Flying tips from pilots.?

Question

I would love some tips from pilots on how to make flying easier, like how to hold altitude and tips for talking to the controllers etc. Im 15 and have been flying since i was 13, i have 27 hours flight time in cessna 172's. i will be able to solo in two months and im a little nerves i don't know everything i need to know because the instructors ive had were not very helpful. So any tips you can tell me would be greatly appriciated.

Answer 1

ATC was never an issue for me. I did my training at an airport in Class Bravo so there was really no choice but to talk to them. Your first few lessons should have covered the very fundamentals of flight: climbs, turns, decents, slow flight etc while maintaining everything.

If your instructor is that bad, get a new one. Mine didn't even let me solo until I had everything down. At 27 hours, you have a lot more time than I did on solo. Just practice and you'll be ok.

Answer 2

Flying is basically a skill.  With that in mind, all skills are developed through constant practice.All of the great pilots have been successful with their proficiency due to constant practice.  However,due to financial reasons, we could not fly all the time.  The next best thing that you can do is what we call in the airforce- "bunkfly".  It is basically imagining what you would do from pre-flight, cockpit, starting, taxi/run-up, take-off,climb,cruise,descent,landing, missed approaches and shutdown..you could do this while sitting in a chair with your checklist in hand or lying down in your bunks(bed), hence the term....it will really helped a lot for bunkflying will help you when you strapped on.the procedures will be imbibed in your system....MS flight simulator programs also help in terms with your instrument proficiency especially in cross-checks.

on holding altitude-basically procedural,all you have to do is feel the yoke and not fight it.as you may have learned, use the trim to relieve control pressure.cross check your attiutde indicator and altimeter for this will give you the real picture of the attitude of the aircraft..dont rely too much on your VVI/VSI for this instrument has a slight lag or you will be doing broncos in the air if youre trying to zero it.you use this instrument for confirmation with the other two instruments.

radio phraseologies-think before speaking....when called by the controller especially if given instructions,the safest thing to do is read back what he/she said.follow the ABCs of radio phraseology-Accurate,Brief,Concise..

about your instructors, if they are not very helpful,change them....we have a saying at flight school-"if the student failed to learned,the instructor failed to teach"...you have the right to ask them especially if they are paid to teach the rudiments of flight....

dont worry, your time is more than enough for the solo phase, i soloed the cessna 172 in 15 hours...just study your procedures and bunkfly,you will be fine

Answer 3

Your instructor is teaching you only what you need to know to pass your written test for private pilot. It is really on your shoulders to further educate through reading, asking, and lots and lots of cross country flying. There are also some good comm. cd s available.

Answer 4

Well when I first started flying my instructor pointed to the sky and said, "That's the sky" then he pointed to the ground and said, "That's the ground". Confine your flying between these 2 points.

Hey, works for me

Answer 5

get a new instructor.

The info you want to know is at the basic level of learning to fly. If you cannot hold altitude +/- 200 feet(PTS standards,)

you are NOT ready to solo. (I demand 100 ' for my students). Talking to ATC can be very intimidating for the new pilot. I recommend you buy Bob Gardner's book

"Say Again, Please: Guide to Radio Communications"

Answer 6

Honestly, the best book I've ever read on handling an aircraft was stick & rudder.  He teaches you to think in angles, how the aircraft responds to controls and why, and the proper way to handle an aircraft.  Also I can't stress enough studying on your own time.  Not only will it keep you up on procedures, but it will help keep yesterday's lesson fresh in your mind.  You should be fine.  The most important thing to remember is to plan ahead, and be prepared for anything.

Answer 7

Zac,

This is a good question but a difficult one to answer.

First you need to have the plane trimmed for level flight. I found that a lot of students did not trim the aircraft correctly. If you are trimmed correctly you should be able to let go of the control wheel and pretty much stay level in smooth air. After the plane is trimmed take a look out the window and remember that "picture" Pick a smashed bug spot or something like the cowling and see where it is in relation to the horizon. Then you can cross check with the VSI to see if you are level but remember that the VSI has a lag to it. When you want to fly straight and level put the nose of the plane in that "picture" you remembered from before. There is more to it but that is the quick and dirty of it.

ATC communication will come with time so I wouldn't worry to much right now. If you are flying at a controlled airport try to fly when it isn't so busy. Anticipate what the controller is going to say.  I use to "chair fly" and still do, sit in a chair, close your eyes and visualize a flight from start to taxi, takeoff, and landing. You can buy a cheap scanner and listen to the communication between the controllers and pilots, the trouble with that is you need to be close to the airport to hear the controllers and not just the pilots.

