Slotted for PFT

[Zach15]

I received an e-mail from a Captain in Borden telling me I am going to be headed to portage this summer for primary flight training. Good news!

So I have been writing a few of you private messages looking for advice, but figured I may as well start a new topic on the forums here.

I have zero flying experience, only a couple hours at the local airport. I have been told from some people it would be worthwhile to go get a some hours, practice things like circuits and landings. Obviously it would be worthwhile, but is it really needed? Ocdt pay doesn't exactly leave me rolling in dough, but then again failure is not an option in portage and I want to do everything I should to prepare and ensure success.

Others have told me that as long as I stay focused and work hard, I should be alright.

So basically, any advice/information/experiences/stories you folks feel like contributing - I am all ears, and I appreciate it!

For now I will be reading "from the ground up" and trying to control the excitement brewing inside me.

Zach

 

[Sf2]

The problems with getting flying experience prior to PFT are:

1)  The grob is completely different than a c150 or c172 to fly
2)  You will learn the wrong techniques, and will have to un-learn them when you get to PFT


Failure is always an option.  Those who don't think that way end up being too strung out, over analyze everything, get flustered, and fail anyways.

Go in fresh.  Be open to learning.  Study hard.  That's about all you can do.  There are thousands of pilots who have gone thru the system with zero flying experience.

 

[23007]

I agree with SF2. When I did PFT I went in with zero hours and didn't even know what chocks were. I passed without any major problems and then went thru BFT with only the hours I gained from PFT. I have never even seen the inside of a Cessna or other similar civi aircraft. Go in there cold with an open mind and a positive attitude and everything will work out.

 

[Strike]

On the other side of the coin, I got a couple of hrs prior to PFT, mainly because I had never been in a small aircraft and had had issues with motion sickness in the past and wanted to make sure the same wouldn't happen while flying.  I only got a couple of hours.

If you do decide that you absolutely must go flying, try and go up in something with low wings as opposed to a Cessna.

 

[zorro]

Just out of curiousity, why do you suggest low wings? To make the experience more closely mimick what the grobb will be like? Or is there a performance difference between the two wing placement types?

 

[Strike]

A high wing aircraft tends to be more stable.  Might as well start of with an aircraft that's inherently unstable so it doesn't come as a shock when you go to PFT and fly the Grobb.

 

[Bo]

I got 5 hours on a Katana prior to Portage and things worked out fine. The Katana sort of resembles the Grob in the sense that it's a low-wing aircraft and uses a stick rather than a yoke. Anyways, dishing out $800-$1000 for 5-6 flights is a worthwhile investment IMO just so that you can get a feel for landing a plane.