Question for instructors

[Misfit]

I have a question for all the instructors out there:

 

Assuming they do not have any medical, financial, or fear issues, do you ever have a student you think cannot learn to fly helicopters? In other words, do you believe it is simply "too difficult" for some people to grasp? Is it necessary to have certain inherent qualities to succeed in this, or are determination and hard work enough? What criteria would you use to judge this? How far into training would you know?

 

I believe that this is an attainable goal, if I want it badly enough, and work hard enough, but some of my family say they just "don't see me as a helicopter pilot" and think it is foolish for me to spend this much money trying to learn something they don't think I am "cut out for". I am not exactly sure what kind of person IS "cut out for this", and I just wanted to get some outside opinions. Personally, I feel that there is no way to know until you try, and hopefully I would know fairly soon if that were the case. Somehow it just seems wrong to me to simply accept that you weren't "meant" to do something you really want to do, and resign yourself to a mundane life, just because you might not have the "personality" for it.

 

I would love to hear from some students as well, if any of you were told this, or thought this, and whether you found it to be true or not.

 

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone!

 

Alex

[HeliMott]

Assuming they do not have any medical, financial, or fear issues, do you ever have a student you think cannot learn to fly helicopters?

 

Alex,

 

Honestly I feel there are people out there who simply cannot or should not be helicopter pilots, I mean this very seriously. Unfortunately you’re right, it is something you just have to try and figure out. I wouldn't let unqualified people, i.e. friends and family (non helicopter pilots) tell you any different.

 

There are some things that could place you in such a category. A qualified CFI is the first line of defense against you potentially spending money on something that can't or shouldn't be. Our training is supposed to teach us how to pick out potential hazardous behaviors, mentalities, or capabilities. Unfortunately I have had to tell a student such a thing, and I have trained with a CFI candidate who was told the same... I told my student at about 75 hours and it was because he was anti-authoritive, and was an extreme thrill seeker, placing he and I in dangerous situations. I consulted everyone above me from my peer CFI's to the Chief Pilot, and they all agreed and backed me. The other pilot had 300+ hours and a DPE and high time CFI instructor had the terrible job of telling this man he flew as if he had 20 hours and had a severe case of PIO (pilot induced oscillation).

 

Again, there are steps in place to protect you, your investment, and the CFI's and their companies. If you are just plain crazy hopefully the Medical Examiner will pick that out, but otherwise dive in. If you think you might be able to do it, try it. There is a very small group of people who can just do it right off the bat, flying a helicopter just isn't natural.

 

Please note that the above is in a near perfect world, some will be too easy on potentially hazardous students, and some will be too hard on a pilot that just needs work. Whichever way you look at it, it's all subject to interpretation.

 

Go for it

[Helihead]

Try it out, It's what you want not them. It is only as difficult as you make it on your self. I am fortunate that my family supports me. I can see how It would be difficult if the family isn't on board, they are a big influence. I have never thought to myself that I was not cut out for this or anything else, even if anyone ever said so. I don't think it would be "to difficult" to learn. I think the only thing stopping you there would be your attitude. I am a new student so I can't tell you why they would just stop teaching a pilot who has a good attitude and willing to learn and puts in the effort.... I think it is up to you to figure out if you have the determination to succeed, that would be the only criteria I can think of, it is really not up to anyone else, ( unless you are a hazard like Helimott mentioned. due to your mentality/generaly poor personality)

 

Thats just what I think, I wouldn't let anyone, even my family, tell me I am not cut out for the job.

 

ohh and I don't know why a student would want to continue flying helicopters if they didn't think they could do it, why would some one keep going to school for anything if they didn't think they could do it? as a pilot you need confidence, but at the same time not be over confident as to where you think your invinceible.

[Misfit]

Thank you for the encouraging words.

 

I completely understand what you mean about someone for whom safety is not a top priority. Obviously those people put themselves and others at risk, and if this is your motivation for flying, I can see it being ill-advised.