Please don't have the expectation of when you are going to solo. I know it is a big day but more than likely it will happen when you least expect it. Your instructor will know before you do. It is normal to be nervous and you will NEVER learn all there is to learn about flying. If anyone tells you they do, they are a liar or they are very very dangerous to themselves and everyone around them.  Good Luck.

Answer 8

How to focus your instructor?

Switch the engine off in mid flight, sure brings the best out of 'em!

Answer 9

Trim, Trim, Trim, Trim and...Trim. Try trimming the airplane after every change in rpm. Also, whenever climbing try to adjust power and trim whenever you are about 100 ft of your desired altitude. As for talking on the radios, no problem. Many controllers will be more patient and wont give you as difficult instructions to follow if you just say " student pilot" after your call sign. For example: "XYZ Tower, Cessna 123 student pilot, requesting..." Many times it is sufficient to say it only once per every new frequency.

Something that really helped me out alot was to listen on my computer to other pilots talking. Go to www. liveatc.net and choose one of many airports and frequencies on there. You are able to listen to ATC and other pilots live. What you should do then is try to imitate what they say and see if you can follow and repeat ATC instructions back. It's really fun, I still have fun with that.

Answer 10

Hi Zac -

Apollo is right. The reason I don't fly any longer is that I do not consider myself safe in the air if I do not fly at least once a week. You need to decide if this is worth doing. If it is, then devote enough time so that you can practice enough to get confidence in the air. Don't blame your instructor. I had an instructor who used to reach over and grab the hose to my oxygen mask so he could swing my head around to teach me to clear. I hated that. But he was the best instructor I had.

Take your time. Don't hold the controls in a death grip - you can't react properly if your nervously squeezing the yoke. Trim, trim, trim - all the time - so you're not fighting the aircraft. Think about what you're going to say on the mic before you open the channel. Keep radio chatter to a minimum. Take responsibility for your own instruction. Good Luck.

Answer 11

On holding altitude: keep the rate of climb needle in your crosscheck. Just glance at it, and make a small correction if it's climbing or descending. Don't stare at it until it zeroes...just check back with it occasionally to keep it moving toward zero.

On ATC: keep in mind that the ATC folks are doing their job because you are flying...not the other way around. Don't be intimidated. Most controllers will take into account that you are a student if you let them know. Don't be afraid to use "Say again" if you don't get it, or ask for further explanation. Unless you're flying into a major jet airport, the controllers will be willing to take the time to help you.

Answer 12

I guess it is just a wait of time before you perfect it... you would have been taught to change the trim, but besides that theres not a lot more... just practice :)

Answer 13

If you've been flying since you were 13 you should have all of your PPL bookwork done and your written exam completely prepared by now.  If you aren't already completely prepared you're past due.  If you haven't got a good study guide and books to learn from you're on the wrong side of the power curve.  The library and book store always have more, more, more for you to read.  Don't stop learning.

If your instructors aren't very helpful you either need to get ones that are, or consider the possibility that the instructors are helping you enough but you just aren't learning enough.  It's up to you to learn and know.  They can lead you or point you in the right direction.  But you have to do the learning.  I can't tell from here which is the problem, but it's still true that if you don't actively learn you're making a mistake.  You are responsible for learning.  The instructor is not responsible for you learning.

Be thorough in your preparation for every flight.

Keep it trimmed.

Talking to the controllers is simple.  Tell them who you are, where you are, and what you want to do.  

"Topeka Tower this is Cessna 5978Y, 10 miles west of the field at 5000 feet, inbound for touch and gos."

After every flight think about what you did and what you should have done instead.  Learn from every flight.  

Keep going back to the library and the book store.

Answer 14

Unfortunately, there really aren't any simple tips or tricks that will automatically fix your flying. Learning those skills requires frequent personal interaction with an instructor.

Don't worry that you don't know everything, and don't worry if your flying and communication skills are not totally perfect yet. Even if you had 100 hours instead of 27, there would still be a lot to learn.

Having said that, if your skills really are not ready for solo flight, there are two likely reasons. 27 hours over two years means that you are averaging only 1-2 flights per month. If you are training that infrequently, it will be harder for you to retain your training. I would suggest trying to fly at the very least once per week leading up to your solo. Don't neglect the ground school and self study either. More frequent lessons will boost your skills and confidence a lot.

The other possible reason for your difficulty is the instructor who is not very helpful. If your instructors are unwilling to teach you properly, then you need to find another instructor or another flight school. You are spending a great deal time, effort, and money for training, so make sure you find a dedicated instructor. You should find someone you trust and someone who genuinely wants you to learn. If it is possible, you should also try to avoid switching instructors (that is, once you have found a good instructor, you should stick with them rather than changing each lesson).

I hope it helps. Good luck with your training!