Just not getting it | TheaterFire

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Cherokee260@reddit

Can you clarifying what exactly both your CFIs have been teaching you wrong? How did you come to the assertion that they were wrong and you were right, what source? And do not continue with your ride unless you are able to pass all maneuvers. I would cancel the test.

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Whole_Panda1384@reddit (OP)

Lots about XC planning like navlogs and weight and balance and not using flaps in a forward slip. I was taught how to properly do a navlog and weight and balance by my new cfi. Specifically with navlogs it was TOC and weight and balance it was where I was getting my info. My old CFI started slacking near to when he got fired (attested by other students as well)

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Cherokee260@reddit

Flaps in a forward slip are advised against in early 172 models but not in newer ones. The airframes are not all the same. The nav log stuff does sound pretty cut and dry though. So what is your second CFI wrong about, you mentioned that?

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Whole_Panda1384@reddit (OP)

My second cfi was wrong abt the forward slip thing. Also my first cfi told me that you should wait 4 seconds after traffic passes your wing tip in the pattern to turn while my new cfi told me to turn when they’re abeam your wing tip. Another thing that conflicted me is differences in procedures like 65kts for soft field (new cfi) instead of 61kts (old cfi)

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CaliAv8rix@reddit

Something like "wait 4 seconds" can't be a blanket rule. If your plane is faster than the plane you're following, 4 seconds might be appropriate, you might need more than 4. If your plane is slower, you can turn abeam the wingtip. No one is right or wrong here. It's a dynamic situation and you have to make judgement calls.

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Cherokee260@reddit

Speeds are gonna be specified by vspeeds. You’re not specifying how the CFI was wrong. And the time you turn in following traffic depends on the speed of the traffic and how much distance you have between you and the end of that runway. I routinely turn in to follow jets and airliners right as they pass the wing. ‘4 seconds’ is making hardly any difference.

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dummyinstructor@reddit

Read your planes POH for soft field procedures and follow whatever it says. That way if your instructor gets upset you can show him the POH and tell him to lighten up.

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Pilot-Imperialis@reddit

If your landings aren’t routinely ACS, cancel the checkride.

Do you have to go to ERAU this semester? Why not start later?

I worked with a pt 61 trained private student who made it into Horizon’s Ascend cadet program at our school while studying for his private elsewhere (we are predominantly 141). His plan was to get his private then start with us for his IR. He perceived having a time crunch to start at our school so felt the pressure and busted his checkride. Still under pressure he did the recheck the next day, and busted again. Al because he was desperate to be part of this specific class. Don’t let that be you.

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Whole_Panda1384@reddit (OP)

They generally are especially normal take offs and landings, it’s mainly short/soft field
Yes I have a lot of scholarships on the line
I’m really trying not to feel pressured but in a way I do. I have much confidence in myself to pass (I passed my mock oral, literally only thing wrong with my flying is the landings and I’ve been scheduled to have like a landing marathon this week), I’m just worried that if I don’t then I won’t be able to attend erau for at least this semester and get rid of all the scholarships we worked so hard for.

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Slight-Check-6718@reddit

ERAU gives out scholarships like candy. Don't make your decision based on that, they're making you feel like you're exclusive. Go somewhere else.

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jtyson1991@reddit

What troubleshooting have you done for your landings, have you tried any of these? Rounding out higher, using more trim, using a different approach speed, more or less flaps, looking further down the runway, adjusting your seat height. You mentioned flaring in another reply. Flaring isn't something you do, it's just the configuration the plane is in during a proper touchdown. Think of it that way.

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Clunk500CM@reddit

>"I’m really trying not to feel pressured but in a way I do."

Shit...if it was a week before a checkride and I wasn't routinely nailing ACS I would feel pressured!

Cancel the checkride and get a different instructor to help you with your landings.

Nothing against your current CFI; but if your current CFI getting your landings to ACS, then try a different CFI for just the landings.

FWIW: my last CFI was great, except for short field landings. We tried many times but it just wasn't getting through to me. Flying with a different instructor was the solution.

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x4457@reddit

To add - do you have to go to ERAU at all?

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Positive-Leopard-118@reddit

Nobody has to go to ERAU, but those select few that are chosen by the aviation gods are granted the almighty privilege to attend the "Harvard of the skies" and take their place among such prestigious alumni as... checks notes... a bunch of unemployed CFIs with $320k of debt...

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ltcterry@reddit

Mostly not-yet CFIs I suspect.

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run264fun@reddit

(Oooooof)

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papiperflyer@reddit

At 70 hours rn and half way through my instrument at a part 61 school. I guess everyone goes at different paces.

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SRM_Thornfoot@reddit

Read the room.