 

However, I believe my family's doubts about me are based in exactly the opposite. They see me as the quiet, non-thrill-seeking type, and since I have never done anything quite this far "outside the box", I think they believe that means I am incapable of it. The truth is, I am bored with being this way, and I feel like I am wasting my life in the same old boring cookie-cutter jobs. I want to have a career that someone might actually be interested in hearing me talk about. I want to travel. When I die, I want to feel like I actually lived. To me, even the least exciting helicopter jobs (like tours) seem like a dream. I can't say how I will feel later, but at the moment I have no aspirations to anything as "death-defying" as fire fighting or EMS.

 

Is it necessary to have an "adventurous" personality to do this? Do you need to be a "type A" personality, or "type B" or whatever? Or is it more about listening to your instructor, never giving up, and always doing your best? Because if so, I can do that.

 

Any advice or experiences are appreciated.

 

Alex

[Jeff]

Misfit,

 

Don't let your family and friends discourage you. They say what they say out of ignorance. How do they know what you're meant to be or cut out to be? I had a similar experience when I started learning to fly. I was 17 when I started taking lessons--in an airplane. I paid for it myself by working 20 hours a week at $3.35 per hour (the minimum wage then). I also had to pay for gas in my 1972 Chevy Blazer with a gas-guzzler V-8 engine, and pay for my 1-pack-a-day smoking habit. I only took lessons about every couple weeks to a month, so I didn't mention it to my parents for a while. When they found out, my dad was furious. He yelled and screamed (a common thing with him) that there was no possible way I could be a pilot; that was reserved for a special breed of people; and that I was wasting my money! He wanted me to give him the money I used for flying lessons so he could burn it to heat the house, because that would be a better use of it in his opinion. As I recall, my mom never said much about it. She didn't want to isolate me, so I just got looks of disapproval from her right along with supporting words. I think the body language told the real story.

 

I persisted and endured. Finally I soloed and after about 14 months of training, I finally got my Private Pilot Certificate. My parents were proud of me then. In fact, I overheard my dad one day bragging to his friends one day that I was a pilot and could fly airplanes. Now I am a Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor in airplanes and helicopters.

 

So I encourage you to follow your dream. You have to make a serious commitment, though. Flying helicopters is fairly easy; however, learning to fly them is rather difficult. Learning to hover is the worst. In a hover, a helicopter can move in eight different ways, and more than one way at a time. So you have to learn how to coordinate what you do with two hands and two feet moving four different controls to keep the helicopter from moving in four different ways at the same time. Learning to do this isn't really that easy, so you have to make progress a little bit at a time. There will be days when you want to give up because you think you can't do it. It's frustrating at best, but you just have to hang in there and give it your all. You have to trust your instructor: if he says you're making some progress, you probably are even if you don't think so yourself. I did it and I'm nobody special, so you can too. Good luck!

 

Jeff

[tattooed]

I think this is an excellent topic and one that probably isn't discussed as much as it needs to be.

 

This is DEFINATELY not for everyone...on many levels....from attitude to intelligence to just being a practical and safe individual. If you want to "thrill seek" and show off, go get a dirt bike and wrap yourself around a tree.

 

For me, this was a prett easy decision. I am a 35 year old, 112 lb, 5'0' petite woman (woman...HA! I hate that term...grown ups are "women"...I'm not ready to "grow up"!).

I am not your typical "girl". I do most of my own vehicle repairs (I have a 2000 Blazer 4x4 that I have heavily modified and I DO go serious off-roading with), I ride trail bikes (tried MX, too crazy for me). I have more male friends than girl friends.

Anyway, when a good friend of mine started flight school (r/w) I constantly told him how jealous I was. He encouraged me to go. I had never been in a helicopter, but I have always been impressed with them and dreamed of flying one. Once he got his private, he took me on my 1st flight. That was it. I was hooked. 2 months later I was on MY 1st flight with an instructor. That 1st day I knew this was for me. And every time I fly it just gets better and better...and it just "feels" right.

Interestingly enough, all my friends and family have been MORE than supportive. They all have said they can easily see me doing this, and were not too surprised when I announced my "career change".

 

I think everyone should discuss with their family and friends AND school admissions director...and preferrably other pilots...if this is realistic for them. In my case, my pilot buddy told ME I was totally capable of this. I even took him out to dinner and we discuss this in great length before I called the school and made an appt for an interview with the admin dir.

