Just came back from the intro flight....Disappointing results.

FloridaPilot

FloridaPilot

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FloridaStudentPilot
I just came back from the intro flight. So remember when I said the intro flight was going to be 69 dollars? I asked my flight trainer how long are we going to be up for. He said about 20 mins. I asked him could we be up longer? And he said sure for 100 bucks we can do 30 mins. So I said: "No problem, lets do it" So the actual flight was pretty bumpy but it was something I expected with 90 degree temps outside. When we flew to the beach we saw Sharks, Manatees and Tarpon which was cool. The trainer had trouble with me keeping the correct altitude. I was so use to looking at the instruments in flight simulator that I totally forgot to look outside. He told me to look outside first because you can tell what happens before the instruments can. So he had to constantly fight the controls with me. The flight instructor had the personality of a bed pan, cold, not really fun to hang out with. He doesn't gel with my personality. I'm more of an outgoing type, want to talk but mostly listen and learn about who you are, he was more subdued. Nothing wrong with that but I just can't imagine spending a lot of time with him. So I stayed quiet and did the best that I could.

Nothing scary happened we landed safely and it was a fairly fun flight but I need to find an instructor who is a little more patient with me because I'm learning something new and I'm also learning new motor skills which is going to take a while.

At the end of it I end up paying $121.00 Without the G1000 but I got the 430. The posters on here was right. I should be learning how to fly with the 430 first. So I got the bait and switch. To top it off when I signed for the receipt he said: "No wonder you had trouble flying you write left handed" I was done! but I stood silent.

I'm probably not going to go to that school because if they are cheating me with the intro imagine getting my PPL.


So the hunt continues, I will take an intro flight somewhere else!


Thanks for all of your advice!
 
Sucks to have that experience on an introductory flight.

In contrast - after 20 minutes with my CFI on a Discovery Flight - I knew he'd be seeing both me and my money through my CFI :)
 
Oh wait, you never said you were left handed.
You can't fly. You will be a danger to anything in a 20 nm radius :)

Keep at it.
 
Sometimes personalities don't mesh well but that instructor sounds not so great (but he probably has an ATP :rolleyes:). The remark about not flying well because you're left handed is both inappropriate and nonsensical.

You may not need to switch schools completely because you might find a different instructor at the same school that you like better. It's good to keep your options open.
 
Make SURE you didn't misunderstand. Sounds like they charged you Hobbs time. That's normal. Fixed price flights are not. Their deal was $69 for 20 minutes. You stayed up longer and they said it would cost more, at your request. Were you up for 40 minutes? Or did they substitute a more expensive aircraft? Was it with or without your knowledge?

If you didn't gel with the instructor, he's not the correct instructor for you. Discovering this is the entire point of a discovery flight; it's kinda like an interview.

FYI, it's entirely normal for a flight simmer to have the troubles you did. Flight sims encourage a number of bad habits, like flying heads down, not trimming, and choking the yoke. You'll have to unlearn these, and it will be a barrier at first. Once you get past them, it will be a whole lot easier to control the aircraft. Flying a desktop sim is nothing at all like flying a real aircraft.

To get started, the ONLY gauges you care about are the airspeed indicator and the altimeter. Cover the rest with post-its if you need to (leave the engine gauges, though, just in case).
 
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MAKG1 said:
To get started, the ONLY gauges you care about are the airspeed indicator and the altimeter. Cover the rest with post-its if you need to (leave the engine gauges, though, just in case).
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Well, I did find the vertical speed indicator very useful for learning to trim more precisely early on.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Oh wait, you never said you were left handed.
You can't fly. You will be a danger to anything in a 20 nm radius :)

Keep at it.
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That'd be a 20 nm *left* radius. The CFI I finished PP with is left handed. fortunately I'm strongly right-dominate so it all worked out. :D

It's funny that when I took a glider ride my left hand was used for tow release so the stick was in my right hand. My left hand was not happy with essentially nothing to do but be on stand-by...
 
Sorry you didn't enjoy the experience,try flying early in the morning. You may have been given an instructor that doesn't fly that much,now you know why. Try a different flight school ,and maybe another airport. Don't give up.
 
I feel like that's a lot of money. What type of plane were you in?
 
Yeah, and next time remember to keep your eyes outside the cockpit. Real aircraft fly differently than simulators as well. Good luck. Lots of airports and flight schools in Florida. Last time I was down there the air was thick with GA aircraft, they were more numerous than the mosquitoes.
 
I hope you bought a logbook... that time is loggable as dual-instruction! You might as well get something for your money!
 
