Private Pilot Flight Training and Instruction Flight Training Article Library | Back To 4VFR.COM Commitment to Flying You must be able to give priority to the time and energy required for learning to fly. If you can't or won't establish the priority, don't start. You must keep ahead of the flight program with your reading and preparation. You must not allow money to become a detriment to your commitment. Flying is not cheap and will not become any less expensive as you continue. Your life ambition must be to become an old pilot. Being a pilot is a state of mind; a personality. A pilot's attitude, not just experience makes for excellence. Excellence is a quality standard in flying sought but not often achieved. Desire must be there but unless it is accompanied by application there will be no progress. The good pilot is able resist the temptation to do something unsafe, illegal, or stupid. The temptations will always exist. A good pilot will not fly in aircraft or conditions beyond his capability or certification. A good pilot does not ignore the FARs. The FAA looks to the pilot to answer for any violations. Sometimes a magnifying glass is used. A good pilot is always a student, striving to make every maneuver a bit more precise than the one before. A good pilot knows his equipment, its limitations and how to handle its malfunctions. ATC can determine much about a pilot by how well he utilizes the system and the required communications. Always admit when you have a problem. A requirement of being a pilot is in knowing the FAR rules that apply to your rating, your responsibilities, and the flight involved. An instructor can only show you the way to the required learning. It is your responsibility to know what you need to know and to confirm that you get it. This is the most difficult area of student responsibility. Flying the plane is a relatively minor part of what you need to know. The best time to get involved in an activity is before interest in it peaks. Being a pilot is a state of mind; a personality. A pilot's attitude, makes for excellence. Excellence is a quality standard in flying sought but not often achieved. Desire must be there but unless it is accompanied by application there will be no progress. Written by Gene Whitt Flight Training Article Library | Back To 4VFR.COM