 

However, I do know that there are many schools out there that don't "weed out" candidates and just sign everyone up, regardless of how qualified they may or may not be. My school was very good at painting an honest picture of the entire process. They neither encouraged me or discouraged me. They just told me how it was. I was very honest with them regarding my concerns of being a tiny woman. Other than requiring not one but TWO cusions to reach the pedals, and getting really creative with my MR inspection...it has not been an issue.

 

 

Wow. Kinda wordy for my 1st post.

 

 

Been lurking for quite some time, enjoying everyone here.

[slick1537]

Im only a student, but I do think most people can learn to fly. However from numbers I have heard, there is a 80-90% dropout rate among MOST flight schools in the country, or is my understanding. It boggles my mind how this number can be so high. According to my instructor there are two major factors, money, and motivation. Basically some people really want to become pilots but can't finance the training, other people can, but basically just saw the SSH commercial on TV and are having a pipe dream. I believe (and again im only a student so perhaps I am wrong) that you need to be the breed of person who seeks out perfection, who wants to know every little tidbit of information you can get your eyes on, and also comprehend everything helicopter right down to the bread and butter of it.

 

 

Most flight schools schedule time in two hour blocks. Personally I suggest 3-5 blocks per week, and study at least 1 hour a day on top of those at home. I think this is enough to keep the material fresh while avoiding burn out.

[Misfit]

I posted a reply last night, but I am still new here, so it didn't show up yet - I hope if it does later I am not repeating myself too much!

 

Thank you all so much for your encouraging words!

 

Jeff - I read your post three times. My family is fortunately not the yelling type, and I am old enough that they don't really have any say in the matter besides their opinions, but the sentiment is almost exactly the same. Nearly word for word, "you have to be a special breed of person to fly helicopters". I hate to admit that they might have planted a seed of doubt in me. I guess what it made me wonder was, how would you know if you were (or weren't) that "breed of person"? Does that mean you had to grow up around helicopters (or airplanes)? Or do you need to be naturally gifted at everything else you've done in life? I would modestly consider myself to be of above average intelligence. I haven't been in school for awhile now, but when I was, I did well. No one has ever had trouble teaching me anything. Why should this be any different? You have to start somewhere, just like everything else, right?

 

I had to smile at the part of your story where your dad bragged to his friends about you. There is a little rebellious part of me that dreams of that happening someday.

 

I have a question about what you said - "flying helicopters is fairly easy, learning to fly them is rather difficult". Everyone says that flying a helicopter is so hard because you have to keep track of so many things at once, but it can't be like that forever, right? I mean, if you've never driven a car before, especially a stick shift, it seems impossible to keep track of the gas, the brake, the clutch, steering, and shifting, all at the same time. But everyone does it - and eventually manages to think so little about it that they can also talk, listen to the radio, and eat something while driving. I know a helicopter is much more complicated than a car, but the concept is the same, right? It becomes inherent, and subconscious reaction - I think I heard someone on here refer to it as "muscle memory"? I trust that my instructor will break it down - just like learning another language - you don't jump right into having a conversation, you start with nouns and verbs and slowly start putting them together.

 

You all have made me feel so much better about this. Thank you. I hope to see some of you out there someday.

 

Alex

[heligirl03]

Hah. This is a great thread!

 

My personal experience has been that flight training is more of a mental challenge than anything, which is why it has an 80%+ dropout rate. While at first technically a bit of a challenge, it is a continuous rollercoaster of emotion and you have no choice but to learn how to handle it, or move on to something requiring less stress management. Early on it's difficult to determine whether you are "any good" at it b/c you are just trying to get the darn thing into coordinated flight. I think the example of learning to drive a manual transition is a perfect analogy. My instructor posed it as how good I thought I was at driving a 5sp after 50hrs, as compared to 5yrs later. And as we all know, there are good drivers and horrible drivers, usually something to do with coordination and orientation; those that are naturally situationally aware, those that are completely oblivious to anything outside their personal bubble of activity. I think the same natural skills apply to flying, especially helos b/c they have a greater demand for multitasking. But it's still more of an intangible thing, as compared to one's mechanical ability or background...

