I think I only died once

[cjsmith]

After my lesson Benjamin asked "So what's your assessment?"

My reply was that I was all over the sky. He claims it wasn't that bad, and on rational reflection I have to admit that there's only one time I would have failed to land safely (one of the simulated engine failures). But it just wasn't solid, y'know?

There's a lot of LITTLE stuff that needs fixing. I'm usually, but not always, keeping the ball centered on climbout. I'm usually, but not always, keeping good control of the airspeed both on the climbout and on the approach. I'm usually, except for just one time, keeping very good alignment of the aircraft with the runway centerline on short final and flare.

Benjamin says there's not one thing that stands out for me to work on: "it all just needs to gel." Me, I get worried when I hear something like that. I start to think "So I just wait for the Good Piloting Fairy to wave her magic wand?" I have had lots of situations in my life where the only thing I could really do was wait for the ________ Fairy to come by. So far I have been disappointed every time. I hope this isn't one of those.

LVK tomorrow, if the weather holds.

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It's good that you can concretely identify progress. That's something solid with which you can answer the doubting voice. Right now I have that too; I know I am better than I was four lessons ago. When I hear "it just needs to gel" I am (perhaps unreasonably) reacting to that old scenario, the time when that's what I heard for months. This time I haven't heard it for months. I've heard it once. Maybe it's okay to hear that vague general kind of feedback for a short time.

You make a very good point about the enjoyment. Right now I'm flying for the sake of being current. This is the first of a series of steps that will get me back to the kind of flying I love. I love aerobatics. Spins and rolls and loops and hammerheads, G-forces and dizziness -- that's the good stuff. I could spontaneously burst into song after a session of that. Getting current in a basic training airplane is step one, then getting current with a tailwheel aircraft is step two (probably a Citabria, and I can do some light acro in those), and finally I will step up to a more capable aerobatic machine. By that time I'll be doing what I love.

Thanks. It helps. :-)

[gjo.livejournal.com]

I never realised Citabria is Air Batic backwards.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

:-) The joke goes that just like the spelling, it's almost an aerobatic plane!