The one thing holding a lot of us back from getting their PPL is fear.
Fear is something we all have to cope with from time to time. Many people won’t confess to possessing them, but they’re certainly there. Embarking on anything new, while being very exciting, may also be very frightening. And the thing we seem to fear the most is failure.
Reflect back to when you got your driver’s license. Did you fail the very first time? If you did I bet you can still remember what that felt like. If you looked up the word “down” in the dictionary, you’d have seen a photograph of yourself right next to the definition.
The fear of failure is likely one of the most awful feelings in the world. No one enjoys failing.
Granted this article hasn’t made you feel very good so far, but let’s check out how to deal with this fear.
But as awful as this fear is, there are ways to overcome it.
1. Reflect on The Missed Opportunity.
Pretend for a minute that you really need to fly, but your fear of taking the exam stops you from doing what you truly want. Now imagine what life is going to be like without being able to do this very thing that you love so much. Look, if you wish to learn to fly, surely there’s a good reason why you’re even considering it. Clearly it’s better to become laser focused on your wants and desires. If are capable of this, your fears will be alleviated.
2. Look into The Alternatives
Contemplate what things might be like without your private pilot license. You will have to rely on commercial air carriers. Your schedule of where you wish to be and when is going to be dependant on their timetable. You’ll be at the mercy of others. The alternatives to flying your own airplane, if you do not want to rely on commercial airlines, are driving, train, bus and even boat. If that idea makes you sick to your stomach, concentrate on it. That’ll get you over your fear of failure.
3. Consider the worst case scenario and put it in perspective.
Let’s say you fail your PPL exam? What can happen next that is so bad you cannot overcome it? There’s no law that says you cannot try over again. You can easily take the exam another time. This is not a one shot deal. If that were true, there would be a ton of people not driving or flying planes. If you do not pass the test, so what. At worse, you have to wait a little longer to acquire your PPL.
4. Failure has its benefits
Believe it or not, you learn something from failure. By understanding what you did wrong you’ve got a greater chance of improving on it. It’s undoubtedly better to fail then to get yourself killed since you weren’t quite ready to fly.
5. Create A Contingency Plan
Know what you are going to do next in case you do fail. Before you even take the examination you ought to be prepared to get extra flight time and take extra instruction just in case. Just because you don’t succeed does not imply you ought to quit.
6. Taking Action Is The Answer
Leaping in and taking action will help you extinguish your fear quicker than anything else. Putting things off only enhances your fear. The outcome is that you just get so scared you reach the point where you do not even take the exam.
7. It is Time For A Boat Burning
Ancient Greeks were known to burn their own boats, giving themselves no alternative but to go onward. They could not circle back. Anything it takes for you to burn your boat, you need to do it. That might mean getting on the phone and scheduling the exam. Whatever it means for you, you must do.
If you wish to make your private pilot training less difficult you have to have the proper tools. And there’s software existing that can make studying for the PPL exam easier. You’ll find out more by visiting http://www.privatepilottraining.net