 

And with flying, you can't afford to let other issues in your life affect you while in flight. I drive about 30mi to the airport. I taught myself that with 10mi to go, I tuck away all my other thoughts/worries/etc and focus only on flying...the plan, the weather, preflight, that's IT, nothing but flight thoughts from that moment until I set back down on the ramp 2hrs later. You have to expect that the rest of your life will go on around you and you can't ignore everything permanently. But you have to have a system in place for how you are going to stay safe while on the job, and you will have to revamp it for each different job situation. I think that is a VERY important factor that is not addressed often or strongly enough with students. That is the real make-or-break factor (aside from being just plain crazy).

 

Anyway, don't worry about the actual flying, that's just learning to drive. It is everything else that is really hard!!

[lelebebbel]

it's not about being "cut out" for it - it's motivation and money.

 

If you are truly motivated, you'll be able to deal with all the difficulties that you might encounter.

If you have enough money, you'll be able to take as many dual hours as you need to get the certificate.

 

Those who drop out usually do so because they lack one of the two (obviously with the exception of medical reasons or other unforseen problems).

[blave!]

Lots of good points. I agree there is no such thing as a "special breed" of people who can be pilots. That said as in any other profession there are those who will be better suited to it than others. Money and motivation are very important but not the only factors. Qualities like responsibility, a conscientious attitude towards safety, and the ability to multi-task and communicate well are also very important.

I think what gets alot of people into trouble is they underestimate the amount of sacrifice required in terms of factors like money, time, hard work, attention to detail, relocation and initially low compensation. Hence the high attrition rate. If you have an understanding of these things and the capability and motivation to overcome the obstacles then you should be able to accomplish your goals and the ultimate reward is worthwhile.

One other thing worth considering if you intend to pursue it professionally is the fact that you will more than likely have to spend some time teaching. This is something that even some real good pilots are not necessarily well suited for but like flying teaching is something most people can learn to do effectively as well. For now keep learning, get your medical, browse some text books and arrange a demo flight. Best of luck!

[Misfit]

"Money and motivation are very important but not the only factors. Qualities like responsibility, a conscientious attitude towards safety, and the ability to multi-task and communicate well are also very important...

I think what gets alot of people into trouble is they underestimate the amount of sacrifice required in terms of factors like money, time, hard work, attention to detail, relocation and initially low compensation...

One other thing worth considering if you intend to pursue it professionally is the fact that you will more than likely have to spend some time teaching."

- blave! (Sorry about the hack job! I tried to quote, but it just kept freezing up on me, so I had to do it this way!)

 

Thank you for breaking it down like that. Just for my own peace of mind, let me see:

 

Money - everyone has to find it somewhere. This is make or break, so let's assume I will have it.

Motivation - obviously there is no way to know how I will feel in a given situation, but right now, I can't think of anything that would stop me.

Responsibility/safety - I consider myself to be a very responsible person, with a good work ethic, etc, and I tend more toward the cautious side when it comes to taking risks/being safe (I always wear my seat belt!)

Communication - my whole life, I have been told that I communicate VERY well. Words have always been my friends.

Sacrifice - I have very little tying me down at this point in my life. As I said, needing the money is a universal issue. I would welcome something interesting to do with my time. I believe hard work builds character. I have so much attention to detail it's almost a fault. As with my time, I would love an excuse to move somewhere new and interesting, and I don't make very much money currently, so anything seems better to me.

Teaching - I love to impart knowledge. Not to use the driving analogy again, but I have taught several of my friends to drive a stick shift, and they all said I explained it more clearly than anyone else had, so I guess that's good, right? And I had fun doing it, at least!

 

Now the tricky part - multi-tasking. I would say that of all the things listed, this would be my weakest point. So here is my question:

 

Is there anything one can do to improve their multi-tasking skills? Training, exercises, games? I know people in the military are trained to be more alert and observant - the same is true of training for the police, FBI, etc. How do they do it? I would think this kind of training would be useful for everyone, in almost any job.

 

I'm really enjoying reading all the responses from everyone - I had no idea this would be such a popular topic! Thanks, you guys!

 

Alex

[crow]

"Money and motivation are very important but not the only factors. Qualities like responsibility, a conscientious attitude towards safety, and the ability to multi-task and communicate well are also very important...

I think what gets alot of people into trouble is they underestimate the amount of sacrifice required in terms of factors like money, time, hard work, attention to detail, relocation and initially low compensation...

