[Mikea269]

Hi guys and girls

Right were do I start

Have done around 13 lessons now. With the cost of everything on the rise I need some help in making my mind you. I love flying but I am seeming to lose interest which I can't understand I am struggling to take in Laidlaw the rest I'm okay with is there any courses you can do to be taught it or is it self fought like most. Second chose I have to make I love my racing cars i have to chose now flying or racing thanks in advance

[Dave_Ett]

Have you been 'off circuit' recently? If not, take time out and get away from the base to remind yourself why you're learning to fly.

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[johnm]

I'm guessing that you're struggling with a spell checker too

Flying is a lot about procedures and rules so you need to accept that throughout your flying career you'll be looking at information that might be tedious but is very important. You never stop learning and training.

When I learned to fly I considered the theoretical knowledge as an important and sometimes interesting part of the process. Air law was difficult because I don't do rote learning (or remembering) very well, whereas much of the other stuff like Met and Navigation I enjoyed once I understood the principles and could work things out.

You need to mix and match learning and make sure you get on with your instructors, also I found sitting in the back seat on other people's lessons can be useful, going away from the circuit on Navex and general handling as well as circuit bashing will add a bit variety.

[Grelly]

There are a couple of instructors who do intensive ground school and advertise regularly. They are:
http://www.derekdavidsonpilottraining.co.uk/
https://www.lindawheelergroundschool.com/

There may be others. In addition, there are training DVDs you can buy.

Hope that helps.

Grelly

P.S. Maybe a change would help regain the fun? A flight in a Tiger Moth, or an aerobatic flight perhaps?

[CapnM]

Where are you up to on the syllabus - after 13 lessons I'm guessing circuits? Do you feel like you're making progress? Have you gone solo yet? Is it the aviation side you might be losing interest in, or the theory side?

To be honest, I went through times where I felt like I was losing interest. It's probably a normal feeling. Looking back at my log book, I spent 11 lessons (~9 hours) in the circuit (first solo after 3 1/2 circuit hours, the rest were brush up / solo hours). I felt like it was never going to end! I know I started to lose interest before my first solo (because I didn't think I would ever get there), somewhere in the navigation stage (by this point, I just wanted to get to the skills test and pass already!), then after my QXC when I still had 6 exams to take.

Perhaps you're with the wrong instructor? Are they enthusiastic? Do you 'get on' with them? Don't be afraid to change schools if something doesn't feel right or you want a change - I changed schools after 5 or so hours and it was the best thing I did through my training. I guarantee I would have given up if I hadn't.

It's worth it in the end, trust me! I took my first passenger up last week and it felt amazing being able to share this amazing thing we do with a passenger.

[lobstaboy]

Good advice in all the above posts.

Here's a further thought: assuming you get on ok with your instructor, tell them how you feel. They should be able to handle things so that the enthusiasm is maintained - it's part of their job really. A proper debrief after a lesson should include a comment or two about progress.

If you feel this would not work with your instructor, or the school won't let them spend the time with you to do that, then maybe they aren't right for you.

[Melanie Moxon]

This is the part of the PPL course where it gets very 'samey' don't give up!

Flying circuits is all part and parcel of the training process; expect another 6hrs of circuit consolidation after you have gone solo (different landing types; i.e. sideslip, flapless, short field etc.) before you move back out of the circuit again.

Air Law is a very dry subject but you need to know it. I'd team it with Operational Procedures as they are closely linked and get those exams out of the way in one sitting. If you are struggling with self-study ask your flying instructor for help if they have anything about them they will help you out, if not maybe it is time to start looking for a new flying school.

Flying and racing, that has a familiar ring to it. I drag raced in the American Super Stock series based at York Raceway for a couple of seasons (followed a year of RWYB) and then Sportsman ET in the Santa Pod Racers Club Championship for three years before hanging up (well selling and using the proceeds to buy a headset) my helmet at the end of last year and putting (literally all available) my disposable income and time into flying; that aviation bug I picked up as a small boy came back and bit hard. I have stayed around the sport crewing this year though I will be finishing that too as the driver (last year’s Super-Pro national champion) is retiring at the end of this year, I'll be returning to the banking for a couple of events a year as a spectator which means more time and money for flying

[Chris_N]

Two things that helped me: 1) instead of thinking of lessons as the means of getting my licence thinking of them as flying for pleasure and just happenning to have an instructor as the other person on board and 2) when circuits were slightly difficult (record for 1 hour lesson- 5 go arounds - 4 me and 1 runway occupied ) doing a lesson of general handling out of the circuit rather than another set of circuits.

[kingbing]

I would agree with much of the above (I have just passed my QXC after about 15 months since first flight).

If you can only really afford one activity then only you can decide which is the one for you. It does depends on what you get out of either of those activities. I once saw a comment that if you really wanted hedonistic thrills, then you were better off on a sports motorbike than flying. Now a lot depends on what sort of flying one is doing, and (as much as I'd rather be in a place than on a motorbike) I agree. But I'm not really looking for that sort of thrill.

[leiafee]

Specifically on airlaw which is largely memorisation I'd recommend spaced repetition.

Read topic.
Have a go at questions - at once without checking.
Mark yourself and reread the bits you got wrong.
Leave it an hour. Then repeat.
Leave it 2-4 hours then repeat
Leave it a day
2 days
A week.

It's important that every time you do the wuestions BEFORE rereading - it's the recall practice that embeds the learning.

Doing this has two advantages

1 you use the way the research suggests we naturally forget and remember things 'topping up' your memory at useful intervals.

2 you'll get more questions right each time which lets you see progress and maintain motivation.

Good luck!