By this I mean being trained by an instructor, rather than training others 
I think it is by no means universal that people like receiving training. I don’t know what the factors are. I certainly found most of mine really hard.
One factor is probably how well the student’s personality corresponds to the instructor’s personality.
You’ve hit the nail on the head with the last statement. I love to learn at every opportunity but I also like to spend my time with people who’s company I enjoy. If you take yourself too seriously we’re not going to get on.
Well, it depends. If the instructor knows his/her stuff and has respect for my level of experience, I can really enjoy it.
However, I’ve had some bad experiences recently. One instructor wanted to force his personal SOPs on me — like when I had set up the audio panel the way I liked it, he would (without comment) reset it to what he liked. Even worse, I had to contend with another instructor who — during a navigation exercise — was constantly doing things like resetting the heading bug etc. and even giving control inputs or changing the power setting without saying a word to me. That is not fun at all and counterproductive for skill transfer.
The best thing about getting my PPL was finally getting rid of the instructor in the right seat & actually start enjoying the flying. I do find flight instruction pretty stressful, basically because it involves learning by failure – and being somewhat a perfectionist by nature, it just adds to the stress.
Not that I lament any of my flight instruction at all. It’s a real growth experience. As you’re training for a command position with a wide range of authority and responsibilities I also reckon this may be the ONLY way to learn flying skills.
But ‘enjoyable’? No. Definitely not for the initial PPL training. I thought the CPL was somewhat more enjoyable, though. I enjoyed finessing the maneuvers. Also nice to go back to VFR flying after doing all the IR stuff.
(btw, I’m currently studying for my CFI)
Having recently undergone training I found it one of those things that were hard at the time it was going on, but enjoyable as a total experience, giving satisfaction as skills improved. Getting something right, whether it’s landing a Cub or flying an NDB approach correct to IR standards, is satisfying.
I flew with an extremely experienced instructor who also has a lot of real world experience, and whose abilities I recognised and respected. He was easy enough to get on with but told you what you were doing wrong, with help on how to get it right. I think this combination of respect and teaching style is the key to getting a lot out of training particularly when you have a bit of experience yourself.
I really do enjoy training. I love learning new things and trying to perfect them (as much as possible). I enjoyed my PPL and as soon as I finished it couldn’t wait to do the night qualification (as it was) and IMC rating. I certainly enjoyed doing my CPL and IR/ME stuff, especially the ME stuff because it was a very different thing, it was the first time I was flying with retract. gear and wobbly props, let alone another engine. I enjoy it I think more than a lot of other people, I even enjoyed the theoretical ATPL stuff, although not so much the exact course but more because I went much further into it than what was required (in the subjects that it would be prudent too – I didn’t attempt to learn more about polar stereographic charts or anything like that!) and enjoyed what I learnt from it. I also enjoyed my type rating which I know a lot of other people don’t due to stress etc.
I think the key to all this has been covered in the first post though – in that I have always had excellent instructors. Every instructor I have had has cared about what I personally want from the course and has tried to adapt it where required to suit. They have always been keen to enter discussions about ways of doing things and were up for trying something different than what they used to if I wanted to try it. This also included the theory instructors (with Bristol Groundschool) who would spend some time discussing things both inside and outside the ‘syllabus’ during the brush up courses for the ATPL exams. Learning is highly enjoyable if you have even a small interest in the subject and if the person you are learning from is interested as well.
I actually enjoy training. I loved doing my PPL and still enjoy going up with an instructor to try out things I perhaps wouldn’t do on my own or just to get some feedback on my flying. That said, it really depends a lot on the instructor personality. There is one guy I get on with great (plus, we share a non-aviation interest) on the ground, but who, for me, is just a bit too ‘intense’ in the air. Mind you, he’s very good, but would be great if he could relax a little.
I hope to – finally! – get my IR next year, something I’m really looking fwd to.
Pirho, I hear you – I myself was extremely motivated to complete all my ratings etc, and still want to learn everything I can about flying. (the main reason why I’m also going for my CFI/II/MEI) I’ve also had some absolutely outstanding instructors. (except for one who was a total prick)
I still hate being instructed though. Purely a personality thing. It just stresses me out appearing “incompetent” in other people’s eyes. I should probably work on that.
It might be fun to relate the funniest stories from your training
My best one was my FAA PPL checkride, done at a long gone establishment in the UK, with a visiting DPE (of a Middle East origin) from the USA. The checkride itself was fraught and I terminated it halfway, due to his aggressive behaviour, and just flew back with him sitting there without a word. It was finished the following day. He got two checkride fees, of course. He was known as “Mr Two Checkrides [surname omitted]” because this was his speciality. The only candidate I knew who passed 1st time was an ex RAF chap who proudly claimed that he had been trained to deal with all possible sh1t and, when asked to jump, to say HOW HIGH SIR!
Anyway, after the successful 2nd checkride, he was nice and calm and, looking slightly interestingly at my then almost new TB20 parked nearby (it could not be used for the checkride because it wasn’t N-reg till a year later, and nobody in the establishment had any European papers) he asked what altitude I would be flying back home. I said “it will vary, between 2400 feet and 5400 feet, and this is due to Class A bases”. He shouted (his usual form) THERE IS NO CLASS A ANYWHERE BELOW 18000 FEET!!!
I didn’t say a word because I didn’t have the signed certificate till 10 mins later
The visiting DPE I had for the FAA CPL a few years later was a brilliant guy. As was the CAA staff examiner on the JAA IR test a few years after that. But these two stand out as very rare exceptions. Maybe it is my character (I will leave it to others to judge 
) but I am too laid back for many people working in this business, and it drives them mad.
That’s why I think insufficient (usually zero) attention is paid to the customer’s character and how to best deal with it.
And it’s not easy because a large % of students aren’t malleable kids; they are people who are used to getting their way in life (many are successful businessmen who consequently have zero tolerance for incompetence) and this is before you get onto the even more difficult angles e.g. male-female stuff.
I enjoyed every minute of my initial training, and I’m back in the learning seat at the moment doing my IR(R) and Night Rating, and loving every minute of it.
None of it has ever felt like a chore.
This evening I was doing NDB holds, at night, popping in and out of clouds with a cheeky wind that kept changing direction. I know that the ADF is the spawn of satan and I’ll never use it in anger, but it didn’t make the lesson any less enjoyable.
