Flight Training in 76 Seconds

Learning to fly is one of the best things you will ever do in life. The feeling of awe and accomplishment once you fly an airplane all by yourself for the first time creates one of those memories that practically every pilot remembers forever. If you don't believe me, find the oldest pilot you can and ask them if they remember their first solo.

However, it's not always a linear progression. Along the way, everyone has setbacks, bad flying days, or maneuvers they just can't seem to perfect. At some point, everyone wonders if they'll ever solo or pass the dreaded checkride. Once you do, all that anxiety and frustration that seemed almost insurmountable is forgotten.

Again, if you don't believe me, ask this mouse if all the trouble was worth it:

(I came across this video originally at kottke.org/13/11/meet-the-most-determined-mouse-in-the-world.)

That little mouse had one bad landing after another, don't you think? In fact, 55 seconds through, it thought hard about giving up and walked away, just as most people would. However, just when it looked like it was going to fail, it took a step back, regrouped and gathered its focus, and tried again. Defeat is temporary; failure is permanent.

Keep this mouse in mind if you're worrying about a maneuver, studying for a written exam, getting ready for a checkride, working on an instrument rating and trying to figure out holding pattern entries or decipher approach charts, or whatever hurdle you happen to be struggling with at the time, whether it be in flying or life in general.

Have any experiences you thought you'd never overcome during training? Share it in a comment below and help someone who may be going through the same thing thinking they were the only one. Or share an experience that made you feel like all that work had finally paid off.