I'm discouraged (student) -- considering quitting :(

[Hotdogs]

Yep. When you cut the throttle you announce "hovering auto."

 

You would confuse the hell out of someone if you announced "cut-gun" in one of our birds. LoL!

 

haha, yeah, ours weren't announced until the conditions were recognized. i.e. audio eng out tone and the nose swing.

 

I remember having issues with dancing on the peddles when coming into a hover and no hover landings. It just took time to get more relaxed on the controls.

[BenWA]

OP, I'm in the exact same boat as you, almost down to the last detail. I've got about 26 hours now, still haven't solo'd, and I'm also an add-on student with around 250-300 hours of airplane time. Like you said, I've always considered myself to be good at "operating stuff" so I'm getting frustrated that I'm not progressing as fast as I had hoped for. I feel like I hit a plateau at around 10 hours and haven't progressed much since then. In fact, I feel like some of my best lessons were before the 10 hour mark, and some of my worst have been in the 20-25 hour zone. Kind of weird. I think a lot of it may have to do with how often you are flying. I'm flying about once per week on average which I don't feel is nearly enough. My instructor seems to think that 3 days per week would be ideal, but I just can't swing it with my work schedule and my significant other, not to mention my bank account. Another thing in my case, when I learned to fly fixed wing I was in a very "free" time of my life when I didn't have a day job, or any other stress occupying my mind, so I was able to eat, sleep, and breathe flying. Nowadays, I have so much going on in so many different directions, that ever time I go for a helo lesson I feel like I've been away from it for far longer than I actually have. So my suggestion based on personal experience is to try to fly more frequently if you can, and also try to decrease any stress or distractions in your day to day life so you can focus more on flying. Trying a new instructor doesn't sound like bad advice either. Good luck and don't be so hard on yourself! You'll get there when you get there, give it a chance.

[cryesis]

I just had my first solo at 40 hours! Hang in there and relax

[Goldy]

OP, I'm in the exact same boat as you, almost down to the last detail. I've got about 26 hours now, still haven't solo'd, and I'm also an add-on student with around 250-300 hours of airplane time. Like you said, I've always considered myself to be good at "operating stuff" so I'm getting frustrated that I'm not progressing as fast as I had hoped for. I feel like I hit a plateau at around 10 hours and haven't progressed much since then. In fact, I feel like some of my best lessons were before the 10 hour mark, and some of my worst have been in the 20-25 hour zone.

 

Did you happen to read my post about learning and climbing mountains? Sometimes you go up, sometimes you level off, sometimes you go downhill. It's all mental and teaching your brain some muscle memory. It's the number one "tough thing" to get as a low time pilot. I did all kinds of tricks...little left pedal to cause a descent that last foot, keeping just a bit of forward speed until skids touched, all of it was wrong, but it helped get me on the ground.

 

It just takes time to develop the feel for the aircraft, and all young pilots just have to give it time and keep practicing. As a student don't ever do a manuever that ends in a hover and not set it all the way down. Landing is just as important a skill as hovering. In fact picks ups and set downs can get you in more trouble that just a simple hover can. Think dynamic roll overs, stuck skids, slope landings, or ground resonance.

 

When you learn to shoot the instructor tells you to squeeze trigger slowly, you should not know when the gun is going off. Same with a bird, lower collective slowly and keep lowering it, you should not know when your skids are going to touch because your eyes are outside keeping the ship level. Once it touches just keep lowering.

 

Nobody has 1000 hours and can't land, although some are better than others! You will all get it soon enough.

 

As far as flying solo at 26 hours, I would say you are rather optimistic and setting some unrealistic goals for yourself. Give it a break, just take one flight and go have fun....no real manuevers, just a lunch somewhere with the CFI. With the mental pressure off, you will probably have the best approach and set down ever.

 

Good luck !

Edited May 5, 2012 by Goldy

[Maggie]

All really great advice on here. I had a major problem with my setdowns (even in no wind). My instructor sent me out with the Chief Pilot because we were both frustrated since nothing he said seemed to click in my brain.

 

The CP made it a fun flight, we went out and did commercial level stuff. He made me land in washes, cliffs, etc (all at low hours). We toed into a wash with a dirt wall. He made me land with the skids half way on and balance there, then take off again, all the time reminding me to relax. As he was guiding me though all this, he told me to imagine I'm in a video game and that the ground is fake and I can see through it (all air). That was my light bulb moment. It clicked. Now I see I guess what I would describe as a digital attitude indicator that has been lightened to the point of being transparent. All of the sudden "fly it to ground" made sense. I stopped anticapting the ground, and my touchdowns became near perfect overnight. I don't know if that'll help you at all, or if it even makes sense to you, but it was the only thing that helped me. I had about 3 instructors fly with me and they all said the same thing, but it didn't click until that moment and the way he phrased it.

 

If you truely want to do this, don't give up, and don't worry about your hours. You're going to need them anyway.

[R22139RJ]

What an impressive thread! Great advice from everyone. I was taught the "hover lower" technique and I still use it every time I teach the first set downs. I don't even let the student know that is what we are going to do. I just say, lower, lower, c'mon we're a little too high, lower, lower and before they know it, skids down like a champion.

 

The next step is to tell them to do a set down and the wiggles begin. You're hovering the helicopter to the ground, wait for it to touch and then lower the collective slowly.

 

Glad to hear you will keep on going! Good luck with your training.

[johnnyb]

OP I feel you, I really do.

I've had a bunch of ups and downs since my first lesson.

For a bunch of reasons (I don't want to get into) I managed to change instructors after about 45 hours. Suddenly the thing I was struggling with and dreaded doing (approaches) went from seemingly impossible to easy and enjoyable! It just happened; it wasn't down to the new instructor or anything specific - it almost just happened by itself.

I like to think I just needed a change which is sometimes a good thing in itself.

It helps to just concentrate on the lessons itself and not to focus on the "when am I solo-ing" or "when do I get to do an auto".

You're probably never going to think you're ready for any of it.

My first solo came totally by surprise - my instructor just told me that he was getting out to stretch his legs, it took 30 secs to go from calm to AMAGAD I'M ABOUT TO SOLO!

Just keep going.

Try a few lessons with another instructor maybe? Might give you a new / fresh take on things