Defeat discouragement

A flight instructor once told me that pilots rarely form an accurate picture of their performance when they analyze it themselves. Some think they performed better than they actually did while others are extremely self-critical. Many pilots who have Type A personalities tend to be harder on themselves. If this sounds like you, here are some techniques to use the next time you feel discouraged after a flight.

It's important not to brush off whatever aspect of flying you are having trouble with as simply too difficult. This will lead to a cycle that will eventually make you feel as if you can’t do anything right, and you will struggle learning how to overcome it. While you shouldn’t overanalyze your performance, you should conduct an objective self-assessment with the intent to learn something valuable to apply to the next flight.

Your flight instructor might walk you through a series of questions during your lesson debrief to help you assess your performance. Start by replaying the flight, then picking items from the lesson that you might have done differently. Reflect on the big picture—what did you learn overall from the flight, how do you think you performed? And relate what you learned from this lesson to what you have previously learned and how it might apply to future flights. This can help you apply lessons learned to your everyday flying while keeping you from getting discouraged by any one particular aspect. Your flight instructor also can guide you if you get fixated or aren’t being objective. This can help you learn how to provide accurate self-assessments, a skill you will need throughout your flying career.

Try the sandwich approach to critiquing yourself: Start with what you did well on the flight, then look at what you could have done better, and end with positive feedback that will keep you motivated to work harder on the next flight.

You can apply this same approach to your flight lessons. Include something that you do well early in the flight to boost your confidence before tackling the new maneuver you are struggling to grasp. Then, end your lesson with something enjoyable. After all, most pilots learn to fly because they love being in the air…remind yourself of that by adding something fun at the end instead of something that leaves you feeling defeated. For example, if you are struggling to grasp landings, start by taking 10 minutes to go away from the traffic pattern to do one of your favorite maneuvers or fly over a landmark you enjoy looking at from above. Then, re-enter the pattern and work on landings. If you start feeling discouraged, ask to follow your instructor through on the last one. This will remove the pressure from you and allow you to feel the instructor’s control inputs while noting visual cues outside. Feeling the controls while your instructor gets a greaser will help you see that it is possible, leaving you motivated to return for more.

Your attitude will have an impact on your performance. So, if you go into the lesson feeling discouraged, your performance will suffer, leading to more discouragement. If you go into it ready to learn with a positive mindset and incorporate some fun to give you a break from the frustration, you will have a better lesson. And if you conduct an objective self-assessment that includes positive feedback along with constructive criticism, you’ll be ready for your next lesson instead of dreading it.