When should you know when to quit flight training?
For some background, I joined a flight school in Florida around August 2025, and now it’s April 6, 2026, so it’s been about 8 months. I’d say I actually started flying more in September or October, but I don’t remember exactly.
During this time, I’ve had a lot of issues with instructors and scheduling. I’m almost at 60 hours and still haven’t soloed. Honestly, I don’t even fully know what the problem is, and I’m hoping maybe someone who has been in a similar situation can give me some advice.
A big part of it is confidence. My first instructor was extremely hard on me and would yell a lot. It got to the point where it really affected me. On my very first flight with him, he actually made me cry. And before anyone says I’m just being dramatic, my current instructor asked me what happened, and after we talked, he told me he had overheard that same instructor screaming at another student so badly during a sim lesson that he felt he had to step in because it was too much.
Ever since then, I get this nervous feeling in my stomach whenever I think about flying. But the weird part is that once I actually get in the airplane and start flying, I feel amazing. My current instructor is really nice, and he has helped me a lot with my traffic pattern work and landings. I plan on sticking with him.
What’s hard for me is not comparing myself to other people I was in ground school with. Some of them are already working on instrument, and I’m still here trying to get to solo. I feel stuck, and sometimes it feels like I’m never going to get there.
Another issue is studying. I know it’s important, and I know I still need to take my written, but it’s honestly been really hard for me to sit down and focus on the material the way I need to.
So I guess I’m asking: has anyone else dealt with this? Is this a normal feeling in flight training, or is this a sign that maybe flying just isn’t for me?