Learning to fly isn’t easy, but it’s not supposed to be—that’s why it’s so rewarding when you earn that certificate. Acknowledge up front that you will have both good and bad days during training, and don’t beat yourself up after every mistake. I like to take a two week moving average of my performance, which prevents me from getting too high after a great lesson or too low after a really bad one.

While it may be true that any landing you can walk away from is a good landing, there is certainly something to be said about always striving to make better landings. Most experienced pilots would be willing to admit that the perfect landing is much more of an art than a science. Take this quiz on landing techniques to hone your touchdown knowledge in search of consistently smooth and safe landings and see if you can squeak out a perfect score.