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LordCrayCrayCray@reddit

Try a different CFI. I struggled with landings at the end and a new CFI, (whk had just graduated from Riddle) switched me to a flaos 45 landing and it just clicked.

I was just doing currency and my landings went shit with a CFI so he asked another to help. Bam. Turns out that he wanted to have me go in at a very slow final.

Sometimes there is that one thing that you just need explained for you.

By the way, my instructor from Riddle was superb. He is now flying for the regionals. Not that I condone or not condone the school. I’m just a PPL hobbyist.

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Colder_Heavens@reddit

What exactly is wrong with your landings?

No one is going to be able to give you advice on perfecting your landings unless you mention what is going wrong.

Also there is no reason to go to ERAU unless your parents are paying for it. Even then, you’d probably be better off staying part 61 and pocketing the difference.

Unless you have a full ride the scholarship means nothing.

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Whole_Panda1384@reddit (OP)

Mainly flaring and centerline. But for some reason that was only for today like my normal landings are mostly fine otherwise but I do seriously need to work on short and soft field. I literally live 20mins from the school so I don’t need to pay for housing, I got my first semester tuition down to only 7k (not incl flight costs)

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sweetchilliphilii@reddit

I’m doing my PPL and have my check ride scheduled next week. I think I clocked AT LEAST 140 landings before a solo (I also switched flight schools right before my first school was about to solo me and I had to learn a new plane at the new school).

I struggled with the flare timing. Biggest thing that helped was when the instructor told me that if you start flying up from, the runway (from flaring too much too fast), just stop pulling back and hold the yoke where it is until the plane settles back down again, maybe release a little bit, and just keep the plane in ground effect for as long as possible.

Once I could recover a landing from poor flaring, I got more confident and felt comfortable getting closer to the ground and it’s night and day.

Anyway, I also was getting really frustrated with stagnating at landings. I rode with another instructor to get some perspective and he said “don’t worry, it sometimes takes me student 4-5 flights to get landings down” which didn’t help much because that was my 10th flight of straight pattern work.

Hope this helps!

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cmmurf@reddit

If the only problem is landings, get a referral for an instructor with an emphasis on landings.

Ask your assigned DPE if you don't trust anyone in your current organization to give you a referral.

Part of the problem with the soft and short field landings could be their synthetic nature when done on pavement. Perhaps you aren't really understanding their purpose because your field is neither soft nor short.

Soft field landings are normal landings with emphasis on protecting the nose gear. That's it.

Why not always protect the nose gear? Of course you want to land on the mains first no matter the runway. But "emphasis on protecting the nose gear" is a result of the turf being quite significantly uneven. It's soft but bouncy and you don't want to be bouncing the nose gear, it's not designed for it. And you don't want to risk a prop strike, that's really bad.

Short field landings are not so normal. You need to imagine a runway length that differs from the one you're actually using. That means a spot landing in order to meet the expected rollout performance. And that also means nailing your airspeed. You will want to be on a finer tolerance to proceed with the landing, and if it's not looking right, go around.

Anyway, reading more isn't going to help as much as getting in the airplane so focus on getting a referral and go fly.

And the day before, stop thinking about it. Get good sleep. Don't study. Do be organized. And don't let small boo boos worry you. We're all making small mistakes most every flight and we commit to doing better each time, but don't get distracted by them.

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dummyinstructor@reddit

If the're consistently outside of standards, cancel the checkride.

You could also tell the DPE your situation and ask to get squeezed in before the ERAU ramp on date.

Worst case scenario you stick it out at a part 61 school.

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Whole_Panda1384@reddit (OP)

The thing with that is that my parents are keen on me going to riddle and doing my training there since they don’t trust “mom and pop” schools anymore because of my situation

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dummyinstructor@reddit

Fair. Although it is your training not theirs.

I'd argue that the flying at a 61 school will be very equal if not better than that of a 141 school, the only major difference is the level of ground knowledge necessary to pass. It will probably also be cheaper than ERAU even with the scholarships, as flight time at a 141 school is often more expensive than the school lets on.

Have you tried talking to the DPE about moving the checkride back a few more days to let you get some more reps in while also being able to make the ramp-on date?

Assuming you're from around that area, there are plenty of flight schools around there, no need to rush your training.

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Huzzard707@reddit

Were your landings always not up to acs standards? Or are you just having a bad period? If they were always bad I’d probably cancel rn especially with your cfi situation but if you understand how to do them properly I would (depending on how far in advance you have to cancel) try and get as many flights in, probably 3ish at this point being a week out get with a different cfi and just get those reps in. That said though it sounds like you have a lot riding on this so check with the DPE for the unlikely chance that he is available on the 24th or any date before you start embry (if that works for you) so that you have the most amount of time to prepare.

