Another Frustrated Student Pilot

In response to those who suggested that perhaps the other frustrated student
was too fearful to proceed, there ARE other things that get in the way of a
person's desire to fly. Maybe not to the point of making a "promising student"
quit, but at least to cause a significant setback! Here's my story:

I began airplane instruction in August in a Cessna. No one has been more
devoted than I, beginning with the ground school and getting the written exam
out of the way, then being available whenever my instructor suggested we fly
and spending countless hours reading and studying at home.

In October, just after I soloed, little things started to go wrong with the
airplane, not significant enough to ground us, but things that needed attention
nonetheless: nav lights out (aren't they supposed to be disconnected and
labeled inoperative?), primer frozen shut (POH says to use the primer, not pump
the throttle), nosewheel is dry and cracked, and radio was intermittent and
even cut out completely once on my CFI and me. This was the biggest source of
worry for ME, as a new solo pilot, not only because I did not want to have to
deal with a failed radio during initial solo flights, but also because ATCs
made no secret that they were understandably annoyed with our garbled radio
transmissions. The last thing a new solo pilot needs is to have ATCs annoyed
with them! After repeatedly being told to "jiggle the switch" and spray contact
cleaner into the jacks, they finally got the radio working dependably again.
The other issues remained unresolved.

Recently, the airplane was down for four days for its 100-hr
inspection/maintenance. My CFI and I were the first scheduled to fly it
afterwards. Not only were none of the previously mentioned squawks resolved,
but run-up revealed a dead vacuum pump and a significant magneto/plug problem
on the right with rough-running engine.

At that point, I refused to continue to fly the airplane and wrote a letter to
my CFI listing my maintenance concerns and referencing how many pilots have
said "don't ignore what the airplane is telling you!" My CFI forwarded my
letter to the owners of the airplane and the airplane was subsequently grounded
for another week. I received a copy of the response to my CFI from one of the
owners. He was defensive about the problems with the airplane and about the
competency of his mechanic.

But the real kicker was that he made me sound like some kind of wacko for
suggesting that I was "connected enough" with the airplane to hear it "talking"
to me and went on to point out that it is just a machine and that things go
wrong and need fixing! Well, DUH! It isn't as if I hear voices!! -- I know full
well that it is a machine and that things need fixing -- that's PRECISELY the
point. If those little things that are too insignificant to fix in a 3-month
period are not addressed in a 100-hr, how confident is a student pilot supposed
to feel about the competency of the maintenance or about what priority
maintenance is given by the CFI, owners, or school?

I don't think it's unusual for some new solo pilots to have some
fears--confidence builds the more you fly. While the CFI and the flight school
have no control over demons at play inside a student's brain, they ARE capable
and in control of eliminating as many safety concerns as possible by assuring
that maintenance issues with the airplane are addressed in a reasonable, timely
way.

Is it reasonable for a student to expect that airplane coming out of a 100-hr
or an annual should have fewer squawks than it did going in? If old squawks
remain unaddressed after a 100-hr, should a student take a stand? or should
he/she ignore their own growing concerns and continue to fly the airplane
because the CFI and the school don't seem concerned? While I did ultimately
take a stand, I feel it should have been up to my CFI to speak up about the
maintenance on behalf of ALL the students, not up to one of the students.

In response to my letter, my CFI called to say my letter was forwarded to the
owners of the airplane and that I needed to find someone else to fly with. I
also received a cc of the letter the owners wrote back to my CFI and a refund
of the unused portion of $$ I had paid them. They obviously want nothing
further to do with me -- why? for taking a stand about my own safety?

I need more solo, the cross-countries, night and hood time. I have other
options available ... but my point in writing all of this is that things that
halt a student's progress are not always in the head of the student. CFIs and
flight schools drop the ball holding up responsibilities on their end too, even
with the most promising students! It is discouraging, to say the least, when
you are motivated to push ahead but find yourself having to make the decision
to leave and go elsewhere or to quit.

Another Frustrated Student Pilot