One other thing worth considering if you intend to pursue it professionally is the fact that you will more than likely have to spend some time teaching."

- blave! (Sorry about the hack job! I tried to quote, but it just kept freezing up on me, so I had to do it this way!)

 

Thank you for breaking it down like that. Just for my own peace of mind, let me see:

 

Money - everyone has to find it somewhere. This is make or break, so let's assume I will have it.

Motivation - obviously there is no way to know how I will feel in a given situation, but right now, I can't think of anything that would stop me.

Responsibility/safety - I consider myself to be a very responsible person, with a good work ethic, etc, and I tend more toward the cautious side when it comes to taking risks/being safe (I always wear my seat belt!)

Communication - my whole life, I have been told that I communicate VERY well. Words have always been my friends.

Sacrifice - I have very little tying me down at this point in my life. As I said, needing the money is a universal issue. I would welcome something interesting to do with my time. I believe hard work builds character. I have so much attention to detail it's almost a fault. As with my time, I would love an excuse to move somewhere new and interesting, and I don't make very much money currently, so anything seems better to me.

Teaching - I love to impart knowledge. Not to use the driving analogy again, but I have taught several of my friends to drive a stick shift, and they all said I explained it more clearly than anyone else had, so I guess that's good, right? And I had fun doing it, at least!

 

Now the tricky part - multi-tasking. I would say that of all the things listed, this would be my weakest point. So here is my question:

 

Is there anything one can do to improve their multi-tasking skills? Training, exercises, games? I know people in the military are trained to be more alert and observant - the same is true of training for the police, FBI, etc. How do they do it? I would think this kind of training would be useful for everyone, in almost any job.

 

I'm really enjoying reading all the responses from everyone - I had no idea this would be such a popular topic! Thanks, you guys!

 

Alex

 

 

Hey Alex,

 

Don't let anyone plant any negative seeds. You only have one life... Live it the way you want. Can you drive a car?? Can you drive a stick shift?? Then you've already mastered a form of "Multi-tasking". Anything worth having takes a lot of work and perseverance. The first ten or fifteen lessons will feel like a roller coaster ride, both mentally and emotionally. Stick it out, then see how you feel after about twenty or twenty five hours. Perseverance my friend... It's the only way to know. If it weren't for dreams, we'd still be in the stone-age. Just don't take out a 70K loan yet. Take 3K and use it up... if at the end you find that you don't like it, or you can't do it, then you're only paying back a little for a helluva lot of fun!

[southernweyr]

Is there anything one can do to improve their multi-tasking skills? Training, exercises, games?

 

I personally think that if you use X-Plane or MS Flight simulator it will help you get the coordination down. I have trained a lot of people how to hover and half the battle is just figuring out which input does what. The other half is figuring how much of an input to make and when to make it. Make sure you have the pedals, the cyclic, and the collective so you can get the proper training. I have pedals, a joystick, and a seperate throttle that acts like the collective. If you can hover in x-plane then you will be able to hover in a real helicopter. I have the pitch, roll, and yaw sensitivity settings set about half.

 

I didn't think that simulators helped much at first but now that I have trained so many students how to hover I see that it really can help a person learn.

 

Here are a couple pointers:

Pedals control spins left and right.

Collective controls how high your hovering.

Cyclic controls your pitch attitude which controls your movement forwards, backwards, or side to side.

When you start looking at the horizon to control your pitch attitude it really helps.

[Rogue]

take that seed of doubt and grow it into a tree of "look at me now!"

 

your parents might know you a little better then you think, I know reverse pyschology worked on me! for some reason I loved to prove my Dad wrong and sometimes I think he was wrong on purpose just so I could prove it to him. good luck.

[Jeff]

I have a question about what you said - "flying helicopters is fairly easy, learning to fly them is rather difficult". Everyone says that flying a helicopter is so hard because you have to keep track of so many things at once, but it can't be like that forever, right? I mean, if you've never driven a car before, especially a stick shift, it seems impossible to keep track of the gas, the brake, the clutch, steering, and shifting, all at the same time. But everyone does it - and eventually manages to think so little about it that they can also talk, listen to the radio, and eat something while driving. I know a helicopter is much more complicated than a car, but the concept is the same, right? It becomes inherent, and subconscious reaction - I think I heard someone on here refer to it as "muscle memory"? I trust that my instructor will break it down - just like learning another language - you don't jump right into having a conversation, you start with nouns and verbs and slowly start putting them together.

