I took both cockatiels to the vet last Thursday. Unfortunately, the avian vet that used to be there one day a week retired, so the main vet did the clip. She clearly had not done this in a while and was not very skillful. She had trouble catching them, had Emma escape several times, and everyone got really stressed out.

When I got home I discovered that both the tiels are still capable of flying to the top of a 6' tall bookcase in the kitchen. They are not allowed in the kitchen, and it has been stressful. Monday it seemed like every ten minutes I had to go out and chase them back to the living room.

I decided there was nothing for it but learn to clip them myself. I watched several youtube videos, practiced on an imaginary bird, then managed to do Emma. It is SO HARD to catch her! But, I finally did. Once I had her properly restrained, the clipping wasn't bad at all.

She hasn't tried to fly yet. I only took off two more feathers, so I don't think she is going to drop like a rock. She is out of sorts and resting.

Do you have a bird store where you live that may have some trained staff? We have a bird store where people have many years of experience. They are not licensed to provide any vet care of course, but they are great about clipping nails, wings and such

It's helpful when there are already some clipped feathers to give you guidance on where you should cut the additional feathers. This assumes that the person who cut the previous feathers did a good job of course! It's also very helpful if you have one person who can hold the bird while another person clips the feather, but it's certainly possible for one person to clip a cockatiel by themselves.

Chipper's idea to look for a bird store where they have competent staff is a good one. It sounds like your vet isn't very skillful with birds, and the people at a bird store might be better. It will probably be cheaper too!

She flew off the cage last night and drifted to the floor in about ten feet. I am relieved.
There are no bird stores within an hour from me.