No progress

C

cyclepro

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Cyclepro
So I started training November 18, 2012 I currently have around 41 hours into my ppl, I've yet to solo and I feel like I'm making no progress.
There were 2 months where I couldn't fly due to school, that caused pretty big set backs then another 4 months because my instructor left and weather and finding a new instructor. I'm currently working on landings and emergency procedures.
I feel like it's been a very long road to no where. It's very discouraging.
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Hours are just that...hours. It's not a contest to see who can do it in the fewest (okay maybe there is) Save up some money. Find an instructor that is not on the career track and get it done.

It takes focus. Put your other "priorities" to the side and fly the wings off the airplane and report back when you solo.
 
Big time gaps in the early stages do cause regression.
41 hours in a year and a half is a slow pace for this point in the training - and as you suspect you are paying to re-fly the same lesson in the PTS multiple times.
Do as Sara suggests and first find an instructor who agrees to a regular schedule and is a bit older than the usual which means he should be around rather than moving on in 6 months. (old and grizzled is good)
Then schedule a couple of hours with him so he can sit down with you afterwards and give you a critique of your strengths and weaknesses.

Assuming that you two agree that continuing to train is in your best interest, you might consider borrowing some money to prepay for a block of airplane and instructor time so that finances are not causing gaps.
Other than the discouragement factor it does not matter if your training takes two years or five assuming you are enjoying the experience.

The flip side is if these bumps in your training are causing only stress and anger perhaps it is time to move on to something else. Only you can decide that.
Luck to you my friend.
 
Yes, try to fly much more frequently. You take a half a step backwards with those large gaps.
 
I started mentoring a student going through the same challenges. Flew a handful of hours last year, still hasn't soloed and is getting frustrated.

As Dr. O suggests, you need to set up a schedule for multiple flights per week. This way when weather or life gets in the way, weeks aren't sliding by. In addition, the student I am working with went to a flight school that wasn't very organized. There was no training syllabus and this slowed his progress as well.

I went through a 141 program and committed 5 nights a week to fly. Due to work and weather, it became 2 or 3 times per week. You need to make a commitment - time wise to make it happen faster.




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You can't have big gaps in your training,and expect to progress. Fly more often until you master the basics.
 
+1 for flying more often. Try to go at least twice a week. Any less and you're most likely going to prolong your training
 
I took a year to get my license. I noticed an enormous difference between being able to fly once a week or every other week compared to the times I could fly two to three times a week.

The last few weeks of my training, I was flying two to three times a week and flew the next week after my certificate. I then took a week off and flew the weekend after. It was amazing how uncomfortable I felt just having gone 10 days compared to three or four without flying.
 
I currently have two days a week 3 hr time blocks. I went up today for 1.4 hrs to practice cross wind landings. Winds were 220@14 g 21 working on runway 16 not the greatest but definitely helped get back into it. I tore my acl so I was out for a litttle. But kept up on ground and chair flying. Need to work on wind correction but today helped feel like I'm making progress
 
cyclepro said:
I currently have two days a week 3 hr time blocks. I went up today for 1.4 hrs to practice cross wind landings. Winds were 220@14 g 21 working on runway 16 not the greatest but definitely helped get back into it. I tore my acl so I was out for a litttle. But kept up on ground and chair flying. Need to work on wind correction but today helped feel like I'm making progress
Click to expand...
Another suggestion, don't make your training flights over 1.5 hours. 1.5 is even pushing it. You won't really retain a lot after and you will get fatigued
 
They are usuallly about 1-1.5 hrs. Today was crosswind practice in the pattern. 9t/o and landings.
 
The only thing you'll accomplish at that pace is an empty bank account and no plastic card to show for it.
 
The best advice, in my experience, is to do lessons 2-3 tx per week, 1 hr a piece if you don't have the $ save up for it then go for it... It's the regularity that really gets it done, 41 hrs since 2012 means about two hours a month... Which could mean a single lesson some months 2 lessons other... By the time you're up flying again you've forgotten what you were working on so it's very hard to make progress. Just my two cents.
 
pilot_dude said:
The only thing you'll accomplish at that pace is an empty bank account and no plastic card to show for it.
Click to expand...

Possibly a plastic card... Just one with 16 digits, instead of 7.
 
Im going to 3 times a week. I should be soloing soon. I have all the ground done its just the flying. Which is performance t/o and landing. Maybe easier said than done but im trying my best to get this down.
 
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