 

Alex,

 

You have taken my point exactly right. When I first started in helicopters, I could hold a hover for about 3-5 secs. before the instructor had to take over. I gradually worked up to the point I could solo, but I was very cautious with the winds. Even after I got my Private, I was still a little tense on the control--but safe. Now, with only about 250 hours in helicopters, I am very relaxed at the controls in just about any wind condition with just the right amount of confidence and caution thrown in. It is second-nature to me at this point. I'll have students learning to hover and they can get the helicopter pretty far "whacked out" and I can just calmly take the controls and settle it down. One recommendation that I can offer you is to put any and all negative thoughts that you and others might have about your abilities to fly aside. Listen to your instructor and do what he says. There is a relatively large margin for error on your part so you don't have to worry about making mistakes. You instructor will keep you from making the big mistakes and will hopefully let you make the little ones so you can learn.

 

~Jeff

[ADRidge]

Different breed? Probably not. I don't see myself as being much different from my childhood friends other than they're engineers and lawyers now and I'm flying helicopters. I'd say the only thing that I could really describe outright as a good quality for pilots to have is my perfectionist streak. I have extremely high expectations of myself when I get into the cockpit, some would say they border on unrealistic but it motivates me in some way to do better every time I perform a maneuver. It does make for some really bad days in the cockpit, but when everything starts to gel it pays off in so many ways.

 

If you're going to learn to fly helicopters as a career, become a perfectionist. People may say otherwise, but helicopters hate to fly and really never want to. They're mad at you for making them fly and want to kill you. I'm not trying to scare you or talk you out of it, but this isn't fixed-wing by any means.

 

I'd agree with the poster who said to go put about 3 grand into flying lessons before you take out a huge loan. Get a taste for it and then decide if you want to take the plunge.

[Witch]

Perfectionist?

 

It takes all kinds to become pilots, just like everywhere else. Some are mild mannered, some are hotheads, some are perfectionists, some are dimwits. All-in-all, we're all different.

 

Take that into consideration when learning to fly.

 

Some have good habits, some have bad habits. Learn more of the good habits than bad habits.

 

Good people skills, bad people skills. Sense of humor, stick up a$$. It takes all sorts.

 

Just do your best, don't give up, and for Pete's sake, stop stalking me.

 

Later

[Fidelis]

For what it's worth, here's my two cents.

 

I am a 400 hour CFI who currently instructs 9 students full time, though I have flown with approximately 25 different students. My school is large so I have also trained and studied with many others. My students range from 0-150 hours, 19-53 years old. Regardless of age or background, I believe that there are a few students who have a unique and unnatural ability to make the helicopter perform somewhat effortlessly. While easy to train (skill-wise), these student's are rare and actually must be watched carefully so as not to become too good (in their own minds) to take direction and guidance.... a quite hazardous situation indeed.

 

The majority of student's seem to be like the rest of us. If you work hard your efforts will pay off... at least figuratively speaking (CFI's don't make much) and you will go on to do great things. You will have struggles in your training and you will also make large strides.

 

There is unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately depending on your point of view) another kind of student who cannot and should not operate an electric pencil sharpener, much less a helicopter. I can think of one such student that, despite the fact that he is the nicest person you could ever meet, and the fact that he studies diligently and has very good book knowledge, flys like he has 2 hours (he has much much more) and will probably never solo. I am not God's gift to the helicopter industry and do not get to make my student's life choices, but it is my belief that some people are not cut out for this and should move on.

 

That is not to say that you cannot overcome obstacles. Honestly, I am the kind of person who stands way back from the edge of a bridge as I am afraid of heights...... seriously. As it turns out, many pilots are.

 

Last word, in my short time in the industry I have observed that the best pilots are not necessarily the naturally talented ones, but the conservative ones. Nobody thinks you are as cool as you do.

 

Joshua

[SunHelo Mark]

For what it's worth, here's my two cents.

