Re learning to fly

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VA Aviator

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Aug 8, 2013
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VA Aviator
So my return to the air after 5 1/2 years isn't going as smoothly as I would have liked.

Flown about 4 times over the past 3 weeks (about an hour at a time, once a week) and I'm still not happy with myself.

First flight wasn't great but wasn't terrible. Landings were pretty horrible, though.

Second flight was all landings. My landings were consistently safe, and at this point I was signed off for my flight review/rental purposes. Still not trusting myself, and not making pretty, smooth greasers I scheduled a third dual session.

Third dual session was in a pretty gusty crosswind. I actually didn't do too terrible with the crosswind aspect, the roundout/flare/touchdown still sucked... but better. At the end of this I was thinking I might finally try it alone, but ultimately scheduled another dual, potentially half dual/half solo session for the following week.

The fourth flight was "one of those days." You know, when you should have stayed home. Flew dual the whole time, made several go arounds because it just wasn't happening, landed with side load a few times in a very light crosswind. All in all it was a very horrible, very disappointing flight.

I guess I'm just bummed because I had it going on before I stopped flying. Now it seems like the "landings" part of my brain was accidentally formatted at some point. I literally feel like I'm a 10 hour student with commercial and instrument knowledge.

So for those that have been away for a while... how long did it take you to feel comfortable again?
 
About three hours to feel comfortable,then a couple of more to take the kids up.
 
Ummm, well, after a 17 year absence from flying I spent two hours on the ground and about an hour and a half in the air. About 30 seconds after liftoff I thought I must have a screw loose to start flying again. But within a few minutes it all came back to me. All of my landings were with about a 12 kt crosswind. I was signed off for my BFR and the Mrs. and I went flying to lunch the next weekend. Bought a plane about 4 years later.
 
I've taken a number of long breaks, though not quite as long as five years, but many of them a year or more.

Usually my biggest problem after a long break is getting behind the airplane in a general sense. Naturally my first few landings suck but I find they tend to improve by themselves if I just go flying and do short cross-countries, practice airwork, etc. In other words, I find focusing on landings causes (me, at least) to tense up and over-think things. I think as your general ability to fly the aircraft comes back and you get more relaxed, landing ability will improve in parallel.

Obviously if you have a rental and BFR signoff, your instructor feels it is safe to solo, so I would do so--and go out and have fun rather than frustrating yourself with pattern work.

Obviously YMMV.
 
Buy a used version of Microsoft flight simulator and play it a few times. They have a Cherokee/warrior or 172 and you can practice your take offs and landings. It will all fall into place. The brain internalizes differently when on a flight sim.

VA Aviator said:
So my return to the air after 5 1/2 years isn't going as smoothly as I would have liked.

Flown about 4 times over the past 3 weeks (about an hour at a time, once a week) and I'm still not happy with myself.

First flight wasn't great but wasn't terrible. Landings were pretty horrible, though.

Second flight was all landings. My landings were consistently safe, and at this point I was signed off for my flight review/rental purposes. Still not trusting myself, and not making pretty, smooth greasers I scheduled a third dual session.

Third dual session was in a pretty gusty crosswind. I actually didn't do too terrible with the crosswind aspect, the roundout/flare/touchdown still sucked... but better. At the end of this I was thinking I might finally try it alone, but ultimately scheduled another dual, potentially half dual/half solo session for the following week.

The fourth flight was "one of those days." You know, when you should have stayed home. Flew dual the whole time, made several go arounds because it just wasn't happening, landed with side load a few times in a very light crosswind. All in all it was a very horrible, very disappointing flight.

I guess I'm just bummed because I had it going on before I stopped flying. Now it seems like the "landings" part of my brain was accidentally formatted at some point. I literally feel like I'm a 10 hour student with commercial and instrument knowledge.

So for those that have been away for a while... how long did it take you to feel comfortable again?
Click to expand...
 
dmspilot said:
I've taken a number of long breaks, though not quite as long as five years, but many of them a year or more.

Usually my biggest problem after a long break is getting behind the airplane in a general sense. Naturally my first few landings suck but I find they tend to improve by themselves if I just go flying and do short cross-countries, practice airwork, etc. In other words, I find focusing on landings causes (me, at least) to tense up and over-think things. I think as your general ability to fly the aircraft comes back and you get more relaxed, landing ability will improve in parallel.

Obviously if you have a rental and BFR signoff, your instructor feels it is safe to solo, so I would do so--and go out and have fun rather than frustrating yourself with pattern work.

Obviously YMMV.
Click to expand...

You may be on to something. If I had to grade my landing performance, I would say "solo student" level. Oddly enough, I managed to remember a few of the techniques to make a bad landing at least feel better, and I know when it's just not going to work and to give it another shot.

My last break according to my logbook was 2006 - I only flew three times that year. Even then I don't remember it being this bad.

One thing I've learned (although a bit too late) is that I'm never going to allow myself to go this long. I'll never go six months without flying, even if it's just an hour with an instructor. And that's for anyone that's thinking about hanging it up due to costs, time, commitments, etc. You've worked far too hard for what you have. Please don't let it go to waste. Even if you can't stay proficient, much less current, at least keep your head in the game.

dmspilot - message inbound for the local scoop.
 
