Here’s a thoughtful piece by John Zimmerman (for Sporty’s Pilot Shop online) that has the virtue of giving you a broader picture of the flight training experience. *** I’ll share the highlights, then urge you to link on over and join the discussion – there are reader comments and you can weigh in yourself. *** The article is 7 Things Your Flight Instructor Won’t Tell You. John isn’t out to accuse instructors of duplicity, but rather acknowledge that in order to pass on a wealth of information, things get unintentionally glossed over: • Students are likely to take more than the minimum of 20 hours (Sport Pilot) or 40 hours (Private Pilot) to get their tickets; • A Recreational license is still a viable alternative to both… if you can find a school offering the training; • Don’t show up unprepared for a lesson… CFIs don’t like it and it adds to your training hours; • You need both pitch and power to control airspeed and altitude. (This is fun, I talk to people all the time who fall on one side or the other of this tireless debate); • Good crosswind landings use both slip and crab; • Decision-making is hardest on the ground, i.e., “Should I really fly today?” • Flying can, and will, change your life in ways you never considered. *** Jon’s article is a good read with good comments from readers, too.
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