Should Flight Training be an Enjoyable Experience?

RogerMurdock said:
~50. Not sure if that is enough to make a sound decision, but its drying up the money fast that's for sure.
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I'd guess at 50 hours you'd know if this was for you by now. I bet in your heart you really know if you want to continue or not. I've seen guys go to helicopter school in the army who really didn't get into helicopters, couldn't really quit because they were in the Army, and turned into awful pilots down the road.
 
Hi Roger,

I think all of us who fly have at one point or another scared ourselves silly. Living in the tropics I've seen some pop up thunderstorms that have scared the crap out of me. There have been some days when I was just happy to get back on the ground. But that shouldn't be everyday, and in regards to your earlier question, should training be an enjoyable experience? I think at any time when someone is learning something new, there are always self-generated feelings of inadequacy, ourselves being the harshest critics of all. At the same time I don't think you should regret or not look forward to getting airborne again.

You mentioned that you enjoyed flying F/W. Maybe you need to take some time off and decide which path is right for you. What do you truly see yourselves flying 10 years down the road? You seem to have the passion for flying, and if you decide helicopters are just not your thing, don't give up flying all together.
 
Training isn't always going to be enjoyable. But you should at least be enjoying the process. If you aren't, then I think you should take a step back to reevaluate the situation. I like what Aceninja said. If you enjoyed flying fixed-wing. Take a few days off and really give it some consideration. Maybe go get a CFI to hop in a 152 with you and go for a half hour flight. Flying does obviously become more enjoyable after training, but if you aren't satisfied with the path you are on now.... Chances are you won't feel any better about it along the way.

And to answer the question about whether or not I've ever wanted to give up? Ask my instructor whom I called sloshed after failing a private check ride telling him I didn't think I was cut out to be a pilot. Good pilots are hard on themselves because we have an inherent need to be the best. When we fall short of that, it makes us call ourselves and our abilities into question. Take a few days off... Have a drink... Then get back in the saddle or go do something else. Life goes on compadre. Its too short to spend doing something you aren't enjoying.
 
For the most part, I agree with Derg - it is what you make of it.

That said, the "training mill" style has always seemed to much like work for me to enjoy, but other folks like the structure.

I can say - flying a different category of aircraft, you are going to scare yourself. You go in with a big picture view of how things are supposed to work, but are still learning the skills at the same time.
 
There was time where I was so confident with my flying, I would tell myself everyday "you got this, you're a natural, this is cake" everyday. Then one day, I was put to the test when a mag failed, in flight. As sudden as I realized what was up, the other mag started riding rough. It was an "OH CRAP" moment for sure. That was an intense few minutes and after experiencing the most stressful, frightening moment of my life, that training just kicked in. It was like time stopped for a moment so I could get my crap together. Fortunately I was only a few miles away from the airport and made it back. After that, I didn't touch an airplane for two years. Everything just stopped making sense. Why pursue something that was now in the same fear category as spiders and dentist? Seriously one of the worst decisions ever. I regret it everyday that I couldn't man up, except that these things happen and move on. I got entirely too comfortable and confident and made the mistake of developing a mentality of "ehh, that only happens to other people" Whatever you do, don't do that and never let a little shart spook you. It was a very valuable lesson I completely took the wrong way.
 
Mag fail? I thought that's what the other one was for... I've bad the privilege to experience a couple of engine failures, a dead stick landing, gear extension failure (post Emergency extension... We had to do accelerated stalls to get the gear down and locked), and some extreme engine roughness due to water injestion about 500ft off the departure end of an unfamiliar airport over the black Mississippi at night. Probably why I look to be 40 when I'm only in my late 20s. Never gave up once. I call them confidence boosting events.
 
chrisreedrules said:
Mag fail? I thought that's what the other one was for... I've bad the privilege to experience a couple of engine failures, a dead stick landing, gear extension failure (post Emergency extension... We had to do accelerated stalls to get the gear down and locked), and some extreme engine roughness due to water injestion about 500ft off the departure end of an unfamiliar airport over the black Mississippi at night. Probably why I look to be 40 when I'm only in my late 20s. Never gave up once. I call them confidence boosting events.
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With me, turbulence never used to bother me, until one late night over the middle of Iowa in a 210 full of bull semen(ok it was bank stuff, but bull semen sounds more intense), I flew through some towering cumulus and I swore the wings were going to rip off. Since then I've been a Sally. I stay a mile away for every knot of wind aloft between 8 and 12k feet from anything with serious vertical development. That keeps you pretty clear of most of the nasty turbulence, but sure is a hell of a lot farther away than 20 miles(the distance that keeps you away from what's ACTUALLY dangerous). Working on it, so far my Sallyness hasn't been an issue. Most of it is flying these old ass airplanes. The thought that creeps into my mind is "what did some moron do with this thing 10,000 hours ago that's going to manifest itself to me, right now". I don't call negative things confidence boosters so much. Things that make you more aware is how I look at them. In other words, experience. Turbulence is the only thing so far that I've really had to work at getting over. I've had a lot things happen to me, but I lived and they made me more aware/alert to areas I had no experience with and/or became complacent with. Which is what you mean I'm sure, just adding my 2 cents.

