Mid Training Slump

AWACSEng

AWACSEng

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Bill
I have a question that my strike folks the wrong way, but oh well. I seem to have entered a mid-training slump. Not in my abilites, but in my motivation. I find myself flying to get closer to finishing the program, not to enjoy flying. I am at approx. 29 hrs and post solo. I did my first dual x-cntry last week and attempted my first solo x-cntry today but had to air abort due to weather. My instructor says I am doing exceptionaly well for this stage of training. Sometimes I feel that this is not as challenging as I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, I fly like a 29 hr student, but I'm fine tuning what has been taught more than learning more. All I have left are the cross countries and the night work. Do any of you have advice on how to make the training more exciting from a student's perspective?
 
AWACSEng said:
I have a question that my strike folks the wrong way, but oh well. I seem to have entered a mid-training slump. Not in my abilites, but in my motivation. I find myself flying to get closer to finishing the program, not to enjoy flying. I am at approx. 29 hrs and post solo. I did my first dual x-cntry last week and attempted my first solo x-cntry today but had to air abort due to weather. My instructor says I am doing exceptionaly well for this stage of training. Sometimes I feel that this is not as challenging as I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, I fly like a 29 hr student, but I'm fine tuning what has been taught more than learning more. All I have left are the cross countries and the night work. Do any of you have advice on how to make the training more exciting from a student's perspective?
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Sure. Stop being so exceptional and learn slowly like the rest of us poor grunts. That'll keep your attention going. :D
 
AWACSEng said:
Do any of you have advice on how to make the training more exciting from a student's perspective?
Click to expand...

Do the night landings without the landing light. If that fails to make it more exciting, then do it without runway lighting:hairraise:

Ok, that wasn't very serious. I didn't have a motivation slump so probably not much real help. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to push the night flight. I found it to be a lot of fun and the "what'll I do if the noisemaker gets real quiet" factor kept the excitement level up.
 
I would deffffinitely re-evaluate your instructor-pilot relationship. Yea, he might be a nice guy, but is he realllly challenging you? I think the instructor-student bond is the most important part of flight training. After all, you know you want to fly and you know the fire within you was once there, or else you wouldn't have started in the first place.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, your instructor should be challenging you no matter how good of a pilot you are, that's his job. If he isn't, you really need to sit down and talk to him about it, because chances are you are breaking your wallet over this. Remember, "always learning."

Another thing you can do is take your friends up with you during one of your lessons. Let's face it, everyone loves praise, and nothing is cooler than hearing your friends go on and on and on about how cool it is that you can fly.

And after you get your ticket, damn, you can take your friends up without your instructor, and that's even better! Of course, this all depends on how comfortable you are with the plane, but really man, you're flippin flying, you know? You should be stoked on that to begin with, not very many people get that opportunity.

cheers though bro, I hope things work out. Just remember that Instructor student relationship. It's key. 100%
 
Dude, you're in Alaska!

I am by no means an expert, but why don't you schedule a challenging XC flight to a place you've always wanted to go. Then grab an instructor and go do it. Sure, it will qualify as XC time, but treat it like an adventure - something you would like to do with a friend some day.

Ask the FI to treat you like he or she was a passenger, and not a FI. He won't let you get into trouble, but you should experience a new level of independence.

Just a thought.

And if you aren't challenged yet, begin work on your IR after you get your PPL.
 
After thinking about it a bit, I was really bored with the hood work after about an hour. After mentioning to the instructor that it could be more interesting I was almost sorry that I opened my mouth. Stalls, steep turns, unusual attitudes out the wazoo, intercepting VORs, localizers & glideslope, lather rinse repeat.

The really bad one was to fly with my eyes closed and then recover under the hood. Arrgh. I learned to let it go early just 'cause I hated the sensations and the primal fears they inspired (we're all gonna die!).
 
