Introduction / Request

[jaylw314]

2 hours ago, Hank said:

Good work @MrRodgers! The best approach you can take is to learn your plane well, and you have a great instructor. Learn the procedures, the power settings and speeds. Fly around for a year, get to know your plane, how it handles, how she climbs and descends and slows down. Then go whole hog into IFR training. You'll need some XC hours anyway, and the better you know your plane, the easier keeping it flying well while learning the procedures, and developing your scan will be.

I'd also suggest getting started on hood time now.  You can learn your airplane while getting comfortable heads-down, let someone else keep a lookout for traffic.  Offer free rides to other pilots you trust as safety pilots, you'll find there's little shortage of pilots who'll do it for a ride in a Mooney.

[gsxrpilot]

7 hours ago, jaylw314 said:

I'd also suggest getting started on hood time now.  You can learn your airplane while getting comfortable heads-down, let someone else keep a lookout for traffic.  Offer free rides to other pilots you trust as safety pilots, you'll find there's little shortage of pilots who'll do it for a ride in a Mooney.

Step one here... would be to really learn your autopilot, GPS, etc. very well. 

When I put the new panel in my 252, I took a safety pilot, @"Chocks" and we went out to a fairly remote country airport with an Instrument approach and learned to fly the autopilot, GPS, Aspen, etc. I went around and around, working out the button pushing, sequences, etc while @"Chocks" kept his eyes out for traffic, announced what we were doing on the radio, and made sure I was right side up.

Get comfortable with the automation, how it works, and what to expect. Then get start practicing the same procedures buy hand, knowing you can always go back to the autopilot.

[thinwing]

That actually is very good advice...instrument instructors don't really teach the automation...it's anathema to them ,they figure you need to handfly all the time,learn the procedures both in simulator and actual,frequently with autopilot,moving map etc turned off.So by the time checkride come along...autopilot and advanced navigation comes as an after thought....kinda of like..oh by the way you have a autopilot ,better read the manual...

[wc351]

A long over due update for all of you. It is a long read.

After reading and taking in to account everyone's advice I compiled it all into one that I felt suited me best. I have saved up a good portion of the money to get my PPL three times now and as so many pointed out that something would always creep up and take it away. The first time was all me as I had a ring made from my design and now engaged to my best friend. The second time was when my commuter car decided to strand me on an exit ramp on the way to work and we decided right then that it was time to move on from the first generation Minis (it was a 2006), so I went and got something much newer. 

Third time is the charm as they say so here I am. I did follow the advice of talking with multiple CFIs and schools. I narrowed that list down to two schools and finished the second introductory flight this morning with the second school. Neither of the two schools are at my local airport but they are only 30-45 minutes away from my house. My fiance pointed out today that everything was pointing to not using the second school, they had a full schedule the first time I tried to go, this morning when I arrived early as requested the instructor and the plane were not back yet from the prior flight and bad weather was moving in, and there was no welcome other than getting my name. By the time I met the instructor it was 30 minutes after the scheduled time and we rushed out to the plane to beat the weather. The plane was a Diamond DA20 which I was excited to see and fly in after reading up on them and seeing the specs and pictures. My how fast that excitement went away when I climbed in the plane because it is way smaller than it appears. To say that we were cramped would be an understatement so that made the comfort level not quite to a level I could see myself in the pane for hours and hours. The instructor was nice and I flew the plane some but maybe only 10 minutes of our 30 minute flight. Still trying to keep an open mind I asked about the other planes in the fleet that could be used and they do have a Diamond DA40 but I was told they try to use it mainly for IFR training. After leaving and talking with my fiance about it I came to the conclusion that he was there to build hours and that I was not as excited as I was with the first school and instructor.

Now for the first school and instructor that I decided to try out. For the first flight I arrived early and was greeted with a warm welcome  and an introduction of not only the instructor but the plane we were to be flying in a Piper Archer III. The instructor and I talked for almost 2 hours about my experience in the past, my goals for the training, and what the overall exceptions she has as an instructor and the expectations I have as a student. We went out to the plane and I was hands on right away in helping with the pre-flight. Once in the plane we went through the procedures together with a brief explanation of each thing we were doing. Once we started to taxi out to the runway she explained about the how to steer this one on the ground with the brakes and rudder pedals that also control the front wheel on this plane versus the 172 I had flown in before. Every step of the process was explained and differences given where appropriate. On takeoff it felt like I had been flying in this plane for years, it was so smooth and natural feeling with the controls. We flew for roughly an hour and I had the controls within minutes of takeoff right until time to land. During the flight we were doing multiple maneuvers that I was able to preform with minimal additional instruction and she never once had to take over because of a misstep or mistake on my part. She even exclaimed that I was doing well beyond any beginning student she has had in the past and attributed it to my prior experience which I appreciated someone taking into account that I had flown right seat a lot. After the flight was over and since I was the last one for the day I helped to move it into the hanger which oddly made me more comfortable working with this instructor, I guess because I was involved instead of just an observer. After we finished talking she logged the time in my logbook as full instruction time and not just introductory time. I was so excited after this flight that I didn't stop talking about it until the next day. I asked why the instructor was teaching and the answer was that because she doesn't have to do this for any other reason than the enjoyment of teaching and flying. My fiance didn't even think I should try the second school after this flight but I wanted to just to see how it felt. 

I am going to go with the first school and instructor to do my training. This isn't the closest or the cheapest of the 2 schools I had narrowed my choices down to but it is where I feel like I would get the highest quality training and where I felt like it was just a natural fit. Thanks again for all of the advice and i am open to any and all advice in the future. 

Edited May 4, 2019 by wc351

[carusoam]

Congrats, WC!

Many people don’t figure out the (school, instructor, student) relationship for a long time...

Clearly, a sit down discussion about flying and training airplanes with a CFI gives as much as you need to get a feeling for the person that may be your instructor... no need to go flying if they don’t match your expectation...

The real challenge lies in knowing what you want to have as your CFI... Many CFIs are on their way to somewhere else.... a few are in it for the long haul... the really enjoyable ones are experts regarding the planes they train in...

I learned how precise a beater C152 can fly, on my checkride... The FAA check ride is probably not the best time to be learning some key aircraft details...

 

what’s next..?

 

If you train early and often... you won’t learn much about yourself... like how your memory fades... and your skills rust up over time...

If you are limited to only one flight per month... you learn very quickly about yourself... trying to repeat what you did in the last lesson takes up a lot of the flight time.... more than you would probably expect...

To help with the memory... of every step of your flight... there is an app for that... look up CloudAhoy... it has the ability to memorize where you are and how fast you are moving and graph it on a tablet for review later....

For fun, go sit in a C152... on the ground... bring a friend... have them sit right seat...   that defines ‘snug’.

 

There are many computerized flight sims for low costs that can help with the memory and rust challenges... and getting ahead for the next lesson too....

Expect to find a lesson that is hard to get right... Expect it to be frustrating... at first...  can’t be too frustrating, cause now you know it’s coming....

The fun part... everyone is challenged by different aspects... tough for me, is easy for somebody else...

Me and steep turns didn’t get along very well, for a while.... until that checkride...

 

Another thing you may find out about yourself... how long a single car can meet your needs.... if your ‘95 firebird is coming up on 200k mi... your new to you M20C has been paid for with the money saved on new fancy automobiles.....  

If any of this matches your situation.... welcome to the CB club! 

Go forth and conquer the skies!  (Then report back what you saw, felt, wondered....)

PP thoughts only, not a CFI...

Best regards,

-a-