it.
 
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Ive only got a mere 11hours and am in my 4th hour of touch and go training. The 1st 2 hours in my touch and goes went really well. Infact, my instructor had faith that something special was going to happen, I was going to solo sooner than the average number 15. Suddenly when I went back yesterday I'd lost it all. I flew an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon...both sessions sucked, I sucked. Ive never felt so disheartened. My instructor told me it was just a bad day for me...I donno.

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Not to worry, you have just experienced something that you will see again and again in your career in aviation. Every time you check out in something new, or take new training it will happen.

My last checkout was as a Captain in the MD88 for Delta Air Lines. Program was about a month long with a dozen simulator rides and then a "rating ride" or final check ride.

About ride 10 I was Steve Canyon, Burt Rutan, Chuck Yeager, and Wilbur Wright all rolled into one. I was bulletproof! I knew every procedure, could nail the speeds and altitudes, could do NOTHING wrong. Man, I was ready for that check ride NOW! Bring it on, watch me!

Ride 11....I couldn't find my ass with an ass finding machine! I entered the "zone of stupidity" the minute I got into the simulator. Had two left feet and two left hands...no make that four left feet and NO hands. No brain, no memory, no nothing! I was a vegetable…! Thought I was having a bad dream and would wake up! But alas, it was just that old pre-(anything) slump. That “wall”.

Just like I had done dozens of times before in the preceding 35 years of flying. You think I would have learned that by now.

As I said, what you have experienced is just that...experience. It happens to all pilots as others here have said, and it will happen again. Don't worry about it, press on. Keep that goal of soloing in your mind. That day when the instructor gets out, says something about "luck" and off you go!

It will be without a doubt the most exhilarating experience in your life! Trust me. I still remember that day like it was yesterday, not 40+ years ago!

Good luck and God speed!
 
It happens, man. Some days, you just don't have your a-game.

Hell, dude, if Tiger Woods -- okay, he's not number one anymore so let's use Vijay Singh -- can miss a two foot putt every now and then, you shouldn't be surprised that every now and then you feel like you've forgotten how to fly.
 
It comes and goes...just keep trying...remember some days you are the dog, others you are the fire hydrant...I have 4000 hours and still have the occasional bad landing...
 
Personally I handle strings of bad landings by laughing hysterically and shouting "Take that...and that....and that!" It may not make the landings better but the look on the instructor's face will be worth it.
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Try not to compare yourself to a "benchmark" at this stage of the game..ie average solo time of 15hrs. Above all don't get frustrated...it will happen for you.

After teaching hundreds of pilots to land here's a couple of observations. 1) They all learned differently and at a different pace. Not good, not bad...it's just happens differently for different pilots. 2) The "Click". All of a sudden...it will click. It will happen. Everything your instructor has been trying to get you to feel and observe in the flare...will become apparent to you as if magic. And you will have it forever. This is a wonderfully fulfilling moment for both student and instructor. The "magic" part of the landing flare only takes seconds to complete...so it will take practice and repetition to find it.


Remember...when the day comes for your instructor to jump out and send you by yourself...that airplane will seem climb like a rocket ship. You'll never want him in there again!

Enjoy the process & good luck.
 
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Also, remember!
The Red Baron, the german ace, crashed on his first solo! So don't feel too bad!

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You mean Manfred von Richthofen.

Click Here to read his diary entry.
 
I just passed my private checkride yesterday and I, too hit the bumps in the week before my checkride. Landings were very tough for me to get the hang of. I probably had four or five flights doing touch and goes until I couldn't take it anymore. Like many people have said, one day things just "click" and you start doing them like a you should. For whatever reason, I found that if I was having trouble with the landings, it was because I wasn't looking far enough down the runway. I was super frustrated and had my share of tough flights. Keep on truckin' and keep it fun.
 
"I couldn't find my ass with an ass finding machine!"

Nice. I am still laughing and I read that 5 min ago.

Anyway I second what ROFCIBC said. About a month ago when I was finishing IOE (initial operating experience.) at SkyWest I had a day like that. I felt great in SIM. Then I felt great with IOE. No major problems. About the second to last day I was really patting myself on the back on what a good job I was doing. Then it happened. (The unsucessfull attempt to find my ass with the ass machine . .
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) For half a day I was messing up everything from radio calls, power settings, required call outs etc etc. It was as if all the portions of my brain that were used for flight had gone on strike and only the scab cells were working. I think by the last flight of the day I had it all ironed out, but it happens.

There is a lot going on up there, especially when flying is still a relatively new thing to your mind. Be patient and it will all fall into place. A thousand flight hours from now you may still royally screw up a landing once in a while. When that happens just look at student sitting in the seat next to you and say "Do as I say, not as I do."

Just like everyone says. It happens to everyone. When I was instructing many of my students would hit the wall or have a really bad flight shortly before a checkride.
 
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Ive only got a mere 11hours and am in my 4th hour of touch and go training. The 1st 2 hours in my touch and goes went really well. Infact, my instructor had faith that something special was going to happen, I was going to solo sooner than the average number 15. Suddenly when I went back yesterday I'd lost it all. I flew an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon...both sessions sucked, I sucked. Ive never felt so disheartened. My instructor told me it was just a bad day for me...I donno.

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That happens to everyone, and it will not be your last time most likely
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Just do your best and keep your head in the game. I've found that aviation has a good way of kicking the world out from underneath you just when you think you "got it".
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When I first started flying, I had always imagined that I was a natural stick... and when I couldn't nail landings right away, I was so disapointed in myself, I thought I'd never get 'em... and then one day it just clicked, and they came to me... I was so happy, it was like "hey, I can takeoff in an airplane, fly around, and land, all by myself... this is awesome!" Just stick with it, and you'll get it!
 
Thanks for the advice. I havent flown again since so the feeling of still wanting to do it right next time is still with me. Ive actually decided to sit for the Air Law exam tomorrow hoping that if I kick ass it will boost my morale somewhat. Im not sure if you have it the same in the States but in U.K you are required to pass an Air Law exam before soloeing. It would be awsome if I nailed it on the 1st attempt. I think that would get me back in 'the game'.
Will let you guys know how it goes...
 
Good luck and hang in there!

As has been said many times now, don't let it get you down. You've just experienced a natural part of the human learning process called a "learning platuea." You'll be learning at high speed, then level off and even degrade a little, then spike back up again. Its very natural and you should expect it, not be discouraged by it.

Just keep trying and you'll push right through, probably on the next flight. And be sure to look down to the end of the runway. That was the most critical point for me to perfect the flare, I was staring at the numbers instead of down the runway.

Let us know how it goes,
Heath
 
Well I passed the air law exam today...Got a 90%. It has certainy got me looking forward to going back in the air again, and not to mention how much your words of wisdom and encouragement have helped me get through what had been eating me for the last few days.
 
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