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

[in-cog-nito]

Visual Flight Cues for Timing the Initiation of the Landing Flare

Keep flying towards the aim point. Don't give up on the aim point. Aim point now filling the windscreen. Wait until the instructor screams and goes for the controls.....and there's your visual flight cue for timing the initiation of the landing flare.

It's late, and I am bored.
In-cog

[slackie]

At an annual flying school held near Hobbiton 16 yr olds are taken from 0hrs to about 8hrs in 2 weeks... most (not all, probably 90%) go solo in that time. The differences here are probably: quality, close supervision of less experienced instructors; total immersion environment dedicated to the students; "tried and true" syllabus and lesson plans; young minds eager to learn; early intervention when issues are identified.

[sevenstrokeroll]

dear student pilot


don't worry about the time to solo. when I was instructing I taught at a 2500' strip right under the Class B airspace of San Francisco, CA, USA...we had crosswinds galore, took time to get to a practice area clear of the airliners...had to teach at least one other airport in case the home airport closed while someone was soloing in the pattern, lots of radio work , ATC, avoidance of airliners, P3 sub chasing planes from nearby Navy airfield.

IT takes longer than 4 hours due to modern inconveniences like other planes and regulations.

I had one student who flew fine, but couldn't speak english well...he got mad that he didn't solo sooner...fine...but if had an emergency, well he couldn't communicate well.


so...go out and read, "Stick and Rudder" by wolfgang langweiche and happy landings

[OZBUSDRIVER]

How do you judge 20ft to start round out? When you can make out individual blades of grass. Can still here John Young in my head. Blades of grass old boy.... Funny when you are 16:-)

[Centaurus]

I saw a student that was milked for over 50.
Absolutely CRIMINAL on the part of the flying school.

Some years ago CFI's in the Melbourne area were asked to comment on their students average to time to solo. Most agreed it was difficult to generalise because of different factors including frequency of training. 15-20 hours was near enough to average.
However it is not always instructor experience as a factor. One CFI declared vehemently he would never send a student solo until he had flown at least 20 hours of dual. He said this was because in his opinion it takes 20 hours of dual to learn "situational awareness." He owned his own flying school and was the sole instructor.

Another CFI known for his propensity to delay sending his students solo until 25-40 hours, gave a commercial reason for his caution. Years back as a young instructor he saw a first solo student tip the aircraft over on its back on landing after several nervous go-arounds. After that experience he was determined not to run the risk of that happening at his flying school. He seemed oblivious to the fact that his customers were drifting away to other flying schools after they had logged 20 hours plus dual with him and had still not gone solo. The interesting part was that both CFI's described above were well experienced and operated one man band flying schools.

[Slasher]

I was booted out of the nest after 6 1/2 hours in DH82
including spins and loops. Average was 7 for that type.

[triathlon]

8.2 hrs then sent solo.
60 hrs with ppl and NGT VFR
154 CPL.
Part time SAT/SUN 14 mnths

[Trojan1981]

13 Hours for me... just like Robert Stanford Tuck!
That said I did stop flying for a year after my first eight hours, before starting again with another school.

I know of one guy (in his sixties) who has 70-odd hours and hasn't solo'd.

[jas24zzk]

And to think RST was almost booted off his course!

[Dashtrash]

Just to clarify for the hard of understanding.....

I wouldn't consider 30hrs excessive as there are any number of reasons progress may be delayed. Long breaks between flights/ weather/issues at home or work/money shportage/chopping and changing between junior instructors/changing schools/ student confidence issues. I've seen most of'em. The point is while 30 hrs is not excessive, it is outside the normal range. So any reasons for this should be investigated. Thats's why we had those points. So things didn't balloon out because of a problem rather than circumstance. The point is it should be looked into but it's not worth an inquisition.

[prospector]

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

Well Roger, you have your answer. It is very variable, depends on many factors, natural ability only being one of them. Natural ability when coupled with other factors, such as experience and quality of instructor, how busy the aerodrome where training carried out, amount of time and money available to devote to training all contribute to the amount of time to that first solo. And there are no doubt other factors that can be influential in the time taken as well.

[roger_hujin]

It seems impossible for me to reply to each individual posts in past a few days, I never expected so many replies. I do thank everyone who has given me advices and the ones who joined this interesting pi55ing contest.

My purpose is not to really ask how many hours, I knew it varies, what I want to find is if there is a generally reasonable range which can confirm I am on track. If I do fall out of the range, that might indicate there is something wrong about this and I need to find out and fix it instead of just keeping doing it and wait. From your replies, it seems I am not far from the track though a little bit slower than normal. I do accept that and believe I probably still need a bit more practice from the click moment.

However, apart from the contest side of things and some arguments along the thread, I did learn two important points I need to improve:

1. Holding the stick with just three fingers, relax and trim more.
2. Look far to the end of the runway when flare.

I exercised these two thing last Saturday while having some up to 10kts crosswind circuits, I think it did help me, the flare is getting better and less over controls, even have a couple of pretty good landing too. So thanks to everyone.

Now need to work on a new issue, I still have quite poor directional control on landing and flare. The problem basically is I cannot line up aircraft with the runway centre line. I might be a bit to the left while flying parallel to the runway, but when I try to fix it by turning right to the centre line, most of the time it will cross it and off to the other side.

[Trojan1981]

[quoteAnd to think RST was almost booted off his course][/quote]

Yes, no doubt the air force of today would miss out on a man of his talents...

[Aimpoint]

Roger - great to see you are going to take the advice next time you fly. Hopefully it all comes together shortly.

At least some posts provided good advice - unlike those who thought it was relevant or useful to boast they went solo in 3 hours...

[RonM]

Hi Roger,

I have just flown my 1st circuit solo last Monday, 21 hrs in my log book ,but medical and SPL and ASIC check held me back a few hrs. It took a while to get the trim correct , and was always chasing the plane in base and finals and by the time I got to the thresh hold I was way behind the ball as far as roundout and flaring. Then one day it all just fell into place, it even made my instructor comment on what did I do with the other Ron as this person was getting it together. My instructor told me that I had it in me as when he pattered me I would do it, so when you do everything without coaxing you know you are on your way. I started out training once per fortnight but found I was falling behind so started training once per week. I didnt let myself get caught up in thinking that if I hadnt soloed by 10-15 hrs I was no good ,as this adds pressure to something I started for fun. Everybody has a different learning curve and dont be too concerned mate. You are doing well , it will come believe me and you will be like me now being on the other side giving encouragement to another student wondering when they will solo. And as my instructor said to me as he was getting out of the plane to leave me on my own , "Main thing to remember is Have Fun !!!!"
Good Luck on your 1st Solo mate.

Cheers, Ron.

[roger_hujin]

Ron, thanks a lot for your encouragement. I am having fun too. The first solo time will come for sure, I am not worry about it any more.

[roger_hujin]

A lot thanks to you too Aimpoint. There are heaps of good advices I can learn from these replies. I am enjoying my flying time, won't be pissed off by these three hours solos..

[roger_hujin]

I have some video shot from the flight last week. I had 8 circuits that day but the whole video is about an hour. Edited and cut three base to final and then touch and go sections and make a short video (5 minutes).

I will really appreciate if you guys can watch it and point out what I did right and what I did wrong in the video

I still have some problem on directional control during flare. I am