Hello all! i am pretty new here and just have a quick question.
How was flight school for you and was it difficult (i know all schooling is not easy but)
Aviation airplanes and pilots has always been something i have been into even as a young child and I am seriously consiring going to flight school!
any tips tricks or your storys would be greatly appriciated
Ciara,
While different people learn differently and have varying levels of skill, intelligence etc, I don’t you’ll find many people who would say flight school is easy. In fact I believe most find it pretty challenging. The flying part actually isn’t that difficult (at least not at the beginning) but there’s a considerable amount of rules, regulations and aeronautical knowledge to be learned. That’s part of the reason not everyone who wants one gets a flying job in the military. While not rocket science, it’s simply not something that every person can or should do.
That said again you don’t need to be a genius nor have the hand eye coordination of a sharp shooter. In my experience its more a matter of putting in the time and effort. Many think it’s like driving a car (which its not), get frustrated and quit but again if it’s truly something you’d like to do and are willing to work hard you’ve got a good chance of being successful.
If this is something you’re seriously considering you really should go to your local flight school (if there’s an ATP close by even better) and take an intro flight or lesson and see what it’s really about.
Adam
Thank you so much!
Ciara,
Flight school is challenging. If you’ve been to college, imagine that same demand for studying in to your grounds studies but you have a 1/4 of the time to get the same amount of studying in. Instead of a semester for a subject, you get 3 months for private, 2.5 for instrument, 1 month for commercial, etc. Each rating you get less and less time to prepare as you progress through the program.
The flying part can be challenging as well. You’ll find out soon enough whether you have a natural ability with the plane or not. If you do, it may come easier than others. If it doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world, just another learned task. I’d take an intro flight and see how that goes! Flight school is achievable but it has to be the center of your attention and you have to give it all your efforts. Cant treat it like an extra curricular activity.
-Hannah
Ciara,
I would describe flight school as rather challenging, but certainly not brain surgeon school either. I found the instrument training to be the most difficult, but I passed the check ride just fine. I would say the biggest barrier for students that struggle is simply a lack of hard work and determination. Almost every pilot that I have seen who is truly dedicated to the task has done well.
Chris
Ciara,
This forum is full of stories and testimonies. The most important thing that you can do to determine if flying is a good fit for you is to take an intro flight, but in general, yes. Learning to fly is hard. As the others have said, the knowledge is harder than the actual flying itself. My best advice is to approach flight training with 100% responsibility. If you take initiative you will do well. If you don’t take enough responsibility and hope that your instructor will teach you everything you need to know, you will struggle.
Tory