Quote:
Originally Posted by Ski Bird
There will be no meticulously researched, well supported argument that will save your life ... it will come down to a mindset, and most likely, a split second reaction.
A split second reaction based on what. A split second reaction based on the flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach I took to my initial and advanced Training? A split second reaction based on the total lack of preparation I brought to developing a Training Outline? A split second reaction because I failed to take my Time Building seriously enough to dedicate myself to it?
A split second reaction. I make those every day of my life. Between 5 to 10 times a day in fact, with more than 10 million hanging in the balance
for each split second decision made. I understand making split second decisions. What I don't understand is the continual mis-calculation that so-called "experienced" pilots have made in this thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ski Bird
There you are, just driving along, and boom ... the car is sideways ... you don't have time to think about it — not really — you just fix it (and then pull over to take a few calming breaths / change your shorts).
Fix it with what. What do you fix it with? Do you fix it because you've Trained on how to fix it? Do you fix it because you took the time to build a training regimen that contained recovering from being sideways? Do you fix it because you researched the details of your Training and what it meant to Build Time the right way?
Fix fit. That's part of the reason why I came here. To find out what to fix in my Training and Time Building, such that I don't do either the wrong way. Yet, somehow, the most "experienced" around here could not discern that - even when placed directly under their nose.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ski Bird
If one locks down all of the variables for them, then these student can perform with the best of them. However, change just one variable of the plan (or ten) ... and they fall apart. They freeze up. It's like watching a record skip.
That was useful information. That's what this thread was supposed to be about. Someone who is analytical will try to logically assess, logically deduce and logically solve a problem. That's their nature. That's who they are at the core. Wanting to know whether that kind of nature is good inside the cockpit or bad inside the cockpit, was the very point of this thread.
This thread was about trying to discover what I needed to change, fix or modify in my own personality, mindset, thought process, etc., in order to become a more efficient, proficient, safe and competent single pilot. Yet, somehow, the "experienced" crowed around here could not get beyond their own egos long enough see the truth behind the thread.
Being a systems designer, systems architect and systems engineer on one side of my business, I have to see the big picture. I have no choice but to pay attention to the big picture. I need to know when the variables are contained and when they are out of containment. I prefer getting ahead of the problem before it begins. I like to plan before executing. I prefer to see the full scope. However, when it gets sideways I also enjoy working the details. I like drilling down to root cause. I want to understand the problem at its core. I enjoy troubleshooting and solving problems that are Mission Critical, where failure is not an option.
If those are things that make a bad pilot, then I'll have to work on those things one by one. If those are things that make a good pilot, then at least I'm starting the process with some assets instead of a mountain of liabilities. However, you are the Expert. So, you will know (not me) whether these traits are Assets or Liabilities in the cockpit. That's why I came here - to find out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ski Bird
This is the traffic pattern stall.
Cause & Effect. What's the cause of the traffic patterns stall. Can that cause be mitigated entirely, or partially, or not at all. Can the cause be Trained out of existence. If not, how best to approach the matter of mitigation. Are traffic pattern stalls immutable law, or can they be reduced in occurrence. Are traffic pattern stalls recoverable once induced. If so, how reliably. Are traffic patterns stalls pilot induced, weather induced, aircraft induced or a combination of two or all three. Same for "engine failure," "electrical problems," "smoke," etc., etc..
This is why I came here - to find out what the Experts think and to better understand what my own thought process should be.
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Originally Posted by Ski Bird
Brains are good. But the right mindset is better. You have one of these attributes in spades, but it is not enough. Now it's time to develop the other.
No doubt. It is time to develop the other. That's why I came here. Encouraging. Maybe not all on this forum are myopic. But, its hard to know who to trust in such an environment. Thus, I take the written word of others for face value. Nothing more and nothing less. Therefore, I have to appreciate this comment and I do. Thank you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ski Bird
Right now, it strikes me that you are struggling with the temperament required of a serious student.
Define the temperament of a Serious Student. Is there an FAA document that outlines the attributes of a Serious Student. Is there a convention or standard that defines a Serious Student. Are there unwritten rules that highlight what a Serious Student looks like. Define terms.
I hear that a Serious Student should be open minded, wiling to learn, pliable and easily shaped like wet clay. Students are Students. They are not Teachers, nor are they Instructors. I get it. Students are humble, open to criticism, willing and ready to change attitudes, disposition and even their demeanor. Students have their eyes and ears open. Students leave their egos on a coat hanger at home. They do not bring egos into the cockpit or the classroom. Well understood. I was a good Student for many years prior to now - both in "academia" (which some here seem to think is a rash or some kind of disease to avoid) and in the corporate world where I learned from others far more experienced. Being a good Student is not new to me.
My "temperament" here has nothing to with being a good Student. I'm probably one of the better Students you'll ever encounter because I truly love learning new subject matter for the truth of it - not because I have some angle or agenda behind my learning. I enjoy discovering the Truth about things. I've taught Students like that in the past and I think they are the best kind of Student imaginable.
My "temperament" here has everything to do with people claiming to have read and understood a post when their replies clearly dictate otherwise. That shows a basic disrespect and no intention of ever truly replying on the merits. My response to that kind of behavior on this forum, has absolutely nothing in common with my demeanor as a good Student.
If my Flight Instructor continually disregarded questions I had as a Student, continually misrepresented my questions and twisted them into something I never stated or said, then I'd have to fire that Flight Instructor at some point, if they kept doing that. That would not be a reflection of my negative temperament as a Student. It would just be common sense. Just get rid of him/her and do it quickly.
