Getting started... Best tip?

My best piece of advice is to pile up enough cash to finish your training before you begin. I know that doesn't have anything to do with flying a plane directly, but it will clearly impact your learning curve if you have to stop or slow down your training from a lack of funds. Get a handle on that first.

I also agree about not being too timid with the airplane. Control it, right from the outset, and don't be shy. Don't think the plane will fly itself. A good CFI will stop you before you break anything!

Since you're seeking out advice on here already, it sounds like you've got the passion and thoughtfulness to see it through. So just pile up some money and go flying. You'll have your license before you know it ... and that's when the real learning starts :)
 
TexasAviation said:
My best piece of advice is to pile up enough cash to finish your training before you begin. I know that doesn't have anything to do with flying a plane directly, but it will clearly impact your learning curve if you have to stop or slow down your training from a lack of funds. Get a handle on that first.

I also agree about not being too timid with the airplane. Control it, right from the outset, and don't be shy. Don't think the plane will fly itself. A good CFI will stop you before you break anything!

Since you're seeking out advice on here already, it sounds like you've got the passion and thoughtfulness to see it through. So just pile up some money and go flying. You'll have your license before you know it ... and that's when the real learning starts :)
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That's good advice unless your income level allows you to support 5-6 hours a week, then it doesn't matter because you can support max efficiency on an ongoing basis. I was getting $400 a day in tips from a sealion show that paid for my training and save for a plane at the same time.:lol:
 
Henning said:
....I was getting $400 a day in tips from a sealion show that paid for my training and save for a plane at the same time.:lol:
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I've heard of donkey shows, but a sea lion?!? Impressive!
 
As many have already mentioned, consistency is a key. Make sure you can fly a couple times a week and stick to it; and always remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

I see some people talking about abrupt controlling of the aircraft. I think this is bad advise for a beginner. Flying an airplane is a serious of MINOR corrections, not ***** slapping the aircraft or using heavy hands to keep it flying. The term "ham fisted" is used in a derogatory way for a reason. Get in the habit of using trim now. Sure there are times when you need to be aggressive with the controls, but that is the exception to the rule and quite frankly, the way a few people talk, I wonder what the heck they are doing to get themselves so out of position that they have to resort to these tactics.
 
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I'd hate to be this guys instructor. He hasn't even started training yet and you fella's have got his mind so cluttered up I'd guess his instructor will have to spend a lot of time un-teaching bad habits and misconceptions. That's assuming he's willing to believe his instructor when it conflicts with something some guy told him on the internet.
 
peerlesscowboy said:
I'd hate to be this guys instructor. He hasn't even started training yet and you fella's have got his mind so cluttered up I'd guess his instructor will have to spend a lot of time un-teaching bad habits and misconceptions. That's assuming he's willing to believe his instructor when it conflicts with something some guy told him on the internet.
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There is one sad reality, many instructors fail to teach proper use of trim.
 
peerlesscowboy said:
I'd hate to be this guys instructor. He hasn't even started training yet and you fella's have got his mind so cluttered up I'd guess his instructor will have to spend a lot of time un-teaching bad habits and misconceptions. That's assuming he's willing to believe his instructor when it conflicts with something some guy told him on the internet.
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Don't worry. I have a filter.

There are two types of information:

1. How specifically to fly (control / techniques / etc)

2. Helpful ancillary information that is more about the overall process. ( tips on helpful references / mindset / study tips)

I've been working on the latter for over 6 months. I also did a lot of the former with a sim early on, to familiarize myself with the controls and the process of flying and navigation. (although I have decided to stop sim'ing now that I am close to my in cockpit training so I limit bad "sim habits")

Anyway... Tips about actual control of the aircraft are helpful to hear about -- but they don't come into practice without discussion with MY instructor. If MY instructor's info conflicts with something I read online...there is no question the CFI in the right seat trumps anything I hear elsewhere as long as I am under their supervision and training.
 
You only pick up bad habits from a sim if you are trying to learn the wrong thing, or are learning the right things incorrectly. As for learning procedures and gaining the ability to establish situational awareness and stuff, they can be a useful tool for developing understanding for less than $200hr :lol: No sense wasting time learning how to use a VOR or NDB in the plane.

If you use a home PC sim as a tool to learn systems and procedures, view the flying the sim flying part as a way to make learning a game you can do well with these units, as long as you get good software that facilitates the systems learning, don't worry about the flying qualities in the reviews, they are irrelevant.
 