Finding an instructor you click with is important. I was lucky and the first one I talked with I decided to go with, but I did talk to others before I made that decision -- which reinforced that I wanted to fly with the first person.

Inside a 172 is a small place, enjoying your company or at least sitting next to someone who is good at teaching you, is important. Wanting to get a beer afterwards and talk about his experiences or past lessons is also worth its weight in gold.

$112 for nearly an hour of flight time and a CFI is a good deal.

It's a fun journey, but not without its struggles, like most any worth-while journey.
 
Left handed people can't fly? That CFI is an idiot (or I'm doing something I shouldn't be able to do).

CFIs are different and I hope you don't give up. Find one who works well with you and you'll have a ball.
 
left-handed? Just insist on sitting in the other seat :)
 
Ghery said:
Left handed people can't fly? That CFI is an idiot (or I'm doing something I shouldn't be able to do).

CFIs are different and I hope you don't give up. Find one who works well with you and you'll have a ball.
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Sounds like a lame joke to me.

Of course left handed people can fly. Most of us fly left handed in the left seat or we can't reach the throttle or the trim wheel.
 
$112 isn't bad at all for an hour. Don't know the conversion factor from Florida money to California money, but I paid $130 for my hour Discovery in the TB-10
 
Download the free 70-page ebook from www.FreeFlyBook.com. It'll tell you everything you need to know to get started. Plus, it introduces all the fundamental aeronautical knowledge topics. There's no sign up, and you don't have to supply your email. Just click and download. Enjoy!
 
Im left handed and I have no issues. Tell him he smelled like cabbage and thats why you couldnt concentrate on flying.
 
FloridaStudentPilot:

Are you close to KPIE? I'll contact my instructor to see if she's taking students if you'd like. She's skillful, safe, and patient. Former corporate pilot instructing because she enjoys it. Let me know.
 
My dad must be doing something wrong. He is left handed, has 26,000 hours and flies widebodies for Delta. I am also left handed but have a slightly less impressive resume! Lefties of the world unite!
 
I'm sure the lefty thing was just an attempt at a joke. Perhaps he was just trying to lighten the mood, but isn' very good at humor. Pretty common to poke fun at Lefty's an redheads around here, but of course nobody takes seriously.

It's too bad you didn't have a good experience. Hope you can find someone you mesh with. I went with the second instructor I tried, and he became one of my best friends.

I also used a flight sim before trying the real thing, and I found out pretty quick that I still didn't know diddly squat about flying airplanes.

Best of luck to you.
 
Left handed?

That sounds sinister! ;)

Actually in my Sky Arrow with a right sidestick, the ability to write with one's left hand would be pretty handy!
 
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You folks are great!


Thanks for the encouragement, I appreciate that!


I remember back when I learned how to Scuba. I learned with a real ego driven person and I did everything wrong and they pretty much wrote me off. There was another trainer that took me under his wing. He was very patient, (I didn't even know how to float at the time!) I worked at it hard and now I dive all the time and now I can say I'm very good at it. It just takes a while that is why I have to find someone who is patient. Baseball for me was the same way.

I'm sure the trainer was joking but I should've came back with: "Well you quoted me 69 dollars to fly a G1000 Cessna 172sp maybe I would've flown better in that plane, (The plane I flew in was made in 1981, the one I was quoted in was built in 2003)"

I'm a little discouraged but not defeated. Maybe I should take the advice. Rent an airplane, instructor and go up and fly for a few hours. Intro flights IMO are too short and should be at least 2 hours to get a feel of the airplane. I don't mind paying for the extra time.

"The CFI told me $100 for 30 mins but the cashier charged me $121. For a 1981 Cessna 172 with a G430"

I enjoyed the flight but not the trainer!

Can't wait to go up again, but this time I will concentrate outside of the cockpit next time. It will stick with me for next time!


Thanks again!
 
MAKG1 said:
Make SURE you didn't misunderstand. Sounds like they charged you Hobbs time. That's normal. Fixed price flights are not. Their deal was $69 for 20 minutes. You stayed up longer and they said it would cost more, at your request. Were you up for 40 minutes? Or did they substitute a more expensive aircraft? Was it with or without your knowledge?
Click to expand...

No,

I was up for 30 and my trainer said 100 dollars but they charged me $121. If I would've kept the intro flight which was 69 dollars I would've gotten the same plane but for 10 mins more. I wasn't going up in the G1000 172sp plane. So for 10 mins more I got charged 52 dollars more which I didn't mind but I just wish they were more up front with pricing.
 
frfly172 said:
Sorry you didn't enjoy the experience,try flying early in the morning. You may have been given an instructor that doesn't fly that much,now you know why. Try a different flight school ,and maybe another airport. Don't give up.
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Thanks Ron,

I expected the flight to be bumpy and I did enjoy the flight. I just need to try a different trainer.
 
livitup said:
I hope you bought a logbook... that time is loggable as dual-instruction! You might as well get something for your money!
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I did! Thanks to whomever told me to. I had him log it in!
 
