How many hours student pilot generally have when going first solo?

[roger_hujin]

Thanks a lot Tee Emm for your reply. I heard about there aresuch thing out there, but my instructor is a G1 instructor and I think he is doing his best to help me, so I cannot blame him for this.

I think I am a little bit slow, but definitely not "lacking of ability to be a safe pilot".

If I am at my 20s and doing this full time, I am sure I will move much faster and master it easier. Maybe be able to meet the requirement in military and soloed in 12 hours. However I have to do my office work for a whole week, (brain work most of the time, software devs), and doing my study at night, then fly at weekend, it definitely slow me down a bit. So all I can do is keep at it, being relax, more chair flying and enjoy it. The click moment will comes I believe, very soon.

[roger_hujin]

I've suggested trying to just use your first 2 fingers and a thumb and it makes it a lot easier to identify when you're out of trim and sometimes helps people be a little gentler on the controls.

Ixixly, this is a awesome idea. I will try it next time. Thank you very much!

[NIK320]

I got held up waiting for a medical to be issued, the usual hoop jumping continues every year. You would think they would trust the dame assessment by now :P

Ended up solo at 19.5 hours, C152 in 2007.

[in-cog-nito]

I've suggested trying to just use your first 2 fingers and a thumb and it makes it a lot easier to identify when you're out of trim and sometimes helps people be a little gentler on the controls.

Holding the controls that way also tells which way it is out of trim, i.e. nose up or nose down trim required.

Try it next time. You will also see how important it is to hold the attitude while trimming. Pressure on the thumb, nose down trim required. Pressure on the finger tips, nose up trim required.

And don't forget to get little pinky sticking out like you are drinking a cup tea with the Queen.

[Avgas172]

Much depends on the skill of your instructor. Grade 3 instructors which dominate the larger flying schools are inexperienced since most of them have only recently obtained the instructor rating directly after graduation with 150 or 200 hours with a CPL.

What load of rubbish, I learnt to fly in PA38 JEM at YBCS, traffic, (mostly heavy) weather, waiting clearances and transit to the trg area were the deciding factors. The young instructors with low hours were often the best of the lot ..... a certain young instructor in particular saved my arse by telling me to just let go of the controls and let the plane fly if I was in doubt when doing incipent spin training (and I did just that when solo at 20 odd hours and entering an inverted spin at 4000 amsl over double island in the tramahawk) on the other hand a senior Instructor (no names) punched me on short final for rwy 12 because I wasn't going to make the glide approach, nearly causing us both to cark it. Incidently it was 17 hours in my log book for solo .........

[Aimpoint]

During the hold off ensure you look towards the end of the runway - not just ahead of the aeroplane. Amazing that many instructors don't use this technique to solve the final stage of the landing.

[in-cog-nito]

During the hold off ensure you look towards the end of the runway - not just ahead of the aeroplane. Amazing that many instructors don't use this technique to solve the final stage of the landing.

That and ensuring the student has their seat position and eye height set right at the start.

[Eastmoore]

Don't sweat it. Just as a comparison.

16.5 hrs for me in C172 but:

1. Early 20's
2. Country airstrip no traffic or ATC.
3. A 5 min taxi
4. Trained by the CFI with over 10000 hrs Instructing.

Any thing less I would still be going.

[Fostex]

Indeed it is worth pointing out that you will probably go solo quicker at an uncontrolled aerodrome however the ATC and RT experience gained from training at an aerodrome with full ATC will count for a lot when moving on to nav.

[VH-XXX]

3 hours to solo, 12 years ago.

PPL in 15 hours of dual.

Probably not enough, but I'm still here !

[65er]

10.0 hrs in PA28 in 1974

[DK08]

it was 30+ hours till i was TRULY ready!

i met a doctor last year who had told me he went solo in the indian air force after just 3 hours! that was quite a while ago though....

[kingRB]

*enters pi55ing contest*

5.5 hours in 1998.

May have logged a couple hours in a glider beforehand though

[Ornis]

If you are having trouble with the landing, you might try flying very slowly down the runway. It's pretty hard to stop the aircraft landing itself.

On the other hand, if you can walk away from a 15kt cross-wind landing you must be doing okay.

[Nulli Secundus]

Roger,

I reckon Aimpoint has probably found your problem. You want your instructor to keep the "patter" up all the way to touchdown, basically doing the thinking for you while you follow his or her instructions. Gradually the instructor can wean off the patter, handing more over to you. In effect, you 'download' the patter your self (in your head) and it all comes together.

Its been a while but my approach was to patter.......... keep the descent coming on....... looking good............ gradually bleed back the power now as we approach the threshold....... start to round out to straight & level with gentle back pressure on the yoke........ now eyes on the end of the runway as you gently bring the power fully back to idle & raise the nose gently to the horizon & ...... keep eyes on the end of the runway as you feel the ground come up around you...... keep raising the nose with back pressure, back, back ........ well done, beautiful touchdown!
(Why its almost orgasmic!!)

Remember, make the aeroplane go where you want it to & feel the aeroplane through the air. Sense the ground in your peripheral vision with eyes at the end of the runway & you're there.

[Dream Land]

I flew my Areronca in the mornings, and afternoon after lunch at a grass strip without ATC (or a radio), 6.5 Tach hours, but if you're only flying on weekends, in a more complicated environment, ATC, other aircraft etc, my guess would be around 20 hours.

I like Ozgrades remarks, probably a great instructor.

[Mike Litoris]

I was 24.5 hrs and getting really frustrated, complained to CFI but he wouldn't listen. Then for other reasons involving another student, my instructor was sacked and my new instructor sent me solo after 45mins. Apparently my first instructor was getting students to do more hours than required to fill his own log book.

That being said, got my CPL after 153 hours, so all in all I was happy.

Don't worry, almost everyone will have issues with one or two areas and use a couple more hours than 'normal', but once they 'click' with the problem, it will all work out. Who knows you may breeze thru other areas faster than normal (MECIR had me stuffed!!!)

Good Luck

ML

[mcgrath50]

My favourite line from an instructor I had during flight screening a few years back, that I use now myself was, "Hold the stick like you'd hold your brothers penis" While demonstrating the two fingers and thumb technique and making a disgusted face! Sums it up pretty nicely.

[MakeItHappenCaptain]

When I first asked about flying, my instructor just pointed at the plane and said, "Fill yer boots."
Solo on 0 hours! I must be the best fcuking pilot who ever lived!

[jas24zzk]

<< enters pissing contest also.
2 Hours Dual. Ian Sharp was the man whom had had enough of my gyrations. 1990 YCEM