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cipio said:
What's your single best tip for a brand new Pilot in Training?

I'll see how I am doing so far! ;-)

Thanks...and fly safe.

==================================================
Thanks for all the great feedback. Here are the tips, in no particular order, hopefully properly consolidated.

Start with a Discovery Flight
Fly as often as possible
Read Stick and Rudder
Find a good CFI
Trim in flight whenever possible
Make sure you are good on 3rd class med requirements BEFORE applying
Study and prepare before each flight
Enjoy the process!
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The single, most important tip? That's easy and it's none of the ones you mentioned. The answer is homework. Study your @$$ off at home so that you know all the conceptual material cold. Do that and I'll guarantee that you (1) save money, (2) finish your training quicker, and (3) you'll end up being a better pilot in the end.
 
Henning said:
You only pick up bad habits from a sim if you are trying to learn the wrong thing, or are learning the right things incorrectly.
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So this was exactly my point. I don't plan to forever stopping using the sim... But I want to make sure that the things I am learning (which up til now has been self taught) are getting checked against my real-life training. Once I feel that I'm on track, I'll work with my CFI to focus my sim practice time.

So I am just taking a break from that to focus on other areas as I ramp up to cleanse the palate so to speak.

You are right...

With the sim I can practice all kinds of things that are helpful for repetition (including pre-flight checks, emergency procedures, etc). I can also become familiar with the environment at my local airport / area. Heck, I plan to fly first cross country in the sim first before I do it IRL. :)
 
cipio said:
So this was exactly my point. I don't plan to forever stopping using the sim... But I want to make sure that the things I am learning (which up til now has been self taught) are getting checked against my real-life training. Once I feel that I'm on track, I'll work with my CFI to focus my sim practice time.

So I am just taking a break from that to focus on other areas as I ramp up to cleanse the palate so to speak.

You are right...

With the sim I can practice all kinds of things that are helpful for repetition (including pre-flight checks, emergency procedures, etc). I can also become familiar with the environment at my local airport / area. Heck, I plan to fly first cross country in the sim first before I do it IRL. :)
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You're thinking clearly and going about it the right way, carry on.;) BTW, the fly frequently for greatest economic efficiency is also accurate, you really want 3-4 flights a week, that keeps you progressing well and get you done in a reasonable time. You'll likely be taking passengers flying on Fourth of July, Labor Day if Mother Nature beats up on you and keeps you grounded. Make the short term sacrifices necessary to maintain your rate of training to completion to minimize the long term cost over runs.
 
...i haven't read all the posts but scanned through most...

Here's mine:

Fly as often as possible...MAKE it work. Otherwise, you'll just be flushing $$. If you're schedule is tough then do 2 hour lessons. I started doing those exclusively after the first 5-6 flights. It just maximized my time in the air - less time for travel to and from for 2 lessons, pre-flighting, fueling, etc... Way more bang for the buck.

Also, as mentioned - do your homework. Find out what you are doing on the next lesson and make sure you really understand the concepts. You don't want to spend $150+/hr learning this stuff in the air when it should have been learned on the ground.

And of course, keep your head in the books throughout. I don't think I causal read anything other than an aviation training book/guide for the 8 months I was working on my PPL. Immerse yourself.

Good luck!
 
Get your medical after a few hours spent flying dual locally, once you've decided that this something you want to do. For a local CFI, ask pilots who is good and who to avoid. Every CFI has their strengths and weaknesses. You're best to focus on one that does exclusively primary instruction...it's safer. Set a schedule and fly as often as you can. You'll finish quicker and it will be less expensive. If you have the time and money, find an accelerated program and get your certificate in 2-3 weeks, flying several hours a day, every day. You'll build skills faster.
 
cipio said:
Don't worry. I have a filter.

There are two types of information:

1. How specifically to fly (control / techniques / etc)

2. Helpful ancillary information that is more about the overall process. ( tips on helpful references / mindset / study tips)

I've been working on the latter for over 6 months. I also did a lot of the former with a sim early on, to familiarize myself with the controls and the process of flying and navigation. (although I have decided to stop sim'ing now that I am close to my in cockpit training so I limit bad "sim habits")
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Once again - the single most important thing to remember is to fly the plane. It may sound trite or condescending, but it's advice passed on ever since Orville Wright for a reason. Once you get to solo, you'll understand why this is difficult to remember.

