Pilot Journey Forums

Hi everyone. I'm posting this because I'm sure it will be helpful to other students. Looking back over the posts here, I started posting on this site when I was at the beginning of my training. I posted about my first solo and other great moments. My checkride was last week and I did great on everything until the very end. I messed up on the landings and therefore failed. I am absolutely crushed. But I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm posting this so you'll know that failing a checkride is not the end of the world. It is a bitter, painful disappointment. But we have to pick ourselves up and continue. Never loose sight of that goal. I'm taking a week off just to get my head back together, let the anger/frustration/discouragement subside. Not even studying my books this week. But I'm staying connected to aviation. I went to a restaurant near another airport and watched planes takeoff and land. I talked to other students and my instructor about how I feel right now.
A pilot friend just reminded me of my achievements; all the things I felt least comfortable with are the things I asked my instructor to spend the most time on with me. Stalls. Hood work. Unusual Attitude Recovery. We did stalls under the hood. Steep Turns and Slow Flight and even Engine Out all at night. Lazy Eights and Chandelles. Those ended up being the most fun parts of my training. On checkride day I was extremely nervous during the oral test but I was calm during the flight. I was just as calm during the Stalls, Hood Work, Unusual Attitudes, and Engine Out, as I was during the runup. This friend helped me to realize that.
So now I'm ready to get back in that plane and continue my pilot journey. I know I can do it. If I can, you can too. Never give up. If you give up you will not make it. As long as you never give up, you WILL make it.