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smuggyyy@reddit

Tough spot to be in. But doesn't sound unrecoverable. It's of course difficult for those remotely like us to gauge if you are just over anxious or if you're actually ill prepared. But my thoughts below.

How much have you been exposed to stress or other anxiety inducing situations in life? If not much, then try to balance this out. This is a big thing you're doing, and to put it bluntly, probably the biggest thing you've done so far in life?

It's actually good you are nervous and that you've established your weakness, and I assume by default, thus also strengths?

Go and focus on your weak elements. If that’s the landings, get more flights asap and focus on what you need to get right.

Also remember, not everything needs to be perfect on a checkride, you need to be consistently within the standards, aka make sure to talk through your adjustments in flight, this shows the instructor more than landing exactly where you said you would.

Have you consumed as many of the mock checkrides on YouTube? If not, make sure you do, spend another 5 to 6 hours doing that, pause the video, answer your question, if you get it wrong, write it on a flashcard. That will set you up great for the oral portion, which also to the aforementioned, isn't gonna be perfect.

Outside of the knowledge portion, and I am saying this because your are anxious, don't forget to prep your paperwork, your route, tabbing your logbook, show up organized because that is the first impression. If you set foot frazzled and nothing prepped you're losing out on one of the easier non knowledge based wins you can get in a checkride, organization and prep, showing them you are ready.

Outside of those few things, IF you are certain you can't nail your maneuvers or landings. Reschedule. If to your point you cannot reschedule because of a class date, honestly you're just going to have to do everything you can and show up the best you can be prepared.

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TheOriginalJBones@reddit

Are you a shorter person? If so, you might think about sitting on a cushion to get your eye-line up where you can see the cowling. That makes a huge difference.

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81dank@reddit

You need a better instructor. You should cancel the check ride. You can practice the landing working on a new flight maneuver…. Make sure you are nailing your airspeeds and then fly down to where you are through your round out and entering the flair… now use slow flight and fly the plane 1-2 feet off the runway do this a few times and then pick a place to land it once you have complete control in slow flight just above the runway.

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MockCheckrideDotCom@reddit

Send me a message. I have been doing checkride prep for candidates for a decade and will give you a no-bs assessment this evening if you'd like. No charge.

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Fair-Quantity3028@reddit

Oof why erau??

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Positive-Leopard-118@reddit

Who wouldn't want to attend the "Harvard of the Skies"? /s

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OkSwan6464@reddit

Tough post to make on Reddit the day before your check ride. I’d delete this and come back and ask for advice after your check ride. Good luck.

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Positive-Leopard-118@reddit

Ride is next week, still has time to cancel. Read the post.

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brightlife28@reddit

Ask to switch it up with instructors. Every instructor is better at teaching certain things. I often had other CFIs ask me to go up with their students to iron out landings. While I often asked others to do the same with my students.

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Positive-Leopard-118@reddit

Sounds like you've gotten unlucky with bad CFIs. Unless you're actively attempting to get the instructor killed, there's really no reason for yelling at any stage of your training, let alone PPL.

Are there other instructors at your outfit that you could fly with this week to get a fresh set of eyes? Doing mock checkride(s) with instructors you haven't flown with before is really common and strongly encouraged.

Nobody feels "ready" going into the PPL because it's your first checkride. However, if you're right that your landings are not within ACS standards, I would be looking for a new CFI to give you some pointers this week. If they still aren't to spec, then it might be worth a discussion with your primary instructor on if going for a checkride is the right move or not.

Anecdotally, I can tell you that I've always flown better on checkrides than I do with instructors.

Also, sorry to hear you're attending ERAU. My condolences to your finances.

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

I’ve been grinding for my PPL since November. I have about 90 hours and my checkride is this Monday the 18th. I’m still struggling on my landings. All of mine weren’t ACS (my maneuvers are great). I don’t know why I’m not getting it I’ve been studying non stop and flying non stop and I’m terrified that I’m not gonna pass my checkride. I start ERAU on the 25th and if I don’t pass I’m literally cooked. I’m under so much stress rn and I don’t know what to do except just fly more. For more context I’ve been with a 61 school and my precious CFI kind of fucked me over by getting fired and teaching me shit wrong and I had to do my checkride prep all over again with a new CFI who even then is still sometimes teaching me the wrong shit and yelling at me and pretty much humbling me non stop. I feel so conflicted about everything I’ve learned and it’s really taking a toll on both my ground knowledge and flying knowledge. I’m trying not to beat myself up about all of this but it’s really starting to screw with not just me but my family as well with the money that’s gone into this. Any advice?

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