RE: The most common beginner flying mistakes
Mistakes that I haev seen include 90% of what has been said before. But the biggest mistakes that I've seen have come from students that have soloed. 1. Getting overconfident and trying to do things they are not ready for i.e. aerobatics, without an experianced pilot standing next to the student to bail them out of trouble. 2. Landings - Students and new pilots seem to love to land long - i.e. either coming in hot, or high and trying to put the plane on the ground with 10 foot of runway left. Basic pattern work is required. 3. Students that don't like to listen to the instructor - I like to make my students (both beginners and soloed students) do touch and gos and also figure eights for at least 10-20 flights, especially touch and gos. Yes, aerobatics are taught, but I'd rather see someone that can take-off and land a plane safely than someone can do a perfect loop with a trainer. I know from experience that this is a skill that used everytime someone flies. I have never had someone come up to me that said they were upset about have to learn to land correctly every time (especially coming in deadstick.)