ayavner

I feel like I'd make a good instructor in terms of passion and enthusiasm, and I do have an ability to assess my audience and tailor the right amount of technical information to their level. I would want to do it as a way to not only fly more often, but to share the passion and help someone else reach their goals. I care nothing about a stepping stone to so-called "bigger and better things".

By the time I get enough hours to consider training to be an instructor, I might BE one of Motz's old blokes falling asleep in the plane...

I think herein lies (some of) the rub. Sure stick to the syllabus, heck that would alleviate alot of this stuff right there! But there seem to be soooo many shades of grey in interpreting the syllabus... Take Straight and Level for example. One instructor might take it as complete once you have been shown how to level off and hold it there consistently. Another one may want to drill you on it till you're +/- 10 feet! Same thing with Climbs - one may see that you can get to an assigned altitude by setting power and attitude correctly - another may say no 70 knots isn't good enough, Vy is 68!

and so on.... and yes, while we should all strive towards perfection, what we are talking about is "at what level can we consider this box ticked" so we can move on to the next. It has to be assumed those things will improve naturally anyway as you are doing other things, so sometimes dwelling on them is counter-productive.

So yes, syllabus, BUT it would be nice to see some level of standardisation where instructor "preferences" are not the deciding factor in "passing a module" for want of a better term. Maybe my examples aren't the greatest, but this is just from a lowly student perspective.

me too! me too!

there was an article on flaring in this month's Sport Pilot, did you happen to see it? Some good insights it looked like.

Not that it had anything to do with this issue, but its a bit of a different way of thinking of it, might pop something loose!

My instructor always starts each briefing with what I did right. He never comes right out and says i did something "wrong" but in the discussion, it slowly comes out as he paints the picture, then suddenly I realise it by myself! Then we talk about it...

Well for my part, certainly no "instructor bashing" intended, though I can see it has become a bit of a vent point for specific problems people have had with instructors, please don't internalise that Motz cuz i am sure you don't fit any of those! I think some people have nailed it on the head - it might be just as well that not everyone who is an "instructor" is really a gifted "teacher". And that does take time.

And yes, we older students probably are a bit of a handful also for the reasons mentioned above. We do expect to see a linear progress through a circumstance, and if such is not forthcoming, we want to quickly identify the hold up and work on that, in order to make progress - after all, time is money, and it isn't daddy's money we're spending here!

I think, if we go back to the original point of this thread, and its this person's letter and feelings of frustration on display, and I would hope that someone in RAAus read it and took it to heart and maybe a little introspection is in order. Notwithstanding the inevitable outliers on both sides of the fence (instructor and student) i do think it is reasonable to start with a syllabus and specific steps and ways to measure progress. In my situation, I've had to grab the reins a little in that respect, but pretty much all on track now (not that weather is helping...).

Another possibility is - do the instructors feel empowered? Someone else nailed it on the head in reference to the wide range of standards and expectations, and how the goal posts always seem to move when changing instructors due to that. But could that just be an issue of empowerment? ie, in our society as it stands today, if I am an instructor, I can see it being very tempting wanting to feel that my student flies as well as I do or better, before taking the responsibility of sending them out. But that isn't the standard required, and could take years to meet as hard as it is just to get time/money/weather to line up for a lesson.

a Forum First - i am going to have to disagree with you there boingk, I don't think we can assume he "didn't get it" with 40 hours over 18 months, and I don't think it is fair to say don't bother unless you can dedicate significant time/money/resources to getting it done. It is, after all, "Recreational" aviation... We might be able to glean that the guy could have participated a bit more in his own salvation, but again perhaps that is what he was trying to do by changing schools/instructors.

I really want to see this have some sort of happy ending, I sure hope he "outs" himself here or gets in touch with you Moz

deja vu....

I don't know him/her, but when I read the letter I thought how many times I could easily have written that myself! I feel like i am on a good trajectory now, and to those whose care I am currently in - THANK YOU! But yes, I empathise 100% with the tone of that letter and the moving goal posts, different rules depending on whom you ask, changing instructors and the associated backtracking, all of it.

