I think something is not right...

[Splash_One 0]

Hey Everyone, This post is in regards to flying lessons. Upon arrival to the airport, I meet up with my instructor, and walk out to the aircraft. I do the preflight and after that we get into the plan, taxi to the run-up area then takeoff to the practice area. So far we have done slow flight, power on/off stalls, emergency landing practice, all the procedures that go along with it, take offs, landings by myself in three lessons. After landing we taxi over to the fuel pumps and fuel her up. After that we shut down and tie up, is that the end of the lesson? I thought there was supposed to be a de-brieifing/postflight talk - only thing we have done is walk into the office, sign my logbook, and say goodbye. I'm not told to review anything, and I haven't been given any books to study from asides from the "Student Pilots Flight Manual" from William k. Kershner (spelling?) that I look over and read/study things that we did. I have seen other instructors with their students talking over maps at the desks and reading things from books. Maybe I haven't gotten to this stage yet that this is needed? My Instructor has worked here for two and a half years so I'm sure he must know what he is doing with flight lesson planning. Can I have your input on this guys? I'm kinda getting worried that I forgot to ask something besides the actual flight training. My next lesson is tommorow so If I could get some quick responses I could patch some things up... Thank You Much In Advance,Jason :-wave

[Guest]

Are you attending a structured flight school, part 61 or 141?If so, did you sign a training contract of some type when you paid your deposit?Is this just an FBO operation, which rents to several area instructors?It

[Splash_One 0]

>Are you attending a structured flight school, part 61 or 141?If so, did you sign a training contract of some type when you paid your deposit?-Part 61 Flight School, never was a contract of any type. Should there have been?Is this just an FBO operation, which rents to several area instructors?- -Not sure what you mean, its a fully staffed flight school, 7 instructors, on-station FAA inspector, two mechanics, simulators, CATS How old is your instructor?-I think he said he was 27, I'll have to re-check that. He works seven days a week with about 5-6 students a day , according to what he said :) Is your instructor a part time CFI or fulltime CFI?-Full time CFIJason :-wave

[Guest]

Drawing on my past experience as both a part 61 and 141 instructor you should have signed some type of a contract IF you are following a structured course.But that

[Splash_One 0]

Ok, I'll do that, ask him about the course. Would you have any recommendations of bringing the topic up with him? I don't want it to sound like he isn't doing his job... :(If im not on a structured course, what course of action should I take? New instructor? Sorry about all the questions :(Jason :-wave

[Jeff Nielsen 1,386]

Well, every instructor is different..I remember going through a couple myself. 1 got a job with a charter outfit and the new kid I received was just 25 years old and marking time until he could get enough multi-engine time to be able to interview with a regional. Both were very good and we discussed before (what I/we wanted to do) , and some general after thoughts (not always an in-depth de-brief) after we got back. The main thing is that there was always dialogue before, during, and after the flights.My main beef with the Flight Instruction industry as a whole, is that there seems to be very little mentoring any more. Without mentoring and someone teaching you "about" aviation, the prosepective student is more likely to fly for the wrong reasons...IMHO. Anyone (and I mean anyone can learn to "fly" an aircraft in just 1-2 hours), but you have to spend more than 8 hours before solo and hopefully more than the minimum 40 hours to be able to take your checkride, before I think you can fly "reasonably well" and make sound decisions.Sometimes my instructor and I would just go out and fly -- nothing special to do but just relax and fly for fun. Then we would get down to doing the different PTS manuevers. Granted, we only did that maybe 2-3 times, but I think that helped alot and made a lot of difference in how I fly today. Just someone elses 2cents again :-)

[Jeff Nielsen 1,386]

And JP...his instructor should know where he's at in his flight training and go from there..sometimes..yes..people just walk up and go up for maybe 1-2 lessons then the instructor never hears from them again..but it sounds like maybe this gentleman is supposed to be learning from hour 1..I might be wrong here.

[Splash_One 0]

Thanks for your thoughts on this, Jeff. Hopefully he is just getting me situated in the aircraft with all the basics (and then some) of flight, then we will get down to business....hopefully. Jason :-waveEDIT: I'm 15 years old, maybe he is stretching out the lessons in order to reach 17? During summer, now, I go once a week, during the school year i'll go once every other week, maybe sooner. By the time I am 17, I will have about 60 hours of flight under my belt, and should be ready for the check-ride...

[Jeff Nielsen 1,386]

Jason,Don't be afraid to ask him or even question him if you feel the need to. Never, ever, be afraid to ask any question no matter how "stupid" you might think it is.And good luck in your flight training..better yet..congratulations!

[Splash_One 0]

>Don't be afraid to ask him or even question him if you feel the need to. Never, ever, be afraid to ask any question no matter how "stupid" you might think it isI'll keep that fresh in mind tommorow, and thanks for the kind thoughts in my flight training :)Jason :-wave

[Guest]

>EDIT: I'm 15 years oldOkay knowing your age, I would not have written a lot of what I did, you

[Guest tgabriel]

Hi Jason,The above advice is all very good - take it all to heart!. If you don't ask you will never find out. Also, your lack of questions might be taken by the instructor as disinterest on your part. You never know what is going on in someone's head.When I was training for my ticket, my first instructor acted like a Marine DI instead of a CFI and I had just finished 4 years of the Crotch and didn't want any of that. One of his fellow CFIs was a laid back pilot who had been around for a hundred years or so and one afternoon he asked me if I would like to go up to Mackey Bar up in the mountains of Idaho's back country with him the next morning. He had to go up there to pick up some equipment a river runner left from an earlier trip. I told him I couldn't wait and the next morning at zero dark thirty, we rotated in his Cessna 206 and headed north out of Boise to the Salmon River canyon. http://www.mountainflying.com/Idaho%20Photos/MackeyBar0.jpgBy that afternoon I had a new instructor and HAVE a lifelong friend. At that point I had about 15 hours and was no where near soloing. Within 3 more hours of dual time, I soloed and I got my ticket in just 40 hours. If you don't like what you are into now, change it.

[Splash_One 0]

Thats a relief, I'm just taking it slow with the lessons, if all goes as planned I'll be all set at 17 :) Thanks for all your help on this, JP, Jeff and Gabriel (sorry, don't know if its your first name?) :D Greatly appreciated :)

[Guest AAF]

I'm going to be humor's advocate here and say that the reason that your instructor isn't giving you the old postflight is because you must be doing everything right. :-lol Good flying, Jason!

[Guest jrewing]

Hey Jason,You've already received some great advice, but I'll just add one thing: Talk to your instructor about your concerns, whether it be the lack of a post-flight debriefing or anything else. A good instructor will listen to your feedback as well as give you feedback on your performance.I think that a post-flight debriefing is very important because it allows the instructor to summarize what went well and what needs work. It also is the time to decide what the next lesson will cover and assign homework or reading.A big part of staying motivated as a student pilot is knowing how your doing, where you're headed, and what the short-term goals are. You can learn to fly without feedback and structure, but it's harder and not as much fun. So if you're not getting what you need from your instructor, just try asking for it.Good luck with your training!John