The corollary is A-N-C: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. In that order. Sounds easy, until things go haywire, and you're lost or have ATC screaming at you.
 
Clip4 said:
Teaching proper procedures, even in a two place trainer, is kinda important.
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Well, I suppose that depends on your definition of "proper"? I've ridden with pilots who seemed to think the elevator trim was the primary pitch control........it's not. And frankly I think this whole "trim" discussion is a bit out of place in a thread started by a prospective student who hasn't even started training yet.
 
Interesting discussion on trimming. I actually learned how to trim (for straight and level only) on my discovery flight. I assumed that to be typical. I trim in the sim, but not very often for anything other than straight and level.
 
cipio said:
Interesting discussion on trimming. I actually learned how to trim (for straight and level only) on my discovery flight. I assumed that to be typical. I trim in the sim, but not very often for anything other than straight and level.
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Basic rule: everytime airspeed changes, trim changes. (Yes, there are exceptions, such as a short climb.)
 
write-stuff said:
Basic rule: everytime airspeed changes, trim changes. (Yes, there are exceptions, such as a short climb.)
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There are things other than airspeed changes that effect control pressures, for example flap deployment.
So you slow down the airplane in preparation for landing and the nose starts getting heavy..........how many times have I watched some guy trim the nose up to lighten the nose, then drop ten degrees of flap.......now he's pushing on the yoke to hold the nose down while trimming it back down where it was to begin with.
The trim is there to give you a way to eliminate unwanted control pressure so I suppose it depends on your definition of "unwanted"? My own philosophy about trimming is; if the change from the trimmed airspeed/configuration isn't gonna' last long enuf' to stabilize, don't bother re-trimming.
 
I updated post #1 with the list. Thanks everyone...it's going to be a great reference to check periodically.
 
Henning said:
Lot of truth there. Don't be afraid to use full deflections, especially doing crosswind landings. Be smooth, but be positive with the controls.
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Agreed.

When I was starting out, I stayed away from full deflections for some reason. It was a sub-conscious thing and I think a lot of low timers do it out of fear the plane will break or flip over or something. I pretty quickly learned the plane is not going to fall apart by pushing the rudder over and many times the winds will demand it.

I'm not saying but rough with the plane, but know the controls are made to go where they go for a reason.
 
cipio said:
So this was exactly my point. I don't plan to forever stopping using the sim... But I want to make sure that the things I am learning (which up til now has been self taught) are getting checked against my real-life training. Once I feel that I'm on track, I'll work with my CFI to focus my sim practice time.

So I am just taking a break from that to focus on other areas as I ramp up to cleanse the palate so to speak.

You are right...

With the sim I can practice all kinds of things that are helpful for repetition (including pre-flight checks, emergency procedures, etc). I can also become familiar with the environment at my local airport / area. Heck, I plan to fly first cross country in the sim first before I do it IRL. :)
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In my opinion (take it for what it's worth) the only thing that your home flight sim is really going to be useful for is VOR and ADF navigation. None of the checklist practice is going to be sufficiently the same (using your mouse, or a key stroke) as to help with muscle memory. You can more usefully practice running the check list just sitting in a chair with your eyes closed visualizing what you do and pantomiming the actions. That is not to say you can't entertain yourself to some extent with the sim. I guess if your panel happens to be identical, or at least sufficiently similar to the one in your sim plane, it might possibly help you to learn where to look. But overall the sim is not useful for learning the private pilot materials, with the exceptions above.

This changes when you get to the IFR level where you can really practice the mental steps of flying an approach, and climbing/descending to the various altitudes and course headings, etc. at the appropriate points which go in to following a specific approach.

Also, if you are going to play with a flight sim, I would highly recommend getting the latest version of TrackIR. It will really enhance your experience. If you don't have it, trust me, just get it. It doesn't look like much in the box, but when you get it up and running, you will love it.
 
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Make sure you fly with a few different CFIs early in your training, especially on landings. You may have your main CFI but getting some additional eyes on your flying early helps in getting a different perspective.

There will be some frustration with this as one CFI will tell you things that are mutually exclusive with what another tells you, but if you keep an open mind it's very valuable towards polishing your skills.

As for flight sims mentioned above I agree the only thing it's good for is working on instrument theory for VORs and, when you get there, IFR navigation. Flying a simulator is nothing like the real thing--even the fancy FAA certified simulators.
 