I started this in 2011, likewise lured in by the light-n-breezy tone of the ads and websites that made it seem within reach for the average bloke with a ton of real-life commitments. I thought, I am sure much like this guy, "great, i'll give this a go and if i like it I can move on to GA etc etc". Turns out it probably would have been quicker and cheaper if I had just started GA, as there does seem to be a less lackadaisical approach. Especially if I had known that 18 months into it i would still be chomping at the bit to go solo... and no i dont think that is due to any intrinsic lack of skill or confidence (other than natural atrophy encountered by 2 month stretches between lessons, changing instructors, etc).

Anyway, I get it and I hope that someone like you Motz can rein this poor fella back in and help him achieve his dreams. For me it is a passion and worth every bit of frustration I might encounter along the way. I never wanted or expected it to be a walk in the park, but once in awhile you do think "geez just throw me a bone here!" But i can say this, short of catastrophic financial meltdown or incapacitation, I. WILL. NOT. GIVE. UP.

.... your family and friends no longer care that you are "supposed to go solo" this weekend, as its been one thing after another to conspire against it for 6-8 months and you suspect they are now just dismissing you with a wanking motion.

Great advice puk!

Question for you and everyone really - just opinion - what view of a flying video do we find most aesthetically appealing?

To me, I prefer just over pilot's shoulder, mostly the scenery in the viewfinder, but just a bit of the panel below - I like to see what is happening on the instruments. But that might just be the student/geek in me wanting to see not only the flight but the flying. Preferably with the comms and just a bit of engine noise. I don't like the one off the edge of the wing facing in as much, esp. if there is the fish-eye effect. top of the tail looking forward is a nice shot too.

you've passed your Nav/Met exam and have forgotten most of it and STILL haven't been able to get a Navex in.

just sayin...

Congrats Eric!!! That is great to hear~! Hopefully i'll be in your footsteps some day soon, and your diary and this thread will have been a big part of getting me there!

so what's next??

Yeah, i have been watching it and all that, but since there hadn't been activity on it (so no links sent via emails) I'd found I'd forgotten where it was! And of course didn't know it got moved since i normally just get to it via said link. guess i could have done a search, but as planet says It Was my Illness!!

Yup! 24 hours in the book as of yesterday!

clearly!

I looked all over for it, finally found it in general discussion, don't know why I couldn't find it the first 3 or 4 times, but was just worried it got pulled because of some of that BS that was going on awhile back. *whew*

back to convalescing....

Where's Jack Flyer? Did it get moved? Did I miss a day??

Was thinking of one of those Breitling replicas, something like this:

http://www.asian7750.com/cn/product_show.asp?big_pid=&ps_id=128&P_id=993&ti=

just for giggles...

anyone tried one of these? a lot of them are laughably inaccurate on the markings, but this one seems pretty good, automatic movement (not quartz) bi-directional rotating bezel (some are not) and all the buttons and dials work.

Might do till I win lotto and can afford a real one?

yeah.. just drinking lots of water and trying to sweat it out.. feel a bit better yesterday than today, but if I feel like this tomorrow I won't be going flying.

Yeah, the weekend is actually looking ok. This must be why I am currently down with a 38.8* fever....

GAHHHHHH

yup, been getting my Navs cancelled for months now, I've almost forgotten everything I learned (that was SUPPOSED to have been cemented in with the Navs). Had I known, I'd have put off the briefings a little while. I remember enough to know how to find the info I need, but its definitely not top of mind like it was... bugger!

Oh, so we thought OK skip the navs and let's just go down to YWOL to get the solo hours knocked out. 2 hour drive down and OH WAIT... the rain followed me!

I tell ya, there are days when its hard to maintain enough enthusiasm to keep going. Family and friends have been hearing the "I'm supposed to solo this weekend" speech for months, I don't think they care anymore...

maybe this weekend!

............................

is there a weight limit? not that I am heavy, but for the purpose of the discussion.

available for the Mac, do you know?

I watched some videos on this very site the other day on parahawking. Beautiful!

sounds cool Peter! Though i am almost certain that I am only one more expensive hobby away from Spousicide...

I will definitely put it on my list, just will have to lay low for awhile after getting the pilot cert (at least until I can show that its useful for something)