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Originally Posted by jrocket66  I'm beginning to think my future in flying might be relegated to VFR weekend pilot. |
If you really want to be an airline pilot, then don't quit when you're so close. What you're doing in your commercial training bears little resemblance to what you will do professionally.
Perhaps you're too keyed up. Some of the words you use suggest you're being overly harsh with yourself such as "very poor", "deficient", "terrible". Those aren't constructive words, they're insults. Don't use them. Your ego will be far less bruised if you define your obstacles in objective terms. Short fields aren't "very poor", they're too long or too short. Once the problem is properly defined, the answer is clear. You can't solve "terrible", because that's too vague.
My observation is that "too high" is most often caused by the pilot not evaluating his altitude quickly and frequently enough once the descent is begun. Sometimes it's not until final that they actually start taking action regarding altitude and that's often too late.
As for technique itself, make sure you're very slip-proficient; that can fix altitude mistakes in a hurry. You can also extend your downwind, put in flaps earlier, and reduce power more aggressively. But all those techniques are moot if you don't continuously compare your altitude to where it should be at particular points in the pattern.