Hours to first solo
Hours to first solo
Glasgow's Gallus Gigolo .... PPRuNeing is like making love to a beautiful woman ... I take hours.
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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!
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!
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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
Cheers-
ST
Just another number
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.......
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.......
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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
polar bear
Glasgow's Gallus Gigolo .... PPRuNeing is like making love to a beautiful woman ... I take hours.
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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!
Reddo, you've just reminded me why I should never generalize!
