ACMESkydiver 0 #1 September 4, 2005 I'm trying to get an idea of where people are typically in this progression, as I think I'm falling way behind on landings. I have 37 landings, and 14 hours in the air, & 2 hours in a SIM. One of my instructors said I should have more than double that on landings by now. I'd sure go with that, I have no confidence on landings at all. To date, I think I have 1 hands-off landing (no instructor help) and I feel just terribly inadequate. My first flight instructor just would not relinquish control ever, and she kept apologizing and explaining that it was habit to make those little adjustments, but here I am still... Solo is becoming a further and further reality, I'm a smidgey bummed, but I'm not flying again until I can get some definitive from a new instructor that landings will be a priority. Whatcha think? Maybe I just suck! Maybe I should change my program and be a f*ckin' mechanic... ~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
w4p2 0 #2 September 4, 2005 Depends of your age. The older you are, the more training you need. I took my ppl with glider at age 47, first solo after 62 landings. The youngest students were around 16, and got to solo around 30 - 40 landingds. Oldest student was 65, and landings required were well ower 100. The training required is directly proportional to your age. And dont worry... your teacher will tell, when the time is due... and it is due in due time. Cheers: w4p2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #3 September 4, 2005 I know everyone says this, but don't sweat it too much. I think I was right around where you are now when I soloed. But then I got worse then better again, and then worse . . . I was a horrible student. During my first landing attempt in my very first hour of dual when my CFI said, "Now, start your flare," I reverted to skydiving and pulled the yoke all the way back to my gut like I was burying a pair of toggles. (This was in the 80s when you did that with squares). When he grabbed the controls we're way nose up and out of everything one needs to fly . . . When you solo depends probably more on the CFI than you. In most cases when solo time comes they'll take you around and around the patch until, yes, you can do it, but in reality you don't know why. It's a monkey see, monkey do kind of thing. I was well into 50 hours TT and my landings were still sometimes good and sometimes bad. And I never knew why. My CFI finally took to having my fly the approach down to about five feet above the RWY and level out. I'd then add a bit of power, and just stay there the length of the RWY. This worked for me because I could see exactly what the yoke and rudder inputs were doing to us in relation to the centerline. That helped me a lot. I suppose just like skydiving students, flight students are all different, and not all will respond to the same thing. So the trick is having a CFI that's experienced and caring enough to have a deep bag of tricks. In any case if you are comfortable with your CFI, stick with him or her, and you'll solo eventually. Keep us posted . . . NickD BASE 194 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 1,648 #4 September 4, 2005 I soloed at 5.5 hours, must'a had around 30 landings.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beerlight 0 #5 September 4, 2005 I'm with Kallend on this one.......I soloed in 6 hrs even with around 40 landings...... Keep your chin up, and remember it's su'posed to be fun!!! Buck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #6 September 4, 2005 Quote I soloed at 5.5 hours, must'a had around 30 landings. Well ain't YOU mister smarty-pants pilot?! I had all these visions of taking to the air like a bird, standing out amongst the other students, and having the instincts of a seasoned pilot immediately. Sh'yeah right. Well based on your #'s, I guess it can happen. It just didn't happen for me. ~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #7 September 4, 2005 QuoteI was well into 50 hours TT and my landings were still sometimes good and sometimes bad. And I never knew why. My CFI finally took to having my fly the approach down to about five feet above the RWY and level out. I'd then add a bit of power, and just stay there the length of the RWY. This worked for me because I could see exactly what the yoke and rudder inputs were doing to us in relation to the centerline. That helped me a lot. I need more understanding of what the hell is going on, too. My instructor would take the controls and adjust them on final, but never told me what she was doing, so I never got why these things were happening the way they were... Basically I was along for the ride. I felt like I was sitting in my dad's lap steering the wheel in the truck. Actually, it was EXACTLY like that. I thought I had some kind of control, but no idea what I was doing. Quote I suppose just like skydiving students, flight students are all different, and not all will respond to the same thing. So