Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

6 Answers

Solo Fear, Part 2?

Asked by: 3372 views Student Pilot

I solo'd for the first time recently - it was one trip alone through the pattern due to time constraints (so maybe not much of a solo?).  I was so excited that day and felt a real sense of accomplishment!  But now it's been 3 weeks since I've flown, due to bad weather & instructor's schedule is full, and all I can remember is everything that went wrong. It was NOT a pretty landing.  On the positive side, plane & I walked away.  I feel like looking back, landings are worse now than they were 2 or 3 months ago. I'm hoping I will get to fly soon, but also dreading the landings still.  Is it normal to feel like you're going backward instead of forward?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

6 Answers



  1. Ash on Dec 04, 2013

    Very normal. In fact, so much so that there’s even a term coined for what you’re experiencing, the “plateau effect.” Best cure is to focus on other aspects of flight training for a while,

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Ash on Dec 04, 2013

    Very normal. In fact, so much so that there’s even a term coined for what you’re experiencing, the “plateau effect.” Best cure is to focus on other aspects of flight training for a while, instead of becoming hyper-focused (and getting really frustrated) on making perfect landings. You should discuss this with your flight instructor.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. Mark Kolber on Dec 04, 2013

    If it makes you feel better, I went through a rather long phase when I simply could not make a good landing. It was accompanied by a fear if the ground that resulted in a bunch of drop ins where I was concerned that I actually managed to damage the airplane (luckily I didn’t).

    At the time I had my commercial certificate and I was working on my CFI.

    So it can happen to any pilot, at any stage, not just soloing students.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. Kate Braddock on Dec 04, 2013

    Yes, it does help. I kind of have the feeling in the back of my mind that this is a sign that I’m not going to “get it”, that my instructor is maybe sitting there thinking “why doesn’t she just give up already??” I see other students that are progressing so much more consistently than I am. But if other folks have had the same problem, and progressed past it, then there’s probably still hope for me!

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  5. Mark Kolber on Dec 05, 2013

    Strangely enough, hitting a learning plateau is a sign that you are getting it. It’s often a sign that you mind has the basics and is trying to tweak things to make things more precise. Mental distraction from the focus is a by-product and makes other things fall apart. But only temporarily.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  6. Joanne Brown on Dec 05, 2013

    Hello All,

    I have been lurking on this blog and reading most Q and A’s for some while now, but this is the first time I’ve ever been moved to post something.

    Kate – I completely agree with both of your comments, except that I haven’t yet reached the solo milestone. Weather not cooperating, instructor’s schedule busy, feeling like I’m never going to ‘get it’, etc. I have to constantly give myself pep-talks and convince myself that I’m too stubborn (and have already put in too much cash!) to give up now. Very frustrating.

    So, I have no answers for you, just the thought that I am in a similar place and hope this plateau can resolve itself and that we can both make progress after all.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.