GRIT: The Heart of Flight Training
When you embark on the journey of flight training, whether you’re pursuing it as a career or simply as a personal challenge, you’re signing up for a road that’s full of twists, turns, and, yes, a few bumps along the way. No matter how ready you feel, you will undoubtedly face challenges that test your resolve. But here's the thing: it’s not how hard the challenge is that will determine your success—it’s how you respond to it.
Let’s talk about what ‘grit’ means for flight students, why you'll need it more than you might expect, and how you can cultivate these qualities to help you push through moments of frustration and doubt. Let’s dig into why grit matters so much—and how to build it when the skies feel cloudy.
Expect Challenges: Embrace the Struggles
You’re learning to fly. That’s not something most people can do, so it's bound to be a challenge—whether you're aiming for a private pilot's license or pursuing a career as a commercial pilot. And no matter how prepared you feel, or how confident you might be, at some point in your training, you’ll face something you’ve never encountered before. It might be a difficult maneuver, ground studies, or simply the mental challenge of dealing with your own self-doubt.
Here’s the hard truth: statistics show that many students drop out of flight training before they get their wings. In fact, according to some studies, nearly 80% of students never complete their flight training. The reasons vary—lack of time, money, or simply the overwhelming nature of the challenges they face. But what often separates those who make it to the finish line and those who don’t isn’t a lack of ability—it’s the ability to persist when the going gets tough.
There will be moments when you’re frustrated, when you feel like you’ve plateaued, or when you're ready to quit because it’s harder than you expected. But these moments of struggle aren’t failures—they’re opportunities to build your resolve. What matters is how you choose to respond.
Reframing Failure: Turning Frustration into Fuel
One of the hardest things about flight training is learning how to respond when things don’t go as planned. You might be weather-grounded for a while and get rusty, make a radio error for all to hear (never call a ‘left final’ turn, by the way), or feel overwhelmed during checkride prep. In these moments, it’s easy to feel defeated and let frustration take over.
But here’s the key: failure is part of the process. And action is the enemy of anxiety. You have to learn to embrace failure—not as a sign that you’re not cut out for this—but as part of your journey to becoming a better pilot. Every mistake is an opportunity to learn, grow, and refine your skills. The key to success in flight training (and in life) isn’t about avoiding failure. It’s about how quickly you can get back up, reframe the setback, and keep going.
Building grit means learning to embrace these difficult moments, reassessing what you can improve, and keep moving forward. It’s the students who bounce back from failure, who adapt and persevere, that ultimately succeed.
So, What If You Feel Like You Don’t Have Much Grit? What Builds It?
If you feel like you’re struggling with staying motivated or developing that inner resolve, don't worry—you’re not alone. Grit is a skill, and like any other skill, it can be cultivated over time.
Here are a few strategies that might help you strengthen your grit:
Set Small, Achievable Goals
Flight training can feel overwhelming when you look at it as one big task. Break it down into smaller, more manageable goals—whether it’s mastering a specific maneuver, passing a written exam, or scheduling a certain number of flight hours per month. Achieving small goals regularly will build your confidence and your sense of accomplishment.Develop a Growth Mindset
Believe that your abilities can improve with effort. In fact, one of the key tenets of grit is the understanding that failure is not a permanent state—it’s a stepping stone to success. Instead of saying "I can’t do this," try reframing it as “I’m currently struggling with this.” Shift your focus from what went wrong to what you can learn from it.Cultivate Self-Compassion
You will have tough days, but don’t beat yourself up. Remember that every successful pilot has made mistakes, experienced failures, and had more than a few moments of self-doubt. Be kind to yourself during the learning process and treat each challenge as an opportunity to grow, not an indicator of your potential.Build a Support System
Surround yourself with people who believe in you—mentors, fellow students, flight instructors, friends, and family. A support system is invaluable when you need encouragement or advice. Additionally, finding a community of like-minded individuals can keep you motivated on those tough days when it feels like no one else understands the specific challenges you're facing.
Resources for Building Grit
If you're looking for inspiration and advice on how to cultivate more grit in your life, there are a number of resources you can tap into:
Books:
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Podcasts:
The Grit Podcast (by Gina Slade)
The Tim Ferriss Show
The Ed Mylett Show (interviews with high achievers)
Articles and Videos:
Angela Duckworth’s TED Talk on the power of grit
Articles on Psychology Today or Medium about resilience
And Don’t Forget…
Our amazing instructors have been through all of these same challenges at some point. They are here to support you along the way, no matter what your source of frustration might be. They’ve either seen it before or directly experienced it themselves. There’s no need to quietly suffer through these struggles. It’s almost a guarantee that your classmates are going through the same challenges too, which makes the community aspect of our in-person ground classes that much more valuable. We’re here to help you complete your training efficiently, safely, and as inexpensively as possible. Part of that is self-mastery and grit is a tremendous tool to have in one’s belt. Let’s. GO.