the trick is having a CFI that's experienced and caring enough to have a deep bag of tricks. In any case if you are comfortable with your CFI, stick with him or her, and you'll solo eventually. Keep us posted . . . NickD BASE 194 I'm not comfortable with the CFI, and looking for a new one and transferring flight schools (crap I wish I understood then what I do now...I would have transferred a thousand dollars ago. ) We were going thru the Jep lessons, but it seemed like we were just trying to check off a list, and my comprehension was not being addressed. My fault mainly, I needed to say "Great. We did it. Now how did we do that??" It really was see, do, but the problem is, this monkey needs to know how and why before she solos. I'll get it, I will. I just need an instructor that is a little better versed on different techniques...and crap, I've been an instructor and speaker on everything from commo equip. to mortgages to computer-based marketing systems for freaking YEARS, I have no excuse for allowing someone to teach me in a method that I don't comprehend. I made training environments for a living, for crimany's sake... I think I had better design my own teaching method for flight and tell my new instructor "All that info you have to give me? Stick it in THIS model and I'll get it!" Who knows, maybe it can help my future students (yes, Jaye-girl is going for her CFI too someday in the future ).~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #8 September 4, 2005 QuoteKeep your chin up, and remember it's su'posed to be fun!!! That's what my husband keeps telling me...~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mx757 4 #9 September 4, 2005 Solo The Earth rolls beneath my wings, My mind dwells on other things. For as my nose points to the sky, I can’t believe I’m going to fly. The months of waiting over now, My instructor says that I know how. And as the spinning wheels break free, I wish that he were here with me. Higher, higher the tip is lifting, Racing thoughts, my mind is shifting, What’s that he say’s on the rate of climb? I wish we’d had done this one more time. Five hundred feet, its now time to turn, There’s still so much I have to learn. Ease the stick and then the rudder, The trick is not to make her shudder, One thousand feet, stay in the turn, This times there’s not as much concern. Throttle back and trim her out. Seems there’s less to care about. Close down wind check now just in case, Runway on the left someplace? Handle Down, powers set. Oh, God, I haven’t spoken yet. Close down wind I call out with my name, Why no answer? Is this a game? Radio’s set I know its right. Settle down, no time for fright. Crackle, crackle, I hear him talking. Straight ahead, no time for gawking. The heart inside me seems to burn. As I ease it into the final turn. “Gear Down” I say without a doubt. Final turn I can’t break out. Power back she starts to sink, Easy does it, time to think. Two third’s ground, one third’s sky. Jeez, I think I’m a little high. Turning final all most over. Aim at black top not at clover. Hold her level till the last. My! The runways moving fast. Hold the nose up, Gee I’m clever Seems like she wants to fly forever. Thump! I’m down – It feels so good. Nothing to it, I knew I could. Take heart my friend and have a try For now I know that I can fly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dbriggs 0 #10 September 5, 2005 I have been having trouble with cross wind landings and landings in general. I went up with the local instructor and worked on some things with him. One thing that stuck with me and helped out was not thinking that I was LANDING the plane. Think of it as flying the plane as low and slow as you can until it wont fly and you are right off the ground. It helped me out on both x-wind no wind and night landings. As for where I was landing wise pre solo I had 37 landings. Keep working at it. It is fun just remember that Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiver30960 0 #11 September 5, 2005 I have found in both flight and skydiving that my number of landings has been, for the most part, equal to my number of flights/jumps. No matter how hard I try to avoid it, I always land... Elvisio "working on that part" Rodriguez Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #12 September 5, 2005 QuoteI have found in both flight and skydiving that my number of landings has been, for the most part, equal to my number of flights/jumps. You only did one landing every time on training flights? Or are you being humorous and I'm being dense? ~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #13 September 5, 2005 That's a cool poem, Mike...thanks! I won't be a deaf pilot, but I have been accused of not listening to people upon occasion...~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #14 September 5, 2005 Cross-winds? I can't even land the f*cker in nothing at all... I have no idea what to do in cross-winds!! I do remember how to take off in a cross-wind, though...