Found this thread after practice tonight.

The video attached is pretty close to spot on. Let me 'splain. My husband was/is a flight instructor. The FAA minimum for solo is 10 hours of training. The national average is about 20 hours. After 10 - 20 hours of flight instruction, a student can take off and land, navigate, communicate, read a map, understand the instruments and knows the basics of what to do if the fan in the front stops running. Are you ready to step into a 747 and do this for a living? No, but you have the skills to enjoy taking yourself on a short journey and returning home safely. I solo'ed in the morning. After lunch, my husband sent me on my first solo cross country from North Las Vegas to Mesquite, about an hour flight one way going 90 knots. Was I perfect? Nope. Were there things I could've done differently or better? Yup. But I had the basic skills to get the job done.

Fast forward a few years and a few hundred hours later. I was learning to fly a Cessna Caravan - a big step up from the volkswagon with wings I learned to fly in.  Every basic skill I learned as a student was the same only amplified and expanded on. The Caravan is a turbine engine so it has more fancy colored lights and dials than a basic plane, but if you don't understand the basics you can easily roach an engine that costs $100,000.

From watching my husband teach many people to fly, there are some basic rules of learning that apply to learning all things.

1. Law of Primacy - What you learn first, you remember first. In times of stress you resort to what you learned first. Bad habits will come back at the worst possible time.

2. Unlearning bad habits is harder than learning it right the first time.

3. Each skill builds on the one you learned the day before.

4. You must practice frequently and at regular intervals (once a day, every other day) until a skill is mastered. Sporadic practice slows your progress. Try to have discipline to commit to learning.

5. Good pilots are always learning. Anyone that takes on a skill should have this attitude for life.

6. Don't skip the basics and be in a rush. The basics skills of any task are the foundation for the advanced skills. 

7. Use the three step method to learn a skill - talk through it, walk through it and then run through it. Learn the skill academically first. Then go through all the steps slowly until you can do the task well.

8. Never underestimate the value of book learning while learning a physical skill. Book knowledge does get put into practice in the real world whether that's how to operate a turbine engine or how to read music.

9. Have fun! If its not fun why are you doing this?

This site is phenomenal. Pierre's videos on the basics are great. Don't be in a rush to get to the destination - enjoy the journey of learning.

I just started to play as well. In 20 hours, I'm guestimating I'll be able to get a decent sound out of the violin, play scales in first position and scratch out a basic song or two that another person could recognize and not drop to their knees howling in pain. Will I be ready for the symphony orchestra? Nope. But I'll be on my way with a good foundation of skills ready for a lifetime of learning and enjoyment.

Have fun and good luck.

  Hi New Fiddler Girl, 

Your story inspire me and gives me great hope. I will share my progress along the way. Just need to get the first class started next week. Real excited about that.  Thanks, it amazing you can learn to fly. That is wicked

 

Not as wicked as jumping out of planes - which I did for many years until heredity and arthritis kicked in.   You can do anything you put your mind to and put the effort into. Remember what the video said, "We don't like to feel stupid". This site gives you some basics to try and get comfortable with before your lesson to get over that emotional block. If you've never done something before don't expect perfection. I don't know too many people that do things right the first time. Strive to get better each day. I hope you get a really good instructor. That makes all the difference in the world for learning any skill. Learning is a mental game. Muscle memory comes with practice. 

BTW - where are the emoticons? I don't see them on my reply menu. 

....

Found em!!!! But I don't think there are quite enough

Glad I'm an engineer or the math thing would might be a challenge too! 

You've definitely made a fun site....