Before the rest of the forum jumps in, let me clarify something. I love to fly. I do it every day for a living. I think that may be part of the problem in that the "thrill of flight" has become an everyday occurance. I think my original post may have come accross a bit arrogant-like, but I did not mean that at all. I have spoken to my instructor about this, and he says to just be patient, I am just getting in a little rut. Once I start really hitting the cross country stuff it will pick up quite a bit. As far as the night flying goes, dark has been scarce this summer in AK. Guess I'll just keep plugging away and see how things turn out. Thanks.
 
AWACSEng said:
Do any of you have advice on how to make the training more exciting from a student's perspective?
Click to expand...

LOL!!! Here's a reality check, for most all flying, the object is to avoid excitement. Trust me, if you fly enough, excitement will find you, so be careful of what you wish for.

Really though, I understand where you're coming from. VFR Flying itself, as you're finding out, really isn't that dang difficult, IFR flying slightly moreso. Aerobatic flying and Ag flying even lose their excitement within short time as the results of inputs become familiar.

Truely, if you think as an aviator should, flying itself should actually become a bit tedious as you're always paying attention, anticipating, preparing for things that rarely ever happen.

Yours is not an uncommon situation, and is probably the reason for the great disparity between licensed pilots and active pilots. You either find an end use for the flying or you quit.
 
I second the thought of trying to make a "fun" X/C. Go somewhere you've never been. See if you can wangle a skiplane/seaplane flight for some dual and a new experience.
 
LOL ... yeah - never EVER challenge the instructor to make it more "interesting"...
 
FWIW, I didn't take your original post as arrogant at all.

Also, I went through something a bit similar at some point in my training. I don't remember all of the details, but I think it was during the time when I would fly, get weathered out for 3-4 weeks, and then fly again (having to redo some things, due to being "out of practice"). I remember wondering if it really mattered to me anymore whether or not I got to (and passed) the checkride.

At some point, I just decided "I *am* going to get my PPL, now the question is *when*?" What I meant was, even though I started to doubt the value of it... I committed to finishing. If I finished up and decided never to use the privilege of flying, that would have been OK (based on the deal I was making with myself).

I came to find out that after my long solo cross country, I couldn't wait to finish up and "go places" either with friends or by myself. Got my ticket on June 9th. The feeling wasn't too long ago (maybe 4-5 months ago)... but I still can't believe I had those thoughts. How could I have considered giving this up?!?

My suggestion would be, if you can afford it, get the ticket. I highly doubt that you will regret it.
 
The "fun" cross country would be great except the club I fly with has prescribed student training routes. Honestly, there are a few routes I would love to fly, but the weather this summer has absolutly sucked. I know the weather is beyond my control, but it is not helping the pace of things. The faster I get through PPL, the faster I can move on to IR and not be quite as constrained by the weather. I want everyone to understand that I'm not sick of flying. Aviation is my life and we all must pay our dues. I'm just hitting a training rut that i'm sure we all go through at one time or another. Henning, I think you are on to something. I'm not sure what I want out of aviation, but I do know I can't live without it. Funny in a way. I can't imagine not flying, but yet I complain about learning to fly. Time to suck it up and quit my complaining. Gotta find an ultimate goal and work towards it. So, another question, how many of you started flying with a goal in mind, and how many started just for the fun of it?
 
Marty, money isn't the issue. I saved for a few years to afford this. And there is no way in hell I'll quit now. I'm on the downhill side of the program. Part of this I think is I almost feel trapped by AK. The scenery is great here, but I don't really have ambition to be a bush pilot. I think as long as I stick it out till I get back to the lower 48 and am able to go "cross country", I should probably take advantage of all flying here has to offer. Pretty sad I have an opportunity that many pilots dream their entire lives about, and I can't wait to leave it. Yep, this is more me feeling trapped in the great middle of nowhere than it is being bored with flying and learning in general. Gotta keep plugging along and keep the end goal in mind. I think I've been looking to far down the road instead of enjoying the opportunity at hand.
 
