PPL training, hours before 1st solo?

[king rooney]

Hi all, am just wondering whats an average number of dual hours to notch up b4 getting the coverted first solo?

Am currently at 12 n a half and gettting a bit itchy to go solo, even though im not quite ready yet, am I a late progressor or is 12 to say 15 hours about right?

[captain_flynn]

I remember hearing 10 - 15 is about normal.. I went after 9hrs 15mins.

[edymonster]

i heard average was about 20 hours. I did myn in under 14.

[Uh-oh]

I think one should mention the A/C type as well as the number of hours to solo.

[FormationFlyer]

Totally ab-initio, on a JAR PPL, with no previous experience at all...

Your course should NOT have you in the circuit until at least 10hrs. Anything earlier and your instructor probably hasnt taught you everything...most common missed items are sideslip, use of mixture control, adverse aileron yaw control (or WHY we *actually* use rudder), slow flight and worse of all 11A spin avoidance....

Addionally its going to take 2-4 lessons in the circuit as a minimum to solo to properly cover the circuit, landing, efato and rto.

So if all goes well about 14-15hrs. But it can take some students another 2-5hrs depending on various factors:

1. Student's own input level on the ground away from the airfield - i.e. memorising the books, flying the circuit through in their head etc.
2. The instructor's own technique and prefered methods
3. The speeds being flown
etc..etc..etc..

Dont be in a rush to get to first solo....as the canadian airforce poster says 'if you complete your A check in half the normal time - did you do all of the checks at twice the speed - or did you do half the checks at normal speed?'....

TTFN
Barry

[Say again s l o w l y]

Very sound advice there.

Don't rush into it, just let it happen. The competence of a pilot is in no way related to how many hours it took you to go solo, though some people will have you believe such rubbish.

The average for students I've sent is around 15-20 with only real whizz kids being before that. (Invariably they've been around 16 y.o. You are just able to learn faster at that age!)

[Lister Noble]

I think it took me around 18hrs,don't worry about it because they won't send you until they are sure you are OK.
I was told the time it takes to go solo does not reflect in any way what sort of pilot you will be!
Good luck
Lister:)

[Whirlygig]

It doesn't really matter how many hours it takes as it depends on so many things; the aircraft (it'll be more hours in a helicopter!!), the attitude of the instructor (mine wanted to ensure I could do an engine off landing before I went solo), your ability to learn and pick it up.

Don't feel agrieved because you haven't gone solo; you're still learning all the time and it don't amount to a hill o' beans at what point it happens. You still have to learn your radio work, your navigation, your emergency procedures.

It might help your confidence to go solo earlier rather than later but don't turn it into a compettion and don't feel disheartened when other people solo before you.

I went solo at 40 hours. And had the skills test and qualifying cross-country done and dusted in the next 20-odd. 60-ish flying hours to do PPL(H) is average; where the solo came within that doesn't matter.

Rely on your instructor's judgment; he or she can best assess your abilityso don't be disappointed if it doesn't happen for you as quickly as it has happened for others. There will be other aspects of flying that you could up more quickly than them!

Cheers

Whirls

I'd just like to add that I had a bird-strike on my 2nd/3rd (?) solo circuit. Apart from it making me jump and momentarily think "what the fook was that", I'm glad that I was able to have the capacity to call Tower and tell them what had happened and could I do a very truncated circuit and land staight away.

[FlyingForFun]

I agree - there's no rush.

As an instructor, I always head up to the control tower to watch my students' first solos, and chat to the controllers while I'm there.

Every now and then, something happens which means that a first solo isn't going to be a "standard" circuit - maybe priority traffic, for example. When things start to happen, the controllers will always check with me first: "I think I'm going to have to (get Helimed away/get the 737 in/tow the broken aircraft out of the way) before your guy, will he be happy (orbiting/going around/using a different runway/doing circus tricks)?"

Ok, so they've never yet asked one of my solo students to do circus tricks (they usually save that for when I'm on board), but I want to be absolutely sure that whatever ATC want to throw at you on your first solo, I can confidently tell the controller that you will be up to it. And if you happen to train at an uncontrolled field, there's even more training required, because you've also got to be able to make these decisions for yourself, rather than letting ATC do that for you.

