Make room for fun

Lots of pilots hit points in their training, however, where the fun is just sucked out of it. For me, it’s foggles, for you, it might be ground reference maneuvers or power-off one-eighties—most everyone will meet their aviation match at some point and must overcome it.

There’s no sadder sight than walking by the flight school or FBO where it looks like no one is having any fun. Even fighting your biggest flying battles, you should be having fun. Even if all you ever plan to do in general aviation is get an airline transport pilot certificate as fast as possible, you should still enjoy it. But that means you must take charge of your own training. It’s (almost always) your money paying for the airplane and the instructor, and although your goal is to pursue that certificate or rating, that doesn’t mean you can’t make sure it’s fun along the way.

How do I pitch an airport to my CFI?

Start with a training objective. Think about what that airport offers that would actually make you a better pilot. Maybe it gives you a chance to work different airspace, practice at a towered airport instead of a nontowered one, or operate on a shorter runway. When you frame it around learning, instructors tend to listen.

Next, do a little homework. If you are serious about the destination, come prepared with a few basics. Know the distance, estimate the fuel required, and look up runway lengths and widths. Take a quick look at the airspace, too. Showing up with a few numbers in hand tells your instructor you did more than just pick an airport because it sounded cool.

Finally, pick a destination that makes sense for your stage of training. Consider looking for runways longer than about 2,000 feet, fuel available, and something new without being overwhelming. Maybe save the big airline hubs for later.

—Adam Rarey, CFII, ATP, former AOPA Air Safety Institute video producer

Working within the syllabus

Students at Part 141 flight schools are especially bound by a syllabus, but Part 61 instructors generally follow some form of a plan for your training as well. Learn what the plan is and use that to your advantage. Maybe that means proposing ground reference maneuvers around a cool landmark or taking a cross-country to a historic airport. Typically, the further along in your training you are, the more autonomy and ability you will have to take charge of the situation. Your first cross-country, for example, will likely be selected by your instructor because they know much better than you at that point what a relatively easy and good destination is for your area and you. But as an advanced initial student, or instrument, let alone in commercial training, you typically have the mutual trust to pitch destinations to your instructor. With the appropriate research and steps, and good relationship with your instructor, they’ll consider your suggestions, especially if you justify them within the learning objectives in the syllabus.

Your instructor is not only a human, too, but (hopefully) a fun-loving pilot also looking to go to some cool places. If you find a nice museum or fun restaurant, it could be a fun respite from their usual slam-and-go routine. I’ve found that offering to buy them lunch at said airport restaurant also improves the chances of going to said airport. The worst they can say is no.

Mission focused

Fun and easy destination ideas

• Airport restaurants
• Aviation museums
• Historic airstrips
• Unique, scenic approaches

aopa.org/training-and-safety/fun/destinations

Presumably, you are pursuing a rating or certificate because it has become part of your long-term mission—flying your partner to the beach, captaining a loaded cargo airliner, visiting backcountry airstrips, and so on. Your mission is hopefully something you see as fun or fulfilling, and so there’s no reason your flight training shouldn’t revolve around that same mission. If you plan on flying mostly into grass strips, then make sure your training includes that.

At the end of the day, passing the checkride only means you meet the airman certification standards—it doesn’t make you proficient in every kind of flying you’ll be legally able to do. Some goals and fun training will have to come after the checkride. After all, most students aren’t training in the right airplane to be going into 1,000-foot-long grass strips. But if that’s what you find to be the most fun, your private pilot certificate should be what pushes you onwards in pursuit of that end goal.

But oftentimes you’ll find that you can work what you consider fun into your training directly. Lots of students will practice soft- or short-field takeoff techniques simulated, for the sake of time and safety. But if you find it fun, or find a cool short or grass strip, just ask. Some flight schools are restricted from grass or certain environments by insurance (or standard operating procedures). But if you want to try a grass or short field, have that conversation with your instructor. Even if you learn that the answer is a firm “no,” you’ll learn a lot about real-world flying, being a pilot, and insuring an airplane in those conversations.

I bet one of my instructors a vending machine Reese’s peanut butter cup that I could perform a steep turn within the ACS on my first try after not flying for a couple of years during my first flight review (I ended up out $2).If your goal is only to bounce around grass strips, and your flight school doesn’t allow any, it’s time to evaluate if that environment is a fit for you.

Gamification

Games to try

• Beat your instructor on an ACS standard on a maneuver (and debrief the differences).
• Land on a specific point.
• Keep a “record” stall recovery altitude loss and try to beat it.
• Assign points to each performance target on a maneuver, and try to beat your previous score every time.

There are going to be parts of flight training that are monotonous, challenging, maybe even frustrating. Try and take those challenges and make them into fun games, maybe with a reward or bet. I bet one of my instructors a vending machine Reese’s peanut butter cup that I could perform a steep turn within the ACS on my first try after not flying for a couple of years during my first flight review (I ended up out $2). That little game gave me so much to look forward to that I try to integrate it into a lot of the training I do now as an instrument student, and you should too. For the especially hard challenges (currently unpublished holds for me), reward yourself with a fun flight or a little treat, like a nice meal.

Remember the why

Burnout happens. Some are more immune than others, but I know I’ve come home from flights nauseated and sweaty from wearing foggles just about ready to throw in the towel on this whole instrument training thing. Other pilots plateau (progress isn’t linear), face consistently bad weather, or have personal life get in the way. Above all, those moments can make flying not feel so fun.

In those moments, remember your why. It’s different for everyone, but your why is what’ll keep pushing you onward. Sometimes it helps to just go up for a flight to remember the why. A 30-minute sunset flight on a calm night has more than once reminded me that this is all worth it. If a fun, simple flight with your instructor reminds you of that why, make sure it happens. Losing proficiency to burnout is a sad way to see a pilot hanging up their flying boots; do whatever you need to do to make sure that isn’t you.

In the pursuit of your flying goals, whatever they may be, it’s easy to lose sight of the moment. There are pilots who pass their private pilot checkride and the very next day move on to instrument training, taking no time to relish in their achievement. Every flight, every hour, is an achievement in its own sense. Make sure to make room for fun. Maybe that’s sharing your passion for flight with others, giving back by flying for a nonprofit, or even just taking a 15-minute flight for lunch occasionally.