Solo on 16th Birthday

[Mirage962]

At the request of BRL, I will take the opportunity to ramble happily about my first solo, which I did on 25th of May, my 16th birthday! :)
So, armed with a rather large birthday cake and a group of slightly scared family members, I arrived at Compton Abbas airfield in Dorset with my fingers crossed hoping the weather wouldn't deteriorate just in time for my 3 o'clock lesson. Luckily it stayed ok, and I started off with a couple of circuits with my instructor Toby, before he told me to pull off the runway and come to a stop. He got out after checking I was ok and telling me not to do any aerobatics (always spoiling my fun!! :p), then I was off on my own! When I turned to do my pre takeoff checks I was confronted by the slightly scary sight of two Yaks heading towards me, complete with the lead Yak pilot's voice on the radio asking me if I was "on my own in there"! Takeoff was fine, and I already had a huge smile on my face when turning downwind (then proceeding to sing my downwind checks!). Turning base I saw another aircraft on final approach and one waiting to take off, and thought "uh oh..." but they cleared with plenty of time left, and the landing was probably the best I've ever done! :ok: Then I got bombarded with "well dones" over the radio, and taxied up to the hardstanding with a huge grin on my face! Then time for photos and hugs, before tucking in to the cake, while listening to my gran saying that even though she'd seen it with her own eyes, she still couldn't quite believe it was me flying all by myself...:rolleyes: It was a fantastic birthday!! Also, a big thank you to Toby and everyone else at Compton!!
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa259/Mirage962/resize.jpg
Stephanie

[shortstripper]

Congratulations .... Bl@@dy marvelous!!! :ok:

Good luck with the rest of your training :)

SS

[michaelthewannabe]

well done, Stephanie. That's bloody impressive.

but be careful and don't let the second solo bite you!

[Charlie Foxtrot India]

You go, Girl!

I remember singing my checks on first solo too! 19 years ago :eek:

[BRL]

Excellent!

Thank You for writing that up. It might just inspire others to give it a go.

Well done. :)

[Mirage962]

Thanks everyone! And Michael - thanks for the advice! :ok:

[Tim Dawson]

Congratulations Stephanie. I think I've seen you around the airfield but (that I recall) we've never spoken. Ask anyone in ops what I managed to do on my first solo :)

[Mirage962]

Oh dear...sounds ominous :uhoh:!! You may well have seen me around, I'm quite often in ops helping out with radio and such like. Thanks :)

[Charles Sierra]

Congratulations and Well done !!! :D

[Whirlybird]

Congratulations Stephanie.

The first solo cross country is even better! :ok:

[Sleeve Wing]

Well done, Stephanie. What a super start to a career.

Oh, and remember that good lady pilots are far better than good men pilots !!
IMHO, you girls always try harder.

(That should keep the thread going !!!!!!!!!) ;)

Sleeve

[microlight AV8R]

Well done Stephanie,

Your good news has brightened an otherwise dreary non-flying day.

Blue Skies

[TheKentishFledgling]

Well done Stephanie - bet you're still smiling :)

tKF (another solo at 16 club member!)

[MarcJF]

Well done Stephanie, congratulations. Keep safe out there.

[Mirage962]

Thanks for the comments!
Oh, and remember that good lady pilots are far better than good men pilots !! - Well, that goes without saying :E!
Managed to squeeze in a flight today - nav down to Dunkeswell. Was meant to be a flyout but the weather let us down :( Still, two aircraft are better than none, and it was fun anyway! ;)

[Jetscream 32]

Tobes doesnt normally smile like that - i hear you have an aviation engineering interest....? go girl - i went solo on my 16th - 21st December - 28kts - 800ft base. From now on it gets better and better...... just always assume the donks gonna stop and have a plan, remember that and you should be fine..!! oh and remember to roundout also.
:ok: :} :D

[BigAl's]

Well done again Stephanie, and great nav yesterday! :ok:

... you even managed to turn out of Dunkeswell the right way unlike someone else...!! :ugh: :}.

[Mirage962]

Thanks! Yesterday was good fun, I got a couple of pics of Charlie Kilo on Toby's phone, I don't know if he showed you. Here's one I got on my camera:

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa259/Mirage962/PICT0335small.jpg

[Capt Fathom]

Good to see young people still so passionate about aviation!

I did a similar thing on my 16th birthday, at 7 o'clock in the morning. I remember it so clearly.

Then I casually went off to school as if nothing had happened.
In hindsight, it was an amazing thing to achieve, but I had two more years of school to think about!

:)

[pulse1]

Well done Stephanie! Now it can be revealed that I was in the circuit with you (Condor). Bet you're glad you didn't know that at the time eh? :eek::}

[pinknicola]

Just wanted to say well done, its something that you will never ever forget! I did my first solo on my 16th birthday (I'm now 21) and I know how much hard work it takes to achieve! Congratulations again