FFF
-----------

[aerobat 1971]

Hi there,

At my club we work with a 'pre-solo' check list that includes, amonst other things:

Engine Failure on Take Off

Complete Stalls package (4 hours minimum of stalls / spin avoidance)

PFLs

Cockpit Fire drills

QDM Procedure - although how you get lost in the circuit escapes me!

AND we have a solo students limit of 12kt wind - total, not just x-wind component.

The last one was the one that delayed my first solo again and again and again. The good side of that is that my x-wind landings are now pretty good considering that I'm still a low hours student. I'm quite happy with 17kts or so x-wind component so the delay can't have been a bad thing.

Cheers,

David

[J.A.F.O.]

It's true what they're telling you, Rooney, when you solo has no bearing whatsoever on how good a pilot you are. I went solo in just over seven hours and I'm still rubbish 20 years later. :}

It's all flying and it doesn't matter a whole hill of beans how quickly you solo, I know it's frustrating trying to tick off all these little landmarks but just enjoy it and go with the flow. Your instructor will send you solo when he/she thinks you're ready (plus a bit, probably), you'll remember it forever but you'll then just find another hill to climb - first navex, first landaway, first solo XC, and so on. There's always another hill to climb so just enjoy the journey.

Oh, and let us know when you do it.

[Waldo_Pepper]

I can remember my fist solo (after about 12 hrs). The instructor hopped out the plane and told me he needed the toilet, so i should do a circuit on my own. He then gave me all the maps and stuff and told me where to head if the runway closed while I was up there. Nerve-racking stuff! But after you've done it once, 3 hours consolidation builds up your confidence so much, and in my opinion that is when you really learn how to fly in the circuit. enjoy!!

[RodgerF]

Quote

QDM Procedure - although how you get lost in the circuit escapes me!

You might have to go somewhere else if you can't get back in.

[wsmempson]

Anything up to 20 hours to go solo is normal these days; I think that the way that the sylabus operates, there is more to learn before your 1st solo than there was in the 1950's - in addition, much of the training was based about the RAF system, where there was a lot of pressure to go solo quickly; If you hadn't gone solo by 15 hrs, you were off the training programme.

The instructor at my club (BAFC) didn't lay much store in how quickly we went solo as he thought it an unreliable barometer of quality; a far better indicator was one's ability to pick up the navigation.

Whilst I remember my 1st solo quite well, I really remember the 1st time that I flew into the local training area by myself to consolidate the lessons alreay learnt. Memorable, exhillarating and scarey in equal measures.

[dublinpilot]

Rooney,

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

JAFO said when you solo has no bearing whatsoever on how good a pilot you are

And I have to totally agree with him.

I went solo very quickly and was really proud of this at the time.

A year or so later (I had my PPL for a few months at this stage) I had terrible difficulty getting a currency checkout (on an aircraft I had already been checkout on). I spent quite a number of hours with a new instructor, who wouldn't sign me off on it. I don't blame him for not signing me off, as my flying didn't deserve the sign off, but something about his attitude made me feel far too nervous and uncomforatable to fly. (The problem was solved immediately once I changed instructor.)

But if that incident thought me anything, it was that my original solo time was more down to luck than skill. I was extremely lucky to have a very good instructor (pre solo) who taught in a way that suited how I learn. I operated from a Radio field, so I didn't have too much to learn about ATC, the aircraft was very simple, and the weather was kind to me.

Once you've got your licence, then no serious pilot will care how long it took you to go solo. After that, the type of flying you do, the breath of your experience and your currency and most importantly, your attitude, will say more about you as a pilot, than your hours to first solo will. The only people who will ask you how long it too you to go solo, will be other students ;)

dp

[Human Factor]

There should be no pressure to go solo in a particular number of hours. Generally speaking, the younger you are and the more continuity you get (ie. not doing one lesson a month), the fewer hours you'll take.

[king rooney]

Done it!


Got it done yesterday, after 14 hours, well chuffed!

[J.A.F.O.]

See, all that fretting for nothing.

Well done, you'll remember 8th February 2006 for a long, long time.

All the best with the rest.

[effortless]

I know of someone who still hasn't gone solo and he has over 100 hours. Never likely to do it either now as he is unlikely to pass a medical. He will probably go flying as long as he can afford to pay someone to go with him.

