prospector,
I think you're quite a few years behind the times. I also did my first solo in a tail-dragger nearly 40 years ago and even then, while most students solo-ed in around 10 hours, the average was probably 7 or 8 for fixed wing. Helicopters are a bit different and usually take a little longer.
I also trained with the military and when I became a civil helicopter flying instructor, it was reckoned that around 10 hours was a good figure to give the student enough experience to survive an engine failure in the circuit in a helicopter, even if he seemed to be making good progress - after all the fear factor can make people do silly things and with an inexperienced student in a helicopter they can then turn out to be rather fatal!