New guy here,
I guess I've probably been out the longest. After a 21 year hiatus I got back in the cockpit in June. My takeoffs were good and once in the air at the practice area it was like I never left. Flying the plane, stalls, steep turns all seemed to fall into place.
Like others here have related here my landings were another another matter all together. We did mostly practice in the pattern and my instructor signed me off in the 152 and I did the 172 a week later.
What was wrong was base to the flare was very messy and I has flaring to high. This the aid of a great instructor was kinda greasing in the 152 (light air down the runway).
Like VA Aviator I'm still working on sweetening up the landings. I remember how intuitive lands had become for me back in the day. I would challenge myself to make every landing as smooth as possible.
I'm getting better so hang in there VA Aviator it gets better.
I like the idea of using Flight Sim to work the brain.
So the new intro I fly out of W00 inside the Washington SFRA. Tend to go to the eastern shore.
 
when I had 10 hrs or less I could not make two great landings in a row. Speed control, over/under flaring....you name it. I went home and used MS Flight Sim 1 hr the next day the CFI said wow its like you are a different student.

I'm not sure what it was but maybe i heard all the feedback from the cfi but while I was white knuckle grasping the yoke it was not settling in my brain. At home on the sim I would hear all those little voices and they settled in my brain and that was it. I soloed within the next flight hour.

I have been sold on FS ever since.

KJRiley said:
New guy here,
I guess I've probably been out the longest. After a 21 year hiatus I got back in the cockpit in June. My takeoffs were good and once in the air at the practice area it was like I never left. Flying the plane, stalls, steep turns all seemed to fall into place.
Like others here have related here my landings were another another matter all together. We did mostly practice in the pattern and my instructor signed me off in the 152 and I did the 172 a week later.
What was wrong was base to the flare was very messy and I has flaring to high. This the aid of a great instructor was kinda greasing in the 152 (light air down the runway).
Like VA Aviator I'm still working on sweetening up the landings. I remember how intuitive lands had become for me back in the day. I would challenge myself to make every landing as smooth as possible.
I'm getting better so hang in there VA Aviator it gets better.
I like the idea of using Flight Sim to work the brain.
So the new intro I fly out of W00 inside the Washington SFRA. Tend to go to the eastern shore.
Click to expand...
 
KJRiley said:
New guy here,
I guess I've probably been out the longest. After a 21 year hiatus I got back in the cockpit in June. My takeoffs were good and once in the air at the practice area it was like I never left. Flying the plane, stalls, steep turns all seemed to fall into place.
Like others here have related here my landings were another another matter all together. We did mostly practice in the pattern and my instructor signed me off in the 152 and I did the 172 a week later.
What was wrong was base to the flare was very messy and I has flaring to high. This the aid of a great instructor was kinda greasing in the 152 (light air down the runway).
Like VA Aviator I'm still working on sweetening up the landings. I remember how intuitive lands had become for me back in the day. I would challenge myself to make every landing as smooth as possible.
I'm getting better so hang in there VA Aviator it gets better.
I like the idea of using Flight Sim to work the brain.
So the new intro I fly out of W00 inside the Washington SFRA. Tend to go to the eastern shore.
Click to expand...

Welcome. I was out for about 16 years. I got back and took a flight in a Grumman that I was familiar with. It took me about 15 minutes to get comfy again. I did three landings and was back on the horse with no problems.

All I can say is don't over-think it. Just relax, you aren't going to prang it and things will start to make sense again. Planes are planes, air is air, and muscle memory will return with some relaxation behind the yoke.
 
"not settling in the brain" That's it. Things were coming up and I wasn't staying on top of it. I'm more ahead of the plane now.
The funny thing is I don't remember 172s floating as much as I perceive they do to me now.
 
KJRiley said:
"not settling in the brain" That's it. Things were coming up and I wasn't staying on top of it. I'm more ahead of the plane now.
The funny thing is I don't remember 172s floating as much as I perceive they do to me now.
Click to expand...


Focus on being an approach speed assassin hitting the perfect speed every time. The flairs fall in line.
 
random,
I'm much more comfortable in the plane now and getting better. I have to say at W00 you can almost always count on a cross wind. It used to be a farm and the owner cut his runway the best he, north to south and the prevailing winds here are east west. Makes for good practice.
 
Tony,
Agreed, that's what I've been doing. Working on a clean stabilized approach down the slot. :)
It helps that we have a relatively short runway at 2400' X 40'. It requires you to be a bit precise.
 
VA Aviator said:
dmspilot - message inbound for the local scoop.
Click to expand...

If FCI is too far away, checkout Wingnuts flying club. I decent group of folks, of which I'm an Alumnus of. I kept my membership for a few years after moving but eventually the two hour drive from DC got old.
 
Ok, so I was thinking about this on my way home... and I have a theory.

I'm not trimming for the approach speed, and instead have too much nose down trim. This in turn makes me feel like the nose is heavier than it really is, leading me to over-control.

Pretty simple explanation, really. I got used to electric trim. I've even caught my thumb feeling for it at the top of the yoke - so it's something I was doing subconsciously for so long that I just didn't translate over.

That's my BS theory... :dunno:
 
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