PilotEdge Forums

Gentlemen, I do not expect your replies, I know this is not interesting subject at all but also take this Forum as some kind of a gathering so I need to share my doubts .. again.

I was flying IFR to San Carlos, I filed IFR via SJC , it was amended by ATC and the problems started ...

Since I have heard new waypoint OSI which I could not hear , I panicked and I lost the half of the clearance ( writing it down)
I said that I need few minutes to take a look at the chart and I will get back as soon as I am ready.
I was advised ( I totally agree with it ) not to get off frequency but rather trying to copy the altered clearance.

I felt so bad I was about to abort that flight but I managed to read the clearance back and completed the flight.

Of course I also missed couple of times the new frequency , instead 133.xx I said 122.xx and was corrected again.

I start thinking that maybe the whole idea of me trying to interact with ATC just isn't meant to be ...

You know, you can not run marathons if your legs are messed up ... as simple as it gets.

It is very hard to accept because I love flying on PE but I am thinking that maybe I just should fly VFR between uncontrolled airports and limit the interaction to just occasional flight following.

Life is just not fair sometimes but I still love it.

Sorry for sharing mad sad comments, I just felt like I had to get it out.

Cheers, AJ

Since I have heard new waypoint OSI which I could not hear , I panicked and I lost the half of the clearance ( writing it down)

That's something you can easily fix. Do NOT panic and give up when you miss part of the clearance. I've seen this many times with pilots when I watch them fly on PE in person. They miss a small part of the clearance then throw their hands in the air and let the rest of the clearance slip by.

Which do you think would be a better outcome? Having the controller repeat "Woodside VOR, that's Oscar, Sierra, India," or for him to repeat the entire clearance?

Also, you should work towards being able to copy a full route clearance without knowing the route in advance. There's no need to look up a clearance on a chart to read something back. To practice this, I would recommend listening to a bunch of PE recordings (particularly the 'del/gnd/twr' recordings when they're available) and try copying down the IFR clearances. This would be good practice because you have no idea what's coming.

If the controller says, "cleared to San Carlos airport via fly runway heading, vectors San Jose VOR, direct Woodside VOR, direct," and you don't know what/where those are, and you can't make out the names, then say, "unfamiliar, can you say the identifiers for those 2 VOR's?" You could also say "student pilot" when you request the clearance, that will likely get you a SLOWER clearance from the controller, maximizing your chances of being able to make out what they're saying.

Lastly, you should might want to consider pacing yourself a little more. You're a student pilot with little flight time. Filing IFR in an unfamiliar area represents a fairly big stretch beyond your current level of experience and knowledge. I'm a believer that any time you overextend yourself in the virtual world (ie, attempt operations which are well beyond whatever you have been formally taught or have rigorously self-studied), the outcome is not likely to be what you hoped. It's somewhat like drinking from a fire hose.

Very little learning takes place, and it just results in frustration. You are already climbing up hill with your hearing limitations...I would give yourself a fighting chance and fly equipment that you're comfortable with and do it in areas where you know the names of the navaids fairly well so that when you hear them on the radio, even if they're muffled or distorted due to your hearing issues, you can still nail it.

You don't have to limit yourself to VFR non-towered ops. However, you might throttle back and avoid being put in a position where you're receiving full route clearances where none of the navaids are familiar, unless you're comfortable doing what I mentioned in the first reply, asking the controller to spell out the identifiers. Then, when you DO receive a clearance with unfamiliar routing, read it back, THEN spend as much time as you need reviewing the chart to become familiar with the route (that's a good thing).

Andrzej, I think you're doing amazing flying on PE. You inspire me with your tenacity and willingness to learn in the face of your limitations. I was flying in NorCal yesterday and I heard ATC repeating almost every instruction to another pilot and it wasn't you. There have been numerous times I have had to ask for information to be repeated. Getting the frequencies right is sometimes an issue for me as well. Take heart in the fact you're not the only one on PE making mistakes! I remember early in my PE learning days that I would just freeze as soon as ATC started giving me a clearance that was something other than what I had filed. As soon as I would hear that first instruction I was unfamiliar with I would fixate on it and not even comprehend the rest of the clearance. So I've trained myself to not have any expectations when waiting for clearance. Well, I always hope I've filed a suitable route and it makes me quite ecstatic when I hear "cleared as filed," but I don't melt down when I hear an unfamiliar routing now. I just write what I hear and read it back and then I look at the charts and familiarize myself with the route. Then I program my GPS and/or set my Navs and I'm on my way.

Don't give up, my friend. Remember, if you're not making mistakes, you must not be trying hard enough!

Keith, I was thinking a lot about your comments and suggestions. I was not sure what to do at the beginning but I thought things out again and I will continue flying and learning on PE .
I still think that pilots who have normal hearing have a big advantage over me but this is something I can not change unfortunately..

I will fly VFR and also IFR but I will spend more time preparing and I will use different approach for reading back. If anything is missing, I will repeat the clearance asking for repetition of missed ( misheard) part.
I understand that my case might be annoying for some controllers... my hearing will not improve and I still want to take advantage of PE features, learn and have fun.
The membership is not free so maybe I should not feel so bad for having controllers use few more sentences when dealing with me.

One is sure that I will do my best and I can only hope that I will not become a subject of frustration for controllers.

Steve, thank you very much for kind words, not too many people realize how important is for me to get a little pat on the back having the problem I have.

I will not give up, my friend, unless my hearing goes from bad to unacceptable but I hope I still have some time...

Of course I make mistakes and this is the way of learning, especially safe way on PE but majority of my mistakes are caused by not being able to hear things clearly or for the first time.

Thank you again, gentlemen, I truly appreciate your input.

Cheers, AJ

P.S. I wanted to join LAX-SFO last night so bad but after Keith's advice I opted out for VFR in neighborhood.