So, I can be a Student when its time to be one. But, I don't necessarily lose my ability to discern when I'm in the presence of envious "experts" feigning to dispense "wisdom" and "pearls" while offering nothing but "insults" and "misplaced ridicule." I can be a good quality Student. But, I don't have to be a lame duck in exchange.
Students should be a respected component of the equation. If we are talking Military Training, that's a different horse. If we are talking being owned by the Airlines, then that too is a different horse. But, if we are talking about Private Flight Training and a CFI/Student relationship, that should come with a level of parity in personal respect, with professional deference given to the Instructor by the Student for the knowledge they have, the expert credentials they've already attained and their ability to properly educate the Student. I fully understand the Teacher/Student relationship.
However, the outright disrespect on this board and my response to it, was a whole different thing entirely. I know full well how to submit to the expertise of another while under their instruction. But, I also know how to recognize an insulting rude individual when I encounter one.
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Originally Posted by Ski Bird
Now, I realize that I may not have made my point as eloquently as I would have liked ... but there you have it.
Nope. You've made your point very clear.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ski Bird
If, with little to no experience in a field, you have approached multiple instructors — some with decades of experience and tons of good stories to be mined for the 'there I was' instructional value — and you found in every single case that their attitudes, instructional methods, etc, were wanting.
Were they in error ... or were you?
1) It depends.
2) It does not matter.
If they are willing to Teach and I am wiling to Learn, then I could hate their guts and they could hate mine. If we have a contract, then we have duty to perform and I can learn from that individual. That's worse case scenario. I've heard that such has been the case in Part 141 scenarios.
I'd be capable of the same in a Part 61 scenario as the Student in the equation, because I'm not going to allow my ego to get in the way of learning.
Having said that, given the private nature of Part 61 flight training, I would prefer to have an Instructor that I felt was a decent guy/gal and not some envious "expert" who thinks that someone is attempting to circumvent the
"pay your dues" process that he/she may have had to go through in their flying career. Bottom line. Some feel that if you can buy a jet that you are circumventing the process. That's nutty thinking, but this attitude is not uncommon in General Aviation, very unfortunately.
Let's keep it real here. I'm not trying to circumvent anything. I'm more than likely going to spend the exact same 3+ years grinding on my skills exactly the way anybody else has before they started regularly flying their first Jet. The only difference will be the owner of that Jet. That's all. I'm going to
pay my dues before I get to the Jet. I'm not walking into it before I'm prepared, merely because I can. That would be very foolish, indeed. I'm going to put myself through 3, maybe even 4 years of getting qualified, before taking on single pilot in a VLJ as a matter of routine course. I'm not circumventing the process here. I'm not stupid and I don't have a death wish.
So, I can love or despise my Instructor as a person and still Learn from them categorically. I much rather the former to the latter, however. Being a decent human being myself, it just goes without saying. I am 100% positive that I will find an Instructor who knows how to Teach and who has the kind of personal character that I won't find immutably intolerable, disgusting and void of humanity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ski Bird
So I guess what I'm saying is ... it's great to be smart, but recognize too that there are other assets (mindsets, attitudes, etc) can be just as life-savingly valuable to have. Some of the guys who you feel might not be using the optimal method of instruction have tons to show you. My advice? Let them. Be flexible, remain open minded, and give them a chance.
I get it. I'm wide open to it. I look forward to being that kind of Student, who soaks it all in. I'm ready to learn. I intend to come prepared to learn. I'll show up at every lesson prepared to learn. I take personal responsibility for my education as a Student and Pilot. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to learn, grow and develop the skills, knowledge, experience and expertise required to become proficient, competent and safe.
What I will not do, is allow myself to be disrespected or taken for granted without ultimately firing my CFI, or not hiring them in the first place. Ultimately, I have the responsibility for my education. I cannot later point the finger at my Instructor and claim that he/she caused my problems. So, I need to be responsible up front for selecting the right individual for the job at hand.
I can learn from anyone who genuinely has something to Teach. That's how I got this far in life. Learning from others who had something to Teach, until I had enough knowledge to prosper on my own.
Your post is duly recognized as being Friendly. However, that comes in the context of what has clearly been a hostile environment. So, if you see me firing back at off-topic drivel, that has nothing to do with my clarity as a Student. The two have nothing to do with each other. If the issue is Flying, I'm all ears - a big sponge. If the issue is attacking me merely because I'm able to buy a Jet, then @%$@! the one who thinks that way.
Hows that for being honest.
BTW - Arnold Palmer, was a single pilot in a Jet. He flew incident free into his 80s before giving it up. He had a professional life outside of General Aviation, but he loved GA and always stated as much. In fact, Arnold Palmer, flew a Lear Jet, single pilot. There is no Lear Jet in production today that is single pilot certified. So, for a professional athlete, Mr. Palmer, was cutting edge.
This is a great model to follow for people who love airplanes, want to fly themselves and who also have professional careers outside of aviation. In my case, the vast majority of my time will be spent focusing on flying. Even though I love golf, Mr. Palmer, was an inspiration to me because of what he did in General Aviation as a Single Pilot - not necessarily on the golf course. Yes, later in his career he began flying with another pilot in the right seat. But, he was a Single Pilot in many different high performance aircraft for a long time. Very inspirational.