Flying Update

I had three more lessons this week, and by the last I was starting to feel that I am getting it. Not everything, of course. We did some low passes (keeping the plane just a few feet above the runway and then taking off again), at which I was miserable. Also, I can never make much sense out of the control tower chatter. It goes by so fast that it’s like learning a foreign language. Still, my turns were more coordinated, I am developing a sense of what I should do when he says something like, “Let’s climb to 2,500,” and my landings are getting better. But there are enormous amounts of material to absorb. It’s like being a full-time college student again.

One ironic note: I’m generally not afraid of flying, but I did find that taxiing across a runway was slightly scary.

Comments

[John]

Congratulations on another successful week. As in any new language once you understand the syntax it will all begin to fall into place.
I used to tell my students it takes learning 100 acronyms before you can consider yourself a journeyman in the trade.

[John Pepple]

Oh, yes, I was going to mention all the acronyms in aviation, but forgot. I was going to talk about Vx, the best angle of climb, though no one ever seems to talk about what angle or pitch you should use and instead they talk about what speed you should try to reach. I got my instructor all confused when I asked him about this.

[Charles N. Steele]

No doubt it is like most learning -- at first a skill, set of ideas, etc. seems unwieldy and foreign, but with repetition we automatize it and it starts feeling natural.

In his book "Never Too Late" John Holt describes the process of learning cello at an older-than-normal age; it is a very good account of learning and how with appropriate passion & focus one can accomplish a great deal.

[John Pepple]

Thanks, Charles. It reminds me of grad school, which most people find overwhelming at first, but if they stick with it, things get easier as time goes along. And thanks for the book reference. I'll have to check it out.