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peerlesscowboy said:
Well, I suppose that depends on your definition of "proper"? I've ridden with pilots who seemed to think the elevator trim was the primary pitch control........it's not. And frankly I think this whole "trim" discussion is a bit out of place in a thread started by a prospective student who hasn't even started training yet.
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Correct, trim is your primary speed control. When they are trimmed for landing the plane lands itself with minimum input. The best pilots I know let the plane do the flying, they just provide the guidance whether it has an AP or not.
 
peerlesscowboy said:
There are things other than airspeed changes that effect control pressures, for example flap deployment.
So you slow down the airplane in preparation for landing and the nose starts getting heavy..........how many times have I watched some guy trim the nose up to lighten the nose, then drop ten degrees of flap.......now he's pushing on the yoke to hold the nose down while trimming it back down where it was to begin with.
The trim is there to give you a way to eliminate unwanted control pressure so I suppose it depends on your definition of "unwanted"? My own philosophy about trimming is; if the change from the trimmed airspeed/configuration isn't gonna' last long enuf' to stabilize, don't bother re-trimming.
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Any change that isn't a transient change that will go back to where it was gets a trim change to the correct speed for that configuration. To slow down on final I trim for speed then set throttle for vertical path bit by bit as I come down so I'm at 1.2 VSo over the fence.
 
My wife got tired of me screwing around with rc and flight sim stuff. Encouraged me to go get my ppl, which I finally got last August. Some people are debbie downers on flight sims. I practiced mine incessantly (especially during the early stages), and got compliments from my cfi like... "now that I know you know how to fly the crap out of this plane... let's try....".

Use all of your resources. Learn everything you can from everybody. Your flight sim can be a great tool for learning. If possible, audio record your flights. I used to listen to the audio of my flight lessons while mimicking in the sim. Naysayers be damned. It really is helpful. Honestly, about the only thing the sim won't help you with is how to land.

Most of all, just relax, enjoy the ride, and have fun! One tip my second cfi shared: the sim encourages a lot of "look inside" the airplane. VFR pilots need to be more "look outside" types.
 
Thanks for the perspective, woodchucker!

woodchucker said:
My wife got tired of me screwing around with rc and flight sim stuff. Encouraged me to go get my ppl, which I finally got last August./QUOTE]

Yeah...my wife is tired of me screwing around with RC. You should see my house...I end up taking over every room at some point! LOL! Of course, it's become more of a "job" than a hobby, as is demonstrated by my original EverythingCPO website location: http://everythingcpo.com. :wink2:
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cipio said:
Yeah...my wife is tired of me screwing around with RC.
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RC actually takes more skill from a manual dexterity standpoint, IMHO. There is a lot more to learn in real flying, but it's not nearly as "twitchy," and you don't ever have switch up your control inputs from your view.
 
PPC1052 said:
RC actually takes more skill from a manual dexterity standpoint, IMHO. There is a lot more to learn in real flying, but it's not nearly as "twitchy," and you don't ever have switch up your control inputs from your view.
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Yeah...flying first person view tends to be much easier, since left is always left and right is always right. In RC, left can be right and right can be left...and up can be down...and...

I do fly FPV which gives a first person view, but i don't like not having peripheral vision. It's much harder to judge altitude and relative position when you can only see directly in front of you. It's actually one of the things that makes simulator dead-reckoning flying harder in the sim than in real life (even though you can pan around for your view). I'm only slightly jealous of folks who have multi-monitor setups for the sim. I'm running on a 15" MacBook Pro. Not the greatest platform.
 
peerlesscowboy said:
And frankly I think this whole "trim" discussion is a bit out of place in a thread started by a prospective student who hasn't even started training yet.
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John, first, I think you're the odd man out on this one and the consensus is that it's important to properly trim an airplane, and learn the importance of doing so, from day one. Glad to hear the OP learned to trim on his discovery flight. Heck, I didn't even fly my RC airplanes out of trim in the old days.

Second, we wouldn't be having "this whole discussion" if you didn't keep bringing it up. :rolleyes: Rather, it would have been one person's tip amongst many others.

;)

To the OP. You've gotten lots of good feedback here. Most importantly have fun and enjoy the process.

I bought an airplane and learned how to fly in it. Not that I would necessarily recommend that you do that but it certainly made it more fun and rewarding. Plus, once I soloed I was out flying just for fun far more often than had I been a renter.

