The Most Important Lesson You Learned After the Checkride

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Randall45

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Randall
Learning to fly is certainly an interesting pedagogical exercise.

First, the ground portion is completely self taught. The instructor will guide you through how to fly the airplane, but the procedures governing such operations are learned on your own.

Second, the final test is satisfying the standards of the PTS and a nod from your examiner that you will not only fly safely, but will handle mistakes and unknowns with acumen.

In this respect, I applaud the system! But I'm curious: What is the most important lesson you learned after the checkride? I learned more after my checkride than ever before. Once I had control of the aircraft and what situations it was put into, I began to know exactly what the winds would feel like, what visibility I was comfortable with, etc. And all training was over fields where it was safe to practice maneuvers, but with passengers, they want to fly over the city. I had no experience with this and had to summon my terrain avoidance skills and learn how to communicate with approach to just say I wanted to look around not go from point A to B, for example.
 
I learned to fly the crap out of the airplane and became more comfortable really staying in front of the airplane at all times. Realized it was okay to throw the plane around a bit to get er' to do what you want.
 
In slow flight the primary control surface is the rudder. (Something I should have known before the checkride.)
 
MAKG1 said:
The most important lesson in any endeavor, flying included, is that you're never done learning.
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I had that drilled into my head before I even began my lessons. I underestimated how true that statement is. I'm sure in a few years I'll realize how much I underestimated its truth even now.
 
Ability to keep SA at all times.

And pretty much everything else, as well.
 
I learned that I'm really in control of the safety of every flight. I take that seriously.
 
Randall45 said:
What is the most important lesson you learned after the checkride?
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As others have stated: I learned that I need to keep learning. Though I already knew that before the checkride.
So I guess the correct answer (for my case) would be that I learned the responsibility for the airplane, myself, passengers and anything associated with the flight. I was no longer a student "just going up for some pattern work", I am now a pilot responsible for others' lives as well.
 
I think everyone will agree that the "most important thing" is to keep learning. So I will drift the thread and answer the question; "What is one thing you have learned". This past week I flew an out and back, I planned the flight (100nm) and filled out a nav-log and marked my sectional. On the way up I navigated by pilotage, on the way back I followed the magenta. It was a straight line with direction of flight basically putting me on downwind on each approach, so not much maneuvering. By pilotage the flight was 103 miles, by magenta it was 112. However, the trip back was more relaxed and we spent a lot more time looking out the window. Magenta leads to wandering a bit.
 
Randall45 said:
Learning to fly is certainly an interesting pedagogical exercise.

First, the ground portion is completely self taught. The instructor will guide you through how to fly the airplane, but the procedures governing such operations are learned on your own.

Second, the final test is satisfying the standards of the PTS and a nod from your examiner that you will not only fly safely, but will handle mistakes and unknowns with acumen.

In this respect, I applaud the system! But I'm curious: What is the most important lesson you learned after the checkride? I learned more after my checkride than ever before. Once I had control of the aircraft and what situations it was put into, I began to know exactly what the winds would feel like, what visibility I was comfortable with, etc. And all training was over fields where it was safe to practice maneuvers, but with passengers, they want to fly over the city. I had no experience with this and had to summon my terrain avoidance skills and learn how to communicate with approach to just say I wanted to look around not go from point A to B, for example.
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The most important issues I have learned after the check ride, in no particular order of importance, is the refinement of 3 maneuvers.

1. Crosswind maneuvering while on take offs and landings.

2. Slipping

3. Improved Pilotage.

Cheers
 
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What I learned right after my checkride is that no one should attempt to do any serious flying without learning what I later came to know as "Attitude Instrument Flying".

This is what you first learn when you're training for your Instrument Rating, but in my opinion, it should be part of the Private curriculum, or you should seek this training on your own soon thereafter.

After I learned this, it was an "aha" moment; I was quickly descending at the trimmed airspeed, knew how to slow down or speed up, in essence, it made my VFR flying a lot more enjoyable and safer...especially on a moonless VMC night flight across the desolate Florida Everglades.
 
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After my checkride when I began flying more by myself and with passengers I learned two things.

I learned that I had developed a sound set of skills that I could build on. That made me rather proud.

I learned that I really needed to build on that foundation and polish those skills. That has kept me humble.
 
At some point flying transitions from being science to being an art.
 
I learned a lot about passengers, right after getting my instrument rating. Here we are, been in actual for > 1-1/2 hours, and ATC started fussing at another plane for not following instructions and not going where they were supposed to go.

My pax told me later that they were concerned hearing that, but looked at me and I wasn't worried, so they figured it must be alright.

The same thing applies to taking friends to ride in VMC. If the pilot is calm, they will stay calm (but may get airsick anyway). If I as pilot look or sound uncertain (or mutter bad words), passengers get alarmed. It must be a couple of orders of magnitude greater for CFIs with new students . . .
 
Aside from the fact that the Private Pilot Certificate is a license to learn, I also developed an unwavering passion to continue to improve my flying skills.
 
I guess I'm learning to "never say never" and be ready for anything at anytime. Also to be aware when I start "assuming" things.

I'm also learning stuff can happen to the best-of-the-best.

And that I would really like to fly a glider ;-)
 
I've learned I can fail as PIC and a damn good airplane will save your butt.
 
Don't assume that forecasts will always be correct.
 
To set personal limits and stick with them.
 
mother nature is a *****......relax and enjoy the journey, even if it means exploring a new overnight location.
 
GMascelli said:
mother nature is a *****.......
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Well said Gary ... she also likes to fool forecasters which leads to arriving to 30G40 when forecast was for calm winds on XC flights, unforecast changes in winds aloft, pop us TS activity that wasn't predicted, etc. etc..
 
The most important lesson after the private check ride was... respect weather! Know your limits and think about the alternatives vs the price of failure.

Physics doesn't care what's in your logbook so know what you're flying and what you're flying into this time.

Beyond that... instrument training was by far the most helpful set of new skills post-PPL. IFR is just a great option to have in many situations.

Civil Air Patrol taught me about what and how things can go wrong - and what happens after that.
 
On the drive home after passing my private checkride, I suddenly realized that now it is legal for me to fly at night, carrying passengers, from coast to coast, and never use the radio.......
 
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