On topic, I don't mind training, but I HATE Ameriflight checkrides with a passion. Hair on fire(and I'm really fast mover already) is how they feel. I'd rather blow torch my nipples off! :mad:
 
UAL747400 said:
On topic, I don't mind training, but I HATE Ameriflight checkrides with a passion. Hair on fire(and I'm really fast mover already) is how they feel. I'd rather blow torch my nipples off! :mad:
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Once you get into the metro the crazy checkrides will end. The initial won't be easy but your hair won't be on fire doing it. 6 month check rides aren't bad either in the metro. The guys doing the checkrides have been around for a while and aren't the super arrogant yell at you type.
 
Maurus said:
Once you get into the metro the crazy checkrides will end. The initial won't be easy but your hair won't be on fire doing it. 6 month check rides aren't bad either in the metro. The guys doing the checkrides have been around for a while and aren't the super arrogant yell at you type.
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That's good. Still waiting for a class date at the moment... :mad: at that too!
 
I can't really add anything new except to echo what others have said. Every pilot at one point or another has questioned themselves, and it usually (at least in my case) happens when trying something completely unfamiliar.

I've never even ridden in a helicopter. I can say though, just based on my limited knowledge of the different types of planes that I've been in; don't over think it. One of the bad things about pilots in general is that we like to think that what we fly is so special and different that no one else could possibly understand what it's like, and to some extent, we start to think that about anything thats outside of our comfort zone.

Some times the idea of something is much worse than the act itself. Just dont get yourself worked up, keep it simple, and just fly the damn thing. :)
 
UAL747400 said:
Aguadilla. Was good to go for May 20th, but not so much right now. I want to get down there SO bad so that I can get as many GoPro videos as possible of me crashing attempting to surf! :)
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Nice. I hear that is the good part of the SJU operation to be at. Enjoy the beach during layovers!
 
UAL747400 said:
With me, turbulence never used to bother me, until one late night over the middle of Iowa in a 210 full of bull semen(ok it was bank stuff, but bull semen sounds more intense), I flew through some towering cumulus and I swore the wings were going to rip off. Since then I've been a Sally. I stay a mile away for every knot of wind aloft between 8 and 12k feet from anything with serious vertical development. That keeps you pretty clear of most of the nasty turbulence, but sure is a hell of a lot farther away than 20 miles(the distance that keeps you away from what's ACTUALLY dangerous). Working on it, so far my Sallyness hasn't been an issue. Most of it is flying these old ass airplanes. The thought that creeps into my mind is "what did some moron do with this thing 10,000 hours ago that's going to manifest itself to me, right now". I don't call negative things confidence boosters so much. Things that make you more aware is how I look at them. In other words, experience. Turbulence is the only thing so far that I've really had to work at getting over. I've had a lot things happen to me, but I lived and they made me more aware/alert to areas I had no experience with and/or became complacent with. Which is what you mean I'm sure, just adding my 2 cents.
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You're a wuss! Next you'll have two pilots and two turbine engines and a flight deck door and FMS.

(in all seriousness, I bet you spill your coffee less now, though. :D )
 
I can't speak to the terrors or lack thereof of helicopters. When I ride along with the whirleygiggers, I don't feel esp. in fear for my life, but I think I'd probably feel differently if it were me driving the insane contraption. Now, that said, the EMS lifestyle is, for me, awesome. It's a reasonable, middle class salary for a job that you don't have to feel like a serf or a jerk for doing. The flying is reasonably challenging (although I suppose I wish there were just a bit more of it). The schedule is, for want of a better word, TITS. The only problem I have with it is that there just aren't that many fixed-wing bases, which prevents me from living where I'd like to. That problem pretty much doesn't exist on the spinny-wing side. If I could, cost-free, suddenly become a helicopter pilot where I work, I'd probably do it without much thinking.

Now, with that said, I believe that there's a great culling coming down the road for EMS operators...especially on the rotors. There are just too many helicopters sitting around not doing much (and charging outrageously when they do). If we find ourselves in a single-payor system (or even anything close to it), someone is going to take a look at this and through one mechanism or another, the number of helos (and to a lesser extent, airplanes) is going to plummet. Something to think about in terms of career expectations.

As far as just general malaise with flying...I think it happens to all of us at some point. I remember my second year at FLX (so like 2 or 3 thousand hours TT) looking out the side window at the ground one day and my lizard-brain suddenly freaking out. "OMG OMG OMG LOOK AT THAT THAT'S THE GROUND AND YOU'RE JUST SITTING IN CHAIR HELD UP BY MAGIC OMG OMG". It passes. Hasn't happened for quite a while, but I won't be shocked if I'm a 50 year old 15,000 hour pilot and have a burp of it again. Doesn't mean I'm not the best pilot since Bob Hoover...just ask me!
 
Some good advice in thread! I love when everyone posts stories about time they have felt "freaked out". We are all just humans (that happens to just have "MAD" skill!!) flying a machine or watching the machine fly itself.

I would also suggest maybe stepping back from the instrument training and doing a few VFR flights for a day or so. IFR training is stressful enough without having an issue like this to deal with. Bird strikes that you speak of are a real danger but there is only so much you can do about it. I had one in a S300 on my very first solo XC. I hit a swallow at eye level around 800'AGL. It was a smack and an oh crap moment but the bird was so small it did nothing but mess my underwear up!
 
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