FloridaPilot said:
Intro flights IMO are too short and should be at least 2 hours to get a feel of the airplane. I don't mind paying for the extra time.
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You're absolutely right. 20 minutes is FAR too short. That's barely enough time to leave the pattern and come back in.

But I think an hour or maybe a little more is about as long as I'd want to go on a first flight. It's exhausting, and after some point, you stop learning because you're spent. It's also a bit like drinking from a firehose….there is a lot to absorb. A good discovery flight has you doing EVERYTHING but the actual takeoff and landing. Mine even included radio calls at a towered airport (that's unusual). I got the controls at 100 feet and gave them back again at 100 feet. In the meantime, I climbed over the mountains to 3500 and did "four fundamentals" and so-called "dutch rolls." I even got lined up with the runway pretty good. :)

I was expected to take a camera, but I refused. Sightseeing was not the point, but maybe it is for other folks. I said I wanted to learn how to fly, and that's what we did.

$240/hour for a 172P with a 430 plus an instructor is steep. I'd be ticked off too. Let's hope that was an error. That rate is at least $50 too high.

FYI, a bit of terminology: you learn to fly from an instructor. A trainer is a class of airplane intended for training.
 
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My girlfriend is a lefty, as is my dad. They're weird.

I'd hate to be like them.
 
FloridaPilot said:
So remember when I said the intro flight was going to be 69 dollars? I asked my flight trainer how long are we going to be up for. He said about 20 mins. I asked him could we be up longer? And he said sure for 100 bucks we can do 30 mins.
Click to expand...

Wow! What a bargain!

The plane and instructor rent for $192/hour and you get a half an hour for $100 (that winds up being over $120). They're working really hard to promote aviation aren't they!?!?

Go somewhere else.
 
'Round these parts, you get a C150 with KX125, and KT76. For $125/hr. An' then the instructor is added to that, plus you need 100 hours tailwheel time to fly it solo. :eek:!
 
floridaStudentPilot, I have been following your posts as you have searched for flight schools and taken your first discover flight. It makes me cringe to hear such stories of poor professionalism, complete lack of customer service and people skills as seems to have been the case for you recently.

It looks like you live in the Tampa area and it may be too far for you but I would invite you to our flight school at KPGD (Charlotte Co Airport in Punta Gorda), Harborside Aviation. I can assure you that you won't be disappointed with our prices, our aircraft and perhaps most importantly the level of service you will get from me as your CFI. It may be well worth it to you even if it's only for a flight or two.
 
stop playing around with computer games and listen to your instructor.
 
Many places have a cheap intro rate and free instructor for a short discovery flight. The rate you were quoted does not seem in line with this, and the rate you paid seems even worse (though rates vary by location). I never took a discovery flight since I had flown in light aircraft a bit and showed up my first day with a medical (read: there was no question of my intentions or commitment :) )
 
MAKG1 said:
You're absolutely right. 20 minutes is FAR too short. That's barely enough time to leave the pattern and come back in.

But I think an hour or maybe a little more is about as long as I'd want to go on a first flight. It's exhausting, and after some point, you stop learning because you're spent. It's also a bit like drinking from a firehose….there is a lot to absorb. A good discovery flight has you doing EVERYTHING but the actual takeoff and landing. Mine even included radio calls at a towered airport (that's unusual). I got the controls at 100 feet and gave them back again at 100 feet. In the meantime, I climbed over the mountains to 3500 and did "four fundamentals" and so-called "dutch rolls." I even got lined up with the runway pretty good. :)

I was expected to take a camera, but I refused. Sightseeing was not the point, but maybe it is for other folks. I said I wanted to learn how to fly, and that's what we did.

$240/hour for a 172P with a 430 plus an instructor is steep. I'd be ticked off too. Let's hope that was an error. That rate is at least $50 too high.

FYI, a bit of terminology: you learn to fly from an instructor. A trainer is a class of airplane intended for training.
Click to expand...

As a computer guy I'm use to sitting in one place for awhile that is why I can drive long distances without any issues. At least 1 Hour and a half is probably ideal for a first flight. It just seemed like the flight was rushed we got up flew in a few circles and came back down, (We literally flew in three circles and we were ready to come back down). Well noted on the trainer terminology. Thanks!
 
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