SLpilot

im looking for some examples of what people had the most trouble with when they were training, was it systems, landings, anything to do with IFR, im just curious to see what we all couldnt grasp at first? anything is good.

ryane946

Crosswind landings. No doubt.

It made no sense to me to try and touch down on just one wheel in gusty crosswinds. Why couldn't you touch down straight? Why isn't a Cessna designed to handle a few mph of sideload??? Why would you want the wing down? Am I gonna scrape the wing?
Everything else was fairly intuitive.

planecrazyjenn

Knowledge wise, systems got me. I loved aerodynamics, rules/regs, etc. Systems, just wasn't my thing...

Flight training wise...VOR's was probably my biggest pain in the butt. Finally oneday, it just clicked...not sure what made it click, or why I ever had the trouble that I did...but it clicked, and it's been a-okay ever since. Night landings also got me, because I have issues with blue light...but I have to wear a special kinda glasses at night if I fly...though I opt not to for safety reasons. I can't drive at night either, but that's not important.

Heck, troubles are still around even after you get your certificate. All of my private pilot training was done outta grass fields in a cub/152...the only paved/controlled experience I had was doing the 3 required takeoffs and landings with ATC at a class D airport - late evening - with no one around. So when I moved up to Syracuse, I instantly went from short uncontrolled grass strips to a busier class C airport. Looking back, no SYR isn't real busy...but for that first flight, it was nuts. I wasn't comfortable making the flight even after the initial checkout up here, so I took a lesson or two just to familiarize myself with ATC procedures again...I saw/see nothing wrong with that, and I'm perfectly comfortable flying up here now.

FL600

Um, the da*n flight computer! Invest in a REAL one and not the circular crappy one. Plugging all that info, remembering which circle to read etc etc, just a major pita. Also, get a GPS if your plane doesn't have one.

vagabond

I must be the forums' biggest wimp and worst pilot because I had a lot of trouble just with take off! After I was able to overcome that, my next little problem was letting go of the "death grip" and an irrational fear of heights. Like the thread in Pilot Health, I get the Wobbles.

planecrazyjenn

There's nothing wrong with that vaga. Takeoffs can be a real challenge, especially at first...throw in crosswinds from the beginning, and there's a lot to learn and master in a short period of time.

Mama, if you had the metal one this wont work as well...but if you get one you can write on, write formulas down. It's easy to remember what circle is what when you have all the time in the world...but on the checkride when it comes time to divert and push comes to shove...it's nice to have any note you can have. The electronic one is nice though. I'm not a fan of GPS, nor do I use it...but that's me.

Cubdriver

The E6B is your connection to history. The small one from ASA is a lot more convenient and I don't think the wind side is all that useful in flight, but the other side works pretty well for a bunch of things and it is cheap, still has value with the FAA, uses no batteries, goes with you out of the plane and doesn't require smooth air to use. I thought it was a bit of a stretch to have to use it for diversion calculations on my commercial checkride but if you use it a lot you can get what you need from it. Use gps as your main tool and know how to use E6B as well. I know a retired U2 pilot (yes the 60,000 foot spyplane) and as late as the 1980's he was using E6B's and sectionals as his main tools of navigation. I thought "whoa" when he said that but I saw a snapshot of the cockpit and sure enough there was nothing in there but a bunch of VOR heads, a radar and a DG. He wasn't kidding.

Planecrazy: how do you fly ifr without gps? Sooner or later you are going to want it because a lot of podunk airports only have gps approaches. Now WAAS has been added in some places the minimums are as good as ILS.

SLpilot

the death grip, oh man i think every pilot that started out had that, my instructor told me the grips on the handles werent there when the plane was made, i was like wait what.

planecrazyjenn

Cub, I don't use GPS. I probably should have elaborated a bit on what I meant by "I'm not a fan of GPS, nor do I use it) I don't use GPS for VFR flying at all...period. It's in the plane, and the only time I'd use it if it poop really hit the fan and I was lost beyond all recognition. I've been lost, we all have...especially as students...but managed to get where I was going without GPS. It wasn't in the plane I used for my PPC anyway. I don't use it for IFR flying either, because I choose not to. I know HOW to fly a GPS approach, and for the approach concept...I don't see it being much different than flying any other non-precision approach. But for navigation, nah...I'm content with being old school. I don't do much IFR anyway. I'm not taking a 172 out in blowing snow with temps below 0 and wind gusts up above 25 all the time. Yesterday the airport had wind gusts of 47. Winter flying isn't popular here. Sure sounds fun though. hehe.

rickair7777

It's good that you emphasize the ground-based navaids at your level, you need to get that down to second-nature now, cuz you won't get much practice in the airline world. I would however suggest using GPS to get in the habit...almost all commercial airplanes have GPS and/or FMS.