Clark1961 said:
Do the night landings without the landing light. If that fails to make it more exciting, then do it without runway lighting:hairraise:

Ok, that wasn't very serious. I didn't have a motivation slump so probably not much real help. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to push the night flight. I found it to be a lot of fun and the "what'll I do if the noisemaker gets real quiet" factor kept the excitement level up.
Click to expand...

Try it with all the lights out. I did my best landing of that first night that way.
 
AWACSEng said:
The "fun" cross country would be great except the club I fly with has prescribed student training routes. Honestly, there are a few routes I would love to fly, but the weather this summer has absolutly sucked. I know the weather is beyond my control, but it is not helping the pace of things.
Click to expand...

Ok, I assume there are other pilots in this club - split a ride with one of them to get off the "prescribed student training routes". There's gotta be some taildraggers around to get some dual in? (assuming you don't fly one already). Spin training is always fun.

I see that you are a flight engineer (apparently in the Air Force) - what are your objectives - a fast way to get from point A to point B? Just kicking around for the fun of it? Something else? Focus on what you want to do after you get your ticket and work on getting a head start.

So, another question, how many of you started flying with a goal in mind, and how many started just for the fun of it?
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I pretty much flew for the fun of it - didn't hurt that I had access to my dad's airplane for the price of the gas (Cessna 120).
 
AWACSEng said:
So, another question, how many of you started flying with a goal in mind, and how many started just for the fun of it?
Click to expand...
I started for the fun of it but I realized pretty early on that I needed some kind of goal, or at least a series of little goals. After I got my private and graduated college I got a job as an aerial camera operator which entailed bouncing around all day, looking down through a viewfinder in the back of a small airplane. At first I couldn't believe how lucky I was to get a job which combined my two interests, flying and photography. After a few years I got bored with that and I decided that it would be a better deal to be the pilot so I could bounce around all day in the front end. I ended up getting my instrument, commercial and CFI and became and aerial survey pilot with a little bit of instructing along the way. In one sense I think I was lucky to have worked for a number of years in the back of small airplanes because I never had any grand illusions about what it would be like to make a living as a pilot. However in another sense, flying was (and still is) very normal to me so it's hard to think of it as being special in the way you sometimes hear other people talk about it. I'm wondering if that is how you feel too when you say...
I love to fly. I do it every day for a living. I think that may be part of the problem in that the "thrill of flight" has become an everyday occurance.
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I eventually moved on from the survey business and fly business jets now. People occasionally ask me if I miss flying small airplanes or if would be interested in buying one. Truthfully I don't really have much desire to do the $100 hamburger thing, certainly not enough to justify owning an airplane. I flew for 20 years in either the back or the front of small airplanes so I pretty much have a BTDT attitude. However, I really enjoyed the little bit of aerobatics I did last year and that would probably be my focus if I was going to fly small airplanes at all.

As far as being in a rut goes, that happens to everyone. It too will pass, or maybe it won't. If you are bored, I would make an effort to find something that challenges you. I didn't have that problem, especially with my private, because everything was so brand-new to me. As far as future goals go, other people will disagree with me I'm sure, but I'm going to say that I don't think I could have sustained this amount of interest in flying over all these years if it had only been for fun.
 
You may find taking a break to do a fam flight in a glider or taildragger or aerobatic plane, etc. might pique your interest, but rest assured, most of us went through something similar. That feeling that it's become drudgery, and you just want to get it overwith, because you want to move on to the next challenge. It's particularly acute for pilots in your position... that first solo is the goal that drives you on initially, but afterwards you feel like you're starting over.

and it can happen later, too... once that higher plateau (the checkride) is achieved.

I can even remember one solo flight after getting my PP when I was actually bored (which astounded me!!).
But a predictable flight is something worth savoring, even if it's not "exciting". I found satisfaction after that particular flight by reminding myself that I flew safe, made a good weather decision (went home early due to deteriorating conditions), and made a workmanlike landing that would have pleased my instructor.
Ask any old hand with thousands of hours, and they'll tell you many of those hours were spent droning along doing the same old thing, but they learned from all of it.


