T6Harvard wrote:Kind and encouraging words, which I do appreciate, but the key is there, @Highland Park .... my instructor had no positives to offer this week.
I'm going to hold onto my plan for later this week and do some other aviation, then take it from there.
I always hold back from saying, "try another instructor" but if yours really, really had nothing positive to say then they are no longer helping you to improve but are sitting next to you watching you struggle without any idea what else to suggest.
Is your instructor from a military background? I ask because they are bloody good instructors but haven't been used to helping students who are having difficulty (they just get "chopped") - or maybe they are embarrassed at their own failing (and failing to help a customer who is paying shed loads for a service that they are not getting is indeed failing). Learning for fun is different to military or commercial (more challenging in terms of people skills for the instructor).
Right, how can I help? Not sure, but here are my two pennorths
- ask for a lesson or two away from the circuit where you just get to enjoy the flying. It's perfectly ok to go off-piste from the syllabus. Your instructor should have suggested this already.
- try a temporary change of instructor. Sometimes this will jolt you into a different level of awareness. Your instructor should have suggested this already too.
- go off and have fun doing something else. Aviation related if you like, but doesn't have to be. You'll come back re-energised. Remember this is meant to be fun!
- try a permanent change of instructor and/or school and aircraft. You might look at Microlights as the culture is a bit "different" (but there are still some duff instructors I'm afraid).
- go and read something by Martha Beck - she's great on motivation. You can do this