Learning to fly, or thinking of learning? Post your questions, comments and experiences here

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By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1849293
You are right @andynxn , except for one thing - I already laugh at myself :mrgreen:
I keep a journal of lesson write ups, including more of the not so good stuff in there. I need to be completely honest with myself, but I do also include the good bits and the improvements.
I also write on a non-flying forum so my witterings for that group also include some explanations - now THAT really helps me because I have to understand stuff to be able to explain it :D

Even on a bad day I can sit and reflect that I am doing something very few people get to do and that I personally have sat on a runway, put on full power and taken off and climbed in a light aircraft. .....
.... just waiting impatiently for the decent landing 8)

I was re-reading Jason Smart's book 'Take Your Wings and Fly' last evening and I was nodding vigorously at some of the things he had issues with and I laughed out loud when he wrote about radio calls. Co-incidently the door came unlatched on his ac, just as he was doing 45° AoB (a la my last lesson!).

The learning experience is so fascinating, isn't it?
I recently heard a very interesting article about Learning new skills :

A class of young children were split into 2 groups. They were told that they had to be able to throw a beanbag into a basket from 2 metres away. They mostly couldn't on the first day. They had a week to practice.

Group 1, they practised every day, throwing from 2 metres.
Group 2, they practised every day, but threw from 1.5 metres, 2.5 metres and 3 metres. Never 2 metres.

At the end of the week they all had to throw the 2 metre distance.

Group 2 were far better!

So when I wonder why I am not consolidating any one skill but am moving on to more and more in rapid succession, I reflect on that. It's a great way to learn. Demanding, but great.
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By Miscellaneous
#1849452
T6Harvard wrote:We've just been on a beautiful walk but I confess to thinking a lot about flying while hoofing it up the hills and concluded that I am addicted :mrgreen:

Me too, although my thoughts were about whether it would ever be flying weather again? And this was plan B for the walk, a sub 2000' hill. :( :lol:

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T6Harvard wrote:I also write on a non-flying forum so my witterings for that group also include some explanations - now THAT really helps me because I have to understand stuff to be able to explain it :D

Not that they'd know if you had it all wrong. :wink: I hope you don't beat yourself up so much over there?
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By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1849457
Ah, you see, on the other forum I am a quick learner with plenty of natural ability :lol: :mrgreen:

Tomorrow's outing is to the National Museum of Flight near North Berwick :D
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By JAFO
#1849474
T6Harvard wrote:Group 1, they practised every day, throwing from 2 metres.
Group 2, they practised every day, but threw from 1.5 metres, 2.5 metres and 3 metres. Never 2 metres.

At the end of the week they all had to throw the 2 metre distance.

Group 2 were far better!


That's what I'm doing with my landings - I've never quite hit the spot I intended to but I'm practising at all the different distances so that on the day I really need to, I'll be spot on.
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By tr7v8
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1849542
Well another session of circuits today. 17th Lesson from starting to learn to fly.
Bit better today, better height control & it started to come together. Still tending to be too high on finals. But not as bad as it was on the previous lesson. Circuit was quite busy as well.
Lots of progress at Rochester at the moment. The refurbed hanger had aeroplanes put in it and the control tower is now recognisable.
Unfortunately there won't be a hard runway but the rest will look good.
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By Crash one
#1849548
T6Harvard wrote:Ah, you see, on the other forum I am a quick learner with plenty of natural ability :lol: :mrgreen:

Tomorrow's outing is to the National Museum of Flight near North Berwick :D


I’d guess that’s East Fortune?
I’ve been to a couple of fly ins there. We use the motor cycle race track at “East Fortune East”.
It’s a bit narrow with bit of a bend in it, three inches of fresh tarmac laid on the old runway, not a good thing to drop a wheel off the edge!
It’s at the other end of the airfield to the museum, prob not accessible on foot.
Look at Google maps.
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By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1849555
@tr7v8 , THAT does look good! Your lesson sounds like excellent progress, when you can feel it all coming together :thumleft:

Yes, East Fortune, @Crash one . Not all the hangars are open but we'll take what we can get.
By Cessna571
#1849700
JAFO wrote:
T6Harvard wrote:Group 1, they practised every day, throwing from 2 metres.
Group 2, they practised every day, but threw from 1.5 metres, 2.5 metres and 3 metres. Never 2 metres.

At the end of the week they all had to throw the 2 metre distance.

Group 2 were far better!


That's what I'm doing with my landings - I've never quite hit the spot I intended to but I'm practising at all the different distances so that on the day I really need to, I'll be spot on.


I’ve just had a thought, I know where I’ll round out and flare, I never know where I’ll actually land.
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By JAFO
#1849731
Cessna571 wrote:I’ve just had a thought, I know where I’ll round out and flare, I never know where I’ll actually land.


I almost always know over which airfield I plan to round out and flare, does that count?
By TopCat
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1849768
VRB_20kt wrote:What’s flare?

It's an element of advanced aircraft handling that is commonly absent from PPL training, especially in PA28 aircraft.

Ah, my bad, that would be the 'hold-off'.

There, that should do it, on a dull Friday afternoon.
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By tr7v8
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1849986
Well another lesson under my belt. 6 more take offs & landings in the logbook. Oh and today we did 2 flapless landings which were interesting. Although it was beautifully sunny it was quite bumpy with significant lift & sink in places in the circuit,
Flying 02 today so my previous 2 lessons have been 20 so all my turning points were different. Which threw me a bit. Height control & speed management were streets better, so something is sinking in.
More consistency & its becoming a bit more automatic in the cockpit so I'm not a mentally knackered wreck when I have finished.
Lessons Tues & Thursday next week. Thursday with a different instructor so that will be interesting.
So now 18 lessons & 18 hours 15mins in.
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By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1849995
Hey @tr7v8 , that sounds really good!!
As you say, a different instructor will be interesting, although I think it would make me nervous right now, having someone else sat there.

I'm missing flying :( Next lesson is not till 7th
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By andynxn
#1850061
Well also another lesson yesterday, 6 more touch and go's and a landing. But my instructor threw a curb ball in and took me to a different aerodrome. So I was a right mess and felt like I was back at the beginning and forgot everything. Goes to show how you get used to your home field, all my reference were gone, I was too high, too low, you name it. My landings were completely off. But enjoyed it to a point. We did do a engine failure at take off too, which is an eye opener, it becomes a survival game really....
I've now asked if we can go different fields more often.

How you guys getting on revising for the exams? I've been told to get the air law and ops done. Guessing solo is looming :shock:
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