View Full Version : Hours to first solo
de La Valette
6th Nov 1999, 11:43
If anyone is interested, I have put a request on the Aussie Godzone and Dunnunder for info on how many hours as an average to first solo. It should have been on Instructor Forum. Sorry. Looking for more discussion please.
Capt Homesick
7th Nov 1999, 20:49
It depends on the student, and the structure of the course.
For the "typical" PPL student, only flying at weekends, 15 hours is a reasonable time. The better continuity the student has, the earlier he should go solo. A full time student should be looking at solo at around the eleven hour stage.
Another factor is age. In general, younger students should solo earlier. Also, if they have gone through some kind of aptitude test (successfully of course) this should reduce still further, possibly to the 8-9 hour margin.
At the risk of attracting the label of male chauvinist, I have found that female students tend to take a little longer to solo, but catch up later (by around the nav stage).
To sum up: 8-20 hours. Clear as Mud!
I was 39 when I did my PPL, only flying on Sundays wheather permiting, I went solo after 13 hours...
I still think my first solo cross country was more enjoyable!
PA38
Don't know about the average but it took me about 18 hrs, although that was with 6 instructors. You could start a thread on Wannabes or R&N and ask everyone how long they took.
Speed Twelve
8th Nov 1999, 02:59
Did my first solo after 8 1/2 hrs dual, on Day 3 of my Flying Scholarship at Tayside Aviation. I certainly wasn't the quickest, either! A mate who'd completed the course previously had soloed at 6 hrs exactly. As far as I remember the upper limit set by the MoD was solo within 9 hrs or you went on review, up to a maximum of 11 hours dual beyond which it was the chop if you hadn't soloed by then. That was ten years ago on the '30 hour' Flying Scholarship course. Heard that the aptitude requirements have been relaxed since then. I wonder how this has affected times to solo and general standard of Flying Scholarship cadets?
Cheers-
ST
Captain Airclues
8th Nov 1999, 03:16
A young man who lives near me went solo in 3 hour 40 minutes, although he did have some previous gliding experience. This was at Clacton Aero Club, on the PA-18 (Super Cub), when he was 17.
tealady
8th Nov 1999, 05:02
My daughter was ready for first solo at the age of 14 after 8.5 hours at a country airfield. Her training was then slowed down and she went out and conitnued on with other flight sequences and finally went solo on her 16th birthday having done 22 hours.I must say that as a parent, I was very happy that she experienced more advanced flying sequences before first solo. I know of several young people who commence training and aim to go solo on their 16th and when they have reached the point of where the Instructor was prepared to send them off, they continue on with other sequences such as cross wind circuits etc. This has not added to the dual time it takes them to get their GFPT which still takes around the same time as the old restricted PPL (33 to 40hrs).
Yes, I agree it does take females longer to go first solo and if you read the AAUP latest newsletter, you will see an article about brainspace and the fact that older brains don't have as much of it - so it should follow that the older student will take longer to go solo except where they have previous aviation experience.
tealady
8th Nov 1999, 05:36
Don't forget it will take longer to go solo at a controlled airport than an uncontrolled and longer at an airport with more than two runways, for instance, it wll take longer at Moorabbin than Bacchus Marsh
redsnail
8th Nov 1999, 17:02
well, I am female and I went solo in 8.5 hours. Flew a couple of times a week nice and early in the morning.
------------------
reddo
Life is good 'till the next stuff up.
JJflyer
9th Nov 1999, 08:07
Me thinks I went solo around 8.5 hours...
I was flying from a busy International airport... Hands full ...can't say that I was too comfortable for the first few flights .
JJ
flysundun
9th Nov 1999, 11:20
Hmmm, right.
I was just told how to do it in a 5 minute briefing before I went solo, so I think that qualifies as, say, -0.5 hours!!
And, to pay for the briefings, I used to have to lick t'plane clean....... whilst it was flying!
Well, some of us have got it....... ;)
polar bear
9th Nov 1999, 11:49
First solo after 12h, did 5 touch and go's and felt oh so good and pleased with myself... Oh yeah, no actual briefing before the solo (except a short discussion in the acft before). My instructor "fooled" me, said he had to make a phone call after we landed, but "changed" his mind and sent me off...
polar bear
Capt Homesick
9th Nov 1999, 20:20
All in all, I think the responses bear out what I posted- 8-20, with youth, continuity and luck all a factor. Speed 12's commetns about times to solo on the FS scheme still held true 2 years ago, when I last taught FS cadets. I daresay they're still valid.
Reddo, you've just reminded me why I should never generalize!