WingFlaps wrote:
On Feb 16, 10:49 am, Dudley Henriques wrote:
WingFlaps wrote:

As for your own situation, just the fact that you are seeking out
aerobatics tells me that the odds of you achieving your goal of becoming
a better all around pilot are high. You will need to make the pairing of
which I speak. The rest will come easily and naturally to you.


So far, I've flown with three instructors and I have noted that the
older instructors have a different way about them The young one was
always complaining if I did not do a manouver to his satisfaction.
That changed when I went out and tried a trail flight with aanother
instructor. We were working our way through the PTS curriculum when he
said "OK glide down that valley below the ridges and turn 180 at the
end." I glided down the right side and then went into a steep turn
adding gobs of power to make a very steep 180 -the valley looked
dangerously narrow to my inexperienced eye. He said nothing and did
nothing while I did this sweaty palm (for me) manouver. We made it
with space to spare and then he said "let me show you another way". He
did not offer criticism. He dropped into the slow flight configuration
from the glide and turned much more easily. No gobs of power or steep
angles just a medium rate slow turn. I realized that although I knew
the technicality of flying the plane quite well my airmanship was not
good, I was not _using_ the plane or my skills to best outcome. After
the flight he said, "You've been flying with an instructor too much,
you need more solo time". At that point I had about 60 hours dual and
12 solo but my mind was always wound up expecting a complaint from the
right seat -I was so unrelaxed I just could not learn. The older
instructors seem to just like being there (even with me) and, dare I
say it, even seem to enjoy my audacity in attempting to become a
pilot.

Cheers



The old Canyon Turn. There are several ways to extricate yourself from a
blind canyon. That was one of them, and it works. The more training and
proficient you become as a pilot the more options become available to
you in circumstances like these.

The average fighter pilot for example, if faced with a blind canyon turn
situation wouldn't hesitate to use the vertical plane to cut down the
horizontal turning component for the airplane and possibly make the turn
in that manner.
As a highly trained aerobatic pilot, perhaps a Hammerhead turn would do
the trick.

Or, as a simple pilot who took the trouble to make himself/herself a
better pilot through added training with a real fine CFI, perhaps I
wouldn't be in that blind canyon to start with :-))

As for the age factor in CFI's; it could be a player of course, but I
wouldn't rely on it as a common denominator. You can find young
instructors out there who are excellent teachers and have all the
attributes I've mentioned.

Of course, some of us "older folk" have our good points as well.


--
Dudley Henriques