[PPRuNeUser0172]

RodgerF, what do you mean might have to go somewhere else in case you cant get in? Surely by definition, you are already 'in' as you are 'in' the circuit and never left it. Any instructor worth his salt would tell a stude to land if the weather looked as though it might deteriorate from the tower. So agree that a QDM procedure pre solo is a bit of a waste of time and money for the paying customer.

Back to the original poster, 8 hours 50 mins prior to being booted off solo

[A and C]

I have instructed at two airfields one with a large non-standard CCT at 1000 ft to avoid the noise protests of some locals, the other airfield has standard 800 ft CCT.

At the first airfield the "hours to solo" is much higher but the number of landings to solo is about the same.

It would seem to me that all avoiding the noise protesters achieves is spreading more noise over a wider area and burning more Avgas.

[dublinpilot]

Well done Rooney. Congrats :ok:

[FlyingForFun]

what do you mean might have to go somewhere else in case you cant get in? Surely by definition, you are already 'in' as you are 'in' the circuit and never left itAircraft crashes on runway, causes airfield to close until wreckage can be removed?

FFF
-------------

[Sideslipper]

For those out there who are worried about how many hours they may take to go solo, this should make you feel a lot better;
I took 35 hours.
Anybody able to beat that?

[Whirlygig]

Yes. My post number 8 on this thread - 40 hours. 63 to complete PPL.

Cheers

Whirls

[Sideslipper]

Whirls,
Saw your post, but not being a rotorhead don't know what is "high" or "low" for helo solo time.
Anyone out there have an opinion on what takes longer, aircraft or helo?
What's more difficult? Aircraft flare & land, or helo hover control?

[Whirlygig]

Again, I did imply that helicopter solo hours are generally higher but believe me, 40 is still high!! It's still 45 hours minimum for PPL.

Why don't you treat yourself to a helicopter trial lesson and find out!! I believe that hovering a helicopter is harder than aeroplane whatever but I've never flown a fixed wing. I can you you this - you cannot take a limb off any of the controls for more than a second. I memorise all my clearances!

Cheers

Whirls

[CherokeeDriver]

As a 30 year old with no previous it took me 16 hours. Same time again to clean my underpants afterwards! Don't get hung up on it. You're ready when you're ready. Better to fly / land using skill rather than testsosterone!

[slim_slag]

Cannot remember exactly how long it took, it's that important to me. It was nothing remarkable though, I said I was in no hurry and my instructor loved that. Those who take under 10 hours on a recent syllabus are either young and just get it (rare) or have unlogged hours (common), IMO.

[wombat13]

Every now and then, something happens which means that a first solo isn't going to be a "standard" circuit - maybe priority traffic, for example. When things start to happen, the controllers will always check with me first: "I think I'm going to have to (get Helimed away/get the 737 in/tow the broken aircraft out of the way) before your guy, will he be happy (orbiting/going around/using a different runway/doing circus tricks)?"

Never a truer word. I was bang on 16 hours when I went solo. I called downwind and was advised I was number one. Late down wind I heard the pan call followed by ATC telling me to go off on an orbit until I heard back from them.

For reasons that don't matter here, my time solo commenced from the threshold of the runway in use and I was away within 60 seconds of "taking command". One circuit should have been no more than 7 minutes airborne. As I write this I am referring back to my logbook and the 30 minutes it actually took.

Did I feel prepared for this unexpected event? Yes. Did I have a chart on-board in the event of them not getting the field re-opened and a diversion? No, of course not. You never need a chart when you go in the circuit................

[egbt]

I can’t remember anything as frustrating as waiting to go solo, even though I knew it was the correct decision.

Looking back at the log book, at 8 hours I was told I was close to solo and then I hit a mental block over the last few seconds of the landing. Just as I was getting over that the weather turned bad for several weeks and I spend 4 or 5 lessons doing cross countries and bad weather circuits before going solo at 20 hours. The only good thing was that I am now reasonably comfortable landing in crosswinds etc.

As Whirly said you have 45 hours for the PPL and I was right chuffed, after the “poor” start and being over 50, to do it in 45:40 hours. Just try keep at it.