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
#1829672
Thanks, chaps, all very useful.

I am desperately trying to recall the time(s?) I managed a little lightness of touch and thus finesse. I am pretty certain it was best when I was in a different ac to my usual one (still a trusty 152 but subtle differences therein) and for some reason I more or less rested my elbow on the door contour while trying S&L. This nicely stopped the over-reaction / heavy handedness. WHEN we get back into the sky I'll work it out :o

See, in my head I will be able to do these things - pretty straight forward stuff, etc. but when it comes to actually doing them..... ha!

My plan is to book 2 lessons a week and if more than half go ahead I'll be over the moon.

I'll put a new thread up because I've found some old but seemingly very good briefings for ab initio that may help fellow newbies.
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By David Wood
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1829853
FlightDek wrote:My instructor explained it like this to me

"You are not trying to land. You are trying to fly along just above the ground. Close the throttle and the aeroplane will land itself"


Yup. In a good landing you're trying NOT to land and then there comes a point when gravity overpowers the theories of Mr Bernoulli and the design of Mr Piper and you've landed...

A le Ron wrote:Hopefully, one of the instructors will be along soon to tell us all how to do perfect landings. I can’t tell you that, because I’m not an instructor, but, this is how I try to achieve them (sometimes it works)!


I'm an instructor and I've taught lots of people to fly, and to land. But I don't do perfect landings myself (except very occasionally and usually by accident, if I'm honest). Worth also remembering that 'the Perfect is the enemy of the Good Enough'. Consistent perfection is unachievable. Being good enough is good enough; and I can teach that!
scd975, T6Harvard liked this
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By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1830735
condor17 wrote:T6 ,
Captain Keith Godfrey, good skipper , good operator , nice guy .

rgds condor .


Thanks Condor. I was so taken with his book - the philosophy, his gentle humour and the odd rant, and his description of aeros that is the only one I've ever read that exactly matched my description (after my one such experience :D ), oh and his remark about flying the garden shed!

I actually emailed him to tell him and he immediately sent a very kind reply.

I've recommended his book to loads of people who may have passed over it because it was originally aimed at nervous commercial passengers. It is so much more than that.