Enjoy and welcome!

:thumbsup:
 
I used to have this car when I was a teenager that was woefully out of alignment. If you let go of the steering wheel it would take a hard right. (I wasn't in the position to get it aligned at this point). Anyway, I had to hold constant pressure to the left to keep it going straight. It was tiring, and annoying. I always felt like I had to force it down the road.

That's what I think about when I imagine flying a plane that hasn't been trimmed out for the current flight attitude.
 
cipio said:
I used to have this car when I was a teenager that was woefully out of alignment. If you let go of the steering wheel it would take a hard right. (I wasn't in the position to get it aligned at this point). Anyway, I had to hold constant pressure to the left to keep it going straight. It was tiring, and annoying. I always felt like I had to force it down the road.

That's what I think about when I imagine flying a plane that hasn't been trimmed out for the current flight attitude.
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It's exactly what it is, it sets you up for failure by requiring constant attention. It distracts and detracts from your ability to think about and deal with other things.
 
cipio said:
I used to have this car when I was a teenager that was woefully out of alignment. If you let go of the steering wheel it would take a hard right. (I wasn't in the position to get it aligned at this point). Anyway, I had to hold constant pressure to the left to keep it going straight. It was tiring, and annoying. I always felt like I had to force it down the road.

That's what I think about when I imagine flying a plane that hasn't been trimmed out for the current flight attitude.
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It depends on what your flying. One can take off in a cub, champ, t craft, Luscombe, etc. Trim it at altitude for best cruise and never touch it again upon landing. While there would be a little more resistance , not enough to bother if your familiar with these planes. Some thing like a mooney, bonanza, etc. Different story for sure. Incidentally, I'd get some tail wheel time while your learning. Makes everything else easier as you progress.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
It depends on what your flying. One can take off in a cub, champ, t craft, Luscombe, etc. Trim it at altitude for best cruise and never touch it again upon landing. While there would be a little more resistance , not enough to bother if your familiar with these planes. Some thing like a mooney, bonanza, etc. Different story for sure. Incidentally, I'd get some tail wheel time while your learning. Makes everything else easier as you progress.
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Well, naturally, you trim for airspeed, those planes do everything at the same airspeed, you just change the throttle to go up or down.:lol:
 
Henning said:
Any change that isn't a transient change that will go back to where it was gets a trim change to the correct speed for that configuration. To slow down on final I trim for speed then set throttle for vertical path bit by bit as I come down so I'm at 1.2 VSo over the fence.
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Trim speed, in other words. It's a phrase that is used a lot in flight testing but is seldom mentioned in a general aviation context.

Bob Gardner
 
Jimmy cooper said:
It depends on what your flying. One can take off in a cub, champ, t craft, Luscombe, etc. Trim it at altitude for best cruise and never touch it again upon landing. While there would be a little more resistance , not enough to bother if your familiar with these planes. Some thing like a mooney, bonanza, etc. Different story for sure. Incidentally, I'd get some tail wheel time while your learning. Makes everything else easier as you progress.
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Trim speed is trim speed, period. The definition does not change with aircraft model.

Bob Gardner
 
bobmrg said:
Trim speed, in other words. It's a phrase that is used a lot in flight testing but is seldom mentioned in a general aviation context.

Bob Gardner
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Which I have never understood. The third instructor I flew with was a B-24 pilot, after he explained that trim is for setting speed, my landings instantly improved in both quality and especially consistency, because I was only correcting my vertical path with one control, the throttle, and with that my energy was always consistently stable on target at the bottom, so flaring has the same timing and feel every time.
 
You cannot land the mooney , the bonanza or say a shrike like you land the afore mentioned light aircraft I mentioned. I'm constantly trimming the mooney for instance in the downwind , base and final, same with the others. As for the cub , champ, t craft , etc. I usually just leave them in neutral or cruise trim and land with the stick, finally, all the way back. Easy. I should add that in the smaller aircraft I usually slipped them as I enjoy doing it and it was rare that I had a hard landing in any I mention here. Most people I've flown with are too fast in the pattern, too far away on downwind and base, putting them on a long low final with can be big trouble if the engine fails. This type error is usually caused by lack of proper instruction. Staying in a tight pattern saved me when the prop gov. Failed on my 195 cessna and I had to shut it down approaching base leg.
 
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