Originally Posted by
cowtreat
I'm just about to go solo. I started my training on the parries in a k-21 and was feeling close to solo after 15 hours. The average flight was 25min. This year I switched to flying in the rocky mountains in a 2-33. It took some time to get used to the old ship and mountains. The big difference was each flight averaged about 1h45min.
This week if the weather is good I will solo after 40 hours. I was told it would just be a circuit. I said that I'm not sure if I want to solo if all I get to do is a circuit. So I was told they'd drop me by a common smaller mountain we use to get lift. I'm hoping I can do big soaring flights in my training. It costs $50 a flight no matter how long I stay up so I'd like my average flight to be at least 3 hours. Even if I can't go cross country, I can check out all the peaks in the vicinity of the airport.
I think it's a little longer in gliders because you don't pay much so there is more just flying for fun than serious working on technique. Then if you have flights averaging more than an hour but only one takeoff and landing you could have 40 hours of flight with just 20 landings.
I feel a bit like I'm bragging about how fantastic the soaring is at Invermere. Our 22 members that submit their flights to the olc have over double the points of the second highest club in Canada.
The first solo should the safest flight you do, hence it is mostly a circuit and soaring kept brief, it is a thrilling experience regardless that leads onto many successes.
Respect what your instructors say, you are still under the supervision of the instructor when flying solo, they know what is best for you. Overconfidence has never done any inexperienced pilot any good, or impressed anyone.
There is absolutely no need to rush the early solo process, Gliding is done for fun but the skills test for the licence will look at serious technique like any other qualification.