The Accidental Ground School...

I wanted to get in a short after work flight but my instructor was tied up with other students.  So, I got hold of the school owner who agreed to fly with me on short notice.  He doesn't normally fly with students at my level and I knew this.  But, this was part of my evil plan because I know he has a vast storehouse of knowledge and experience and I am eager to get some of it.

When I got to the airport, he wanted to sit down and discuss the flight.  At that point I realized I really wasn't prepared.  I didn't have a flight or lesson plan mapped out.  To date, my instructors tend to map out my lessons and I tend to go along with their ideas.  Not so in this case.  (To be fair, I basically need help in every facet of flying so it's not like it's a big mystery to figure on what areas I need work).

He read through my logbook and we started talking about my experiences and where I was struggling.  That discussion turned into a 3 hour whiteboard session which was incredibly insightful for me.  He gave me all kinds of ideas and strategies for everything from flight planning to landings.

We never wound up flying that day.  When we finally ran out of energy, we both walked out to the ramp and pushed the plane back into the hanger and called it a night.

That may have been the best 3 hours of "flying" I've done yet!