~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dbriggs 0 #15 September 5, 2005 dont worry. I still get all messed up in x-winds. I had a bad one today. No worries though it takes time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beerlight 0 #16 September 5, 2005 What helped me the most: My instructor told me to fly it down the runway, slow as I could, just above stall, but to NOT touch down. All the way down the longest runway you have. (ours was 11,500 feet, so plenty). It puts you in the proper landing attitude, gives you a nice sight picture. And before you get to the end (you hope), slowly pull the power off, and walla, landings became easy as pie for me..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #17 September 5, 2005 QuoteWhat helped me the most: My instructor told me to fly it down the runway, slow as I could, just above stall, but to NOT touch down. All the way down the longest runway you have. (ours was 11,500 feet, so plenty). It puts you in the proper landing attitude, gives you a nice sight picture. And before you get to the end (you hope), slowly pull the power off, and walla, landings became easy as pie for me..... Ohhh! Mebbe that will work for me too! Well now, I have to get used to a new instructor and a new plane, too. Either a teeny lil' Piper or a Cessna, we'll see what's what. I was going to go down there a few weeks ago, but no shit the day I was gonna go, they had a fatal airplane collision above that airport. -A student & his instructor were the ones killed, no less. Kinda put a damper on my want to get back in the air for a lil' bit. ~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #18 September 5, 2005 Pilots, how many landings did you have by the time you took your first SOLO? *** If I remember correctly I had about 3... and my first 'solo' was a load of jumpers! Then again, I didn't take an actual lesson until 4-5 years later. I must have had close to 200 hours by then. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,434 #19 September 5, 2005 About 15. I had the most bizarre mix of flight instructors; they often didn't know 'where I was at' so I didn't have much of a standard progression. The one I flew most with was a guy who was 5 years younger than me, and who had me doing inside loops, beach landings and real soft-field takeoffs (out of some very soft fields.) He flew with me one day, we landed, he got out, and said "OK, do three touch and goes." No warning. This guy later left flight instruction to take over the family business - women's underwear. And not Victoria's Secret underwear, either. The really cheap Wal-Mart kind. I always figured he was getting his "last adventure" in before he got sucked into the business world. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #20 September 5, 2005 QuotePilots, how many landings did you have by the time you took your first SOLO? *** If I remember correctly I had about 3... and my first 'solo' was a load of jumpers! Then again, I didn't take an actual lesson until 4-5 years later. I must have had close to 200 hours by then. GAH!!!~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #21 September 5, 2005 QuoteAbout 15. AYE!! "I SUCK! I SUCK! I SUCK!" Oh well, I'll solo in like, 5 more hours...and then I'll get my private in wonder-speed...then I'll...~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beerlight 0 #22 September 5, 2005 well, that's just one way to kinda get the feel of it... ie proper sight pic above the canopy rail...etc..etc.... Main thing, try not to worry about how others did..... I was 16 when I soloed.... things came easy... Bet if I tried it now at 41, things wouldn't come so easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djm524 0 #23 September 5, 2005 Quote Quote I have found in both flight and skydiving that my number of landings has been, for the most part, equal to my number of flights/jumps. You only did one landing every time on training flights? Or are you being humorous and I'm being dense? Well for me, my flight hours have always been just behind my number of jumps. I had 69 TO+LDGs when I took my first solo flight, and at the time I was flying about 3-4 times/month. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moretole 0 #24 September 5, 2005 The best thing my instructor told me was to look at the end of the runway when flaring. Try to keep a few feet above the runway by slowly increasing back pressure (power off) to maintain height while looking towards the end of the runway and the plane will sit onto the runway as speed drops off. Looking at the end of the runway seems to stop you from making to many attitude adjustments that can be caused by the difficulty in judging distance when looking at the runway directly ahead and to the side of you. Worked for me. Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beerlight 0 #25 September 5, 2005 Yep, forgot about that......... great idea..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
