My first solo at SEP flightschool
It was 1992, 26th of january when I was 30 years old, and it was my third flight. I had 3 hours and 10 minutes from the very first and the second flight before.
The french instructor was a retired military pilot and instructor. The plane was a Morane Saulnier MS880 B (that did not changed during the first 8 hours).
I have to say that from my 17th to 25th year I was flying sailplanes in Switzerland, and then just the season before beginning my PPL Flightschool I was making my microlight license on a stupid basic equipped Quicksilver II (twostroke Rotax engine with hanging cylinders- it was not only weather that decided you to go or not to go).
So I knew all about trafic pattern, radio (in french), and surrounding air navigation from about 50 hours of microlight.
The first solo flight in this airplane was unforgetable and consists in simply doing a traffic pattern. I remember me , the instructor says: "just hold here (at the junction of the runway with the taxyway) and wait for me , the engine running - I've forgotten something. Once out of the cabin and the door locked, he took a walky talky on the edge of the runway and says to me over the radio: " now do exactly the same as before (we came down from 3 to 4 pattern works).
I made all checkpoints by loud speaking to myself and made that very first landing solo on a SEP. I felt a kind of extasy behind. And the champagner came on my bill after in the club...
At this time, in France the usual curriculum for Pilots forseen first a restricted license (BB- brevet de base) with restricted radius and restrictions on type and model, but gives you the ability to fly with passengers earlier then with a PPL. I've got the tests for this BB at 8 hours and 45 minutes - exactly one month after starting the flight school. For that, I made the theory courses and the tests just two days before the test flight for BB. To achieve the PPL final exam, the legislation exepts 45 hours of flight plus radio license plus navigation exercises, including 5 hours flights under IMC conditions (partially simulated by wearing special glasses during flight). I made my testflight at 40 hours and 10 minutes exactly 4 months day by day from the start of the instructions.
The very first 'adventure' was a flight from central France to Hungary , that was the same year 1992 when I made my instruction, with 47 hours in total and from that 38H28 in solo on PPL. I asked a friend, owner of the PPL since 5 years with a few 100 hours in total to come with me. We rented a PA28 from Dijon, crossed Switzerland- Germany-Austria to finaly land at Siofok Kiliti in Hungary. In total we made 25 hours together- I logged 12 hours from this budget.
This adventure graved in my mind was the best I could get from flying as a fresh baked pilot and I will never miss it. I became a better pilot with only 65 hours in total at the end of my first year as private pilot.
I mean it is not the number of hours before first solo, but the way you do your training and later how you build up your experience as pilot in command.
Look out for a good friend having PPL and beeing experinenced, and fly with him. Do cross country flights, make all the prep works for all flights you do thogether including gather weather forecast and decicion making. You will learn faster, sustainable and will become a better pilot- I guarantee.
Sincerely Yours
Cosy