 

I am a 400 hour CFI who currently instructs 9 students full time, though I have flown with approximately 25 different students. My school is large so I have also trained and studied with many others. My students range from 0-150 hours, 19-53 years old. Regardless of age or background, I believe that there are a few students who have a unique and unnatural ability to make the helicopter perform somewhat effortlessly. While easy to train (skill-wise), these student's are rare and actually must be watched carefully so as not to become too good (in their own minds) to take direction and guidance.... a quite hazardous situation indeed.

 

The majority of student's seem to be like the rest of us. If you work hard your efforts will pay off... at least figuratively speaking (CFI's don't make much) and you will go on to do great things. You will have struggles in your training and you will also make large strides.

 

There is unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately depending on your point of view) another kind of student who cannot and should not operate an electric pencil sharpener, much less a helicopter. I can think of one such student that, despite the fact that he is the nicest person you could ever meet, and the fact that he studies diligently and has very good book knowledge, flys like he has 2 hours (he has much much more) and will probably never solo. I am not God's gift to the helicopter industry and do not get to make my student's life choices, but it is my belief that some people are not cut out for this and should move on.

 

That is not to say that you cannot overcome obstacles. Honestly, I am the kind of person who stands way back from the edge of a bridge as I am afraid of heights...... seriously. As it turns out, many pilots are.

 

Last word, in my short time in the industry I have observed that the best pilots are not necessarily the naturally talented ones, but the conservative ones. Nobody thinks you are as cool as you do.

 

Joshua

Whew.. all that makes me feel better!

[Misfit]

Thanks for all the good advice, guys! I feel a lot better about everything. I'm starting to think my personality might actually work in my favor in this field. And I'll fit right in - I'm already afraid of heights!

[BOATFIXERGUY]

Im only a student, but I do think most people can learn to fly.

 

I totally disagree. Flying a helicopter is extremely difficult. Sure, you can train someone to fly eventually...but on their own with other lives in the mix? I think not...

 

Just because you can do it easily doesn't make it easy for someone else. We ran a flight school for 9 years. I'm sure the other operators and CFI's will agree... Just beacuse you want to do it doesn't mean you have the talent or multi-tasking skills required to survive a flying career...

 

As a retired cop, I also trained thousands of recruits that wanted to carry a badge. It applied in that profession as well.

 

As far as the start of this topic... The type of person you are has nothing to do with your ability to learn to fly. MISFIT, if you want to try it, then do it. You'll regret it if you don't at least try.

[Parafiddle]

Misfit,

I concur with many of the comments here - "Try it out and see if you like it". I don't fly helicopters yet, but do have about 225 hrs. in single engine airplanes, including my Instrument rating. I started Instrument training at about the 80-hr. mark. I felt I could fly the airplane in a safe, conservative manner if the winds weren't too strong. When I went under the hood with my instructor during the early days of my IFR training, I was all over the sky just trying to fly straight and level, much lesss trying to make a descending turn at a constant rate of descent while intercepting an inbound course to land. My instructor said I would eventually get to the point that I could do it better than he could - and he was right. It eventually became second nature (when we were practicing it regularly) and having flown as a safety pilot when my instructor did some practice instrument approaches, I saw that my skills were sharper than his (at the time) because I was flying approaches so often. I am not saying that I was a better pilot than him (because I certainly wasn't), but by flying on a regular basis, I improved my skills and was able to complete my rating.

 

In terms of being a thrill seeker, I personally wouldn't want an adrenaline junkie at the controls of anything I was riding (helicopter, airplane or car). I have jumped out of airplanes in flight in the past (both military and civilian jumps) and actually started taking flying lessons while learning to skydive. I stuck with flying and not with skydiving because I found pilots to generally be more conservative and cautious in their approach to their activity (old pilots vs. bold pilots) as opposed to skydivers who were always pushing the limit to get a bigger thrill. As I mentioned, I have made static line military jumps, freefall civilian jumps (no tandems) as well as gone rappelling off of 150' high cliffs and love flying more than anything (and yes, I am scared of heights - hate getting on ladders). Don't let anyone tell you that you can't be a pilot unless you try it for a while and decide it isn't for you (like skydiving was for me) or you find that you just aren't up to the task, as mentioned in other postings. Bottom line - life is short, don't die with any regrets. Good luck and blue skies.