And like Henning said, be careful what you wish for...:D
 
Very few people don't experience a training slump/ lack of interest/ sense of boredom at some point in training. It's the secret no one is supposed to talk about, but results in many giving it up after passing the PP.

I surmounted the obstacle, now what?

There are a number of factors that feed this, but one is loss of the goal. All through training the motivator is "The Checkride" and once its over (and for most well-prepared pilots the checkride is an anticlimax), there's just you, and empty airport, and an airplane.

Somewhere along the line the goal needs to be replaced with a mission.

The mission is different for everyone. For some it's the next rating. For others it's the long cross country to the favorite place. To others it's career prep. Others loop, roll, and seek out Gs.

While we can all wax poetic about the Joy of Flight, fact is, most of us cannot live that intensely all the time. There certainly are moments of joy, wonder, beauty, and exhilaration, but often the perfectly human emotions take charge and we experience boredom, anxiety, and loneliness.

When we realize that our essential humanity rides along with us up there, we mature a bit as pilots, the amperage goes down, and flight becomes part of life -- a life filled with moments that cannot be experienced in any other way.

So decide what your mission is -- not for the rest of your life, but for the next six months -- go do some mission flights, and make flying part of your living.
 
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I would agree, the slump is fairly normal. I had some days when it wasn't "fun." The key is figuring out what makes flying "fun" for you. For me, it's certainly not the $100 hamburger, but it is using my flying abilities to do things that have some reason to get done. Don't get me wrong, I love flying. But Sunday I flew 10 hours to get my mom to Virginia and then get back home, including some actual instrument flying through the clouds, and avoiding some weather that would have been not so fun to fly through. Now THAT was fun, even though when I got home I was definitely tired. Just going down and getting a $100 hamburger? Egh, it's fun if I'm taking a friend up for their first flight, or showing someone else what New York looks like at night (something I need to go do soon), but I'd never go do it if I didn't have a reason to otherwise.

The trick is figuring out what makes it an enjoyable challenge for you, and going for it. Having set goals helps if you're like me. In under a year I've done 150 hours and got my private and instrument ratings. Multi is next. :)
 
Thanks for the words of encouragement folks. I have not lost sight of my personal goals and aspirations. Today I finally completed my first solo cross country and I feel tons better about the entire situation. I've heard it thousands of times, but it truly is a different feeling when you are all alone and have to figure out why you are not seeing below you what you expected to see and what you are going to do about it. I think yesterday was a mixture of me being ****y and frustrated with some delays that have been overcome. I'm sure i'm on the right path now and I'll take advantage of the oportunity given to me. Hopefuly someone else who hits a slump can see this thread and realize that what they are feeling has been felt by thousands in the past and will continue to be felt by more in the future. Thanks!
 
Hey i was thinking about your sitch, with the night flying and all... and i'm pretttty sure that for people who live in AK, if they can't get their night training in, they can actually take their checkride without the night section. Of course, that means that they can't fly at night... but I'm pretty sure you can go back and get an endorsement to fly at night when you're able.

It's in part 61 somewhere, i totally remember reading about it and thinking it was convenient. Go figure.
 
Yeah, we can take the checkride w/o night flying and once it does get dark, get the instruction and take the signoff to the FSDO.
 
right on man, figured you probably knew, but i thought i'd mention it just in case. Let us how it goes, huh?
 
Well, an update. I'm over the slump and on the tail end of the sylabus. Just scheduled my stage 3 check for Thurs and Fri. If all goes well, I'll schedule the check for sometime during the second week of Oct. The past couple of weeks have been crappy weather wise, so I got a chance to take a step back and regroup. When the clouds broke, I flew 4 days in a row to finish up the training requirements. Now all that satnds between me and the coveted piece of plastic is this stage check. Strangely enough, I'm not nervous, just anxious. I'm hoping that my experience with USAF checkrides will help keep the butterflies away. Anyway, I'll keep you all abreast (I love that term!) of the situation.
 
Best of luck to you. It's funny how important that little tag of paper is.
 
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