One more for fun--about training

[spiderweb]

We're all in love with flying, but how do you feel about training?

 

[spiderweb]

Ignore this, I messed up attaching the poll, and can't delete it. Let me try again.

 

[n741dm]

We're all in love with flying, but how do you feel about training?

Excellent question, Ben. Actually some of the best times I've had in an airplane have been instructional flights. I enjoy the challenge of learning something new and performing to increasingly higher standards.

Because I don't have a flying buddy at this time, I find I get bored easily while flying solo. If I am making a meaningful trip, such as to see my Sis down south in Redding, CA, I find I enjoy the planning and prep part almost as much as the flight itself. For local flights, I find it much better if I take a few minutes and plan a course of action such as practicing slow flight, a stall series, etc., rather than just going out a boring another hole in the sky.

I need to do two things: Find an enjoyable lady who likes to fly and get back in gear and finish up the IR that has been on hold the past couple of years due to job changes and moves.

 

[fgcason]

We're all in love with flying, but how do you feel about training?

I enjoy my self inflicted training flights. I hold myself to really tight standards which really helps my flying in general. I try to go through all the main points of the PP-PTS about once a year.

I try for a BFR once a year just to keep myself in the loop and keep myself from developing bad behavior patterns and to learn something new. Usually they're a lot of fun.

IMHO: Instructor attitude and interest in what he's doing will really make or break a training or currency flight.
I've flown with many that I learn lots and lots from because they like teaching and push me to the edges of my comfort envelope and beyond. (I'm non-IR but one flight comes to mind: Being under the hood from the practice area and being talked down (CFI playing ATC) to short final then lifting the hood to see the runway right where it should be is so cool!! Especially since I already figured out he was doing something like that around 1500AGL inbound and the 3D map in my head clicked full on as clear as if I had the hood off and looking out the window)
Others I learn from but it wasn't not overly constructive in the big picture of things. (turn left, silence, turn right, silence, descend, silence, land 3 times, silence, silence, silence, yep, you can fly a plane, you're good to go let me sign you off now, that's another hour in my obligatory instruction grinder toward the airlines). -- it's not really that bad usually but I think you get my point.

If your brain doesn't hurt and you're not tired afterward, you haven't learned anything.

...my two marbles worth...

 

[Carol]

There's a CFII here who has many hours in a Comanche. Lucky for me since the insurance company required dual instruction from a CFI with time in type. I fly recurrent training with him on a semi-irregular basis. I fly approaches with him and stay current IFR. I also fly the hours for the Wings program and get a new set of those every year.

This guy retired from his career job and flies corporate for a local company. When he's not playing golf he teaches pilots how to fly better. No primary students. He knows how I fly because he taught me the airplane. He also knows what I have done, good and bad. But every time we fly he teaches me something even if it is reminding me of some obscure thing I may have tucked back away in my brain.

I'm not saying there's nothing new for me to learn. Far from that. I am talking about recurrency training in an airplane I have flown a lot.

I love working on new ratings and certificates. I think the glider add-on will be next for me.