Scott Lowrey wrote in message news:5L4Vc.38839$mD.35434@attbi_s02...

I'm pretty discouraged and haven't been interested in flying ever since
I left the FBO that day. I did my homework before the flight, always
prided myself on knowing the rules of the system... but when it came
right down to it, I just didn't fly right. Now I'm wondering, as a
renter, when I'll ever be confident of my skills. Unless I continue
pursuing my IR (aborted last year when I moved) and really spend a lot
of time up there (and a lot of cash), what good is it? I'll just be a
sucky 20-hour-per-year pilot.

Scott,

There's an old joke about a safety seminar where the presenter begins
by saying, "By simply walking through the door, statistics show you
are 30% less likely to die in a crash. That will conclude our seminar,
have a nice day." Attitude isn't everything but it's a lot of it.

A brief read of these groups will show that everyone makes mistakes,
and many of them are made by people with a lot more experience than
you. My 12,000 hour CFII said the closest he ever came to landing
gear-up was right after he passed 10,000 hours.

I got my PPL 2 years ago and felt a lot of very similar things to what
you've described. Definitely got disoriented (as in lost) slightly a
few times, and with the airspace around Boston being quite busy it's
as much luck as anything that I didn't clip someone's airspace. And
those were just the navigation mistakes. I'd make landings so ugly
that I'd be walking around the plane afterwards looking for wrinkles.
Absolutely everything bothered me, I have some "obsessive worrier"
characteristics in my personality (thanks, Mom!)

From what you've written I think your mistake is the kind many of us
have made, especially at that point in the learning curve, and
unfortunately you just made it in the worst place you could. If you
take heart in anything, consider that the consequences of your error
are due mostly to bureaucratic insanity rather than the true awfulness
of your offense. In 99.9% of the country being off by a mile or five
on one occasion will result in--hold your breath--absolutely nothing
happening to you. So take off your hair shirt.

In my case, I found a good CFI and had him push me hard in two
specific areas. First, we'd go out on very windy days (18g40 one time)
and work the crosswinds, which always bothered me. Now I feel much
better knowing that I can put the plane down safely in those
conditions. Second, because I fly mostly from paved 5000+ runways, I
go out and do short/soft-field pattern work every 6 months or so.
Again, knowing that I can put the 172 down in ~500' if necessary makes
me feel a lot better.

Regarding situational awareness, the lack of which is the key
contributor to your predicament, I can only say that I feel 100%
better with 200 hours than I did at 100 hours. If you fly more, you
will feel better about your flying.

Opinions here will differ widely, but in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic
regions, I think an IR is a very worthwhile thing to get for many
reasons. It will buy you back a lot of those days where there's just
too much "M" in the "VFR" and even some IFR days where icing and
storms are not a factor. It's not true in many parts of the country
but out here average IFR pilots with basically-equipped airplanes do
safely fly lots of IFR every year so the utility is quite clear.

I will also suggest contra many that training for an IR will improve
your airmanship generally, because of the discipline it imposes, and
the way it challenges you to integrate the skills of aircraft
performance, radio navigation, and communications. That's why every
insurance company in the land gives substantial discounts to pilots
with one, and why it is near-impossible to get insurance in many
planes without it, even though they may be flown VFR much of the time.

Also, when I fly anywhere outside my neighborhood, I use flight
following. It guarantees nothing, but provides an additional low-cost
mechanism that may prevent some problems. In my experience in New
England, the quality and utility of these services has generally been
good.

Last, while I chose the intensive path of aircraft ownership (1/5th of
a 172 so it's not that expensive) and regular flying throughout the
year, it is possible to be a 20hr/yr pilot and not suck. It's kind of
the way my father skis. He started at the age of 55, and what he'll do
is go on vacation somewhere like Park City once a year for a week.
He'll take a 1/2 or full-day lesson on the first day and then ski all
day long the rest of the week. He'll never be all that good, but he is
both safe and competent and enjoys it greatly. As a pilot, recency of
experience counts for a lot, and if you mostly fly locally on nice
days during the summer, you can do OK on 20 hours per year.

Personally, I would not find this satisfying, which explains why I
found the time and money to continue my flying the way I have.

Best,
-cwk.