When I was younger I used to think about getting my private pilot's license all the time, but something or other would always come up, and after a while I forgot about this dream and went on with my life. Every once in a while I would start thinking about it again, and even though deep down I had this burning desire to have the freedom to fly an airplane by myself, the process seemed really daunting. As such I would continue to put it off, and the years passed by.
Finally in my late thirties, I started seriously thinking about the direction of my life. It is easy to dismiss your dreams when you are younger, after all it seems like you have an infinite amount of time left to accomplish things, it becomes very easy to put your dreams off. But now it was becoming increasingly apparent to me that time was not a luxury that I would have forever. If I wanted to get my pilot's license, and still have some time to enjoy it, the time to do it was now.
I looked at some local flight schools, and after trying a few instructors I finally settled on one and began training pretty regularly. Flying didn't come easily to me, and I frequently thought about quitting. And frankly if I had done this when I was younger I almost certainly would have quit. I was having trouble controlling the plane and maintaining my altitude, pretty basic stuff. But I kept at it, and soon I moved on to flying the traffic pattern around the airport and trying to nail my landings. This is where I hit another road block, I flew the traffic pattern what seemed like an endless number of times, and I just wasn't getting it. Again thoughts of giving up started creeping into my thinking, and this time they were more serious. It didn't seem like I was getting anywhere, maybe I just wasn't cut out for this.
My instructor gave me a pep talk, and told me that about 80% of students quit before their first solo flight. He told me that I was very close, that I was improving, and that I would be able to fly solo very soon. One day it just click for me, and I would wonder why I had so much trouble landing the plane. I was of course doubtful, but I told myself I was going to keep doing it until I got it, no matter how long it took.
Then one day I arrived at the airport, I had a determined attitude, instead of the defeatist attitude I normally had, and I could just feel that this would be the day. Sure enough I nailed about 5 landings in a row, and my instructor got out of the plane and told me to go fly it myself. It was truly a day I will never forget.
I went on to finish up the rest of the requirements for getting a pilot's license, and I still regard it as one of the best things I have ever done. It taught me an extremely valuable lesson that I still carry with me, and has allowed me to achieve much more than I would have otherwise. Before getting my private pilot's license I would quit almost any endeavor once the going got tough, and just assume it was something I could not do. Getting my pilot's license taught me the true value of believing in yourself and sticking with something relentlessly until you get it right. We are truly capable of more than we know, if we just have the courage to see things through we can do almost anything. It is unfortunately that 80% of people quit before the solo flight, they will never know the joy and freedom that comes with flying an airplane wherever you want whenever you want.
John Schmon is a private pilot and FAA certified advanced ground instructor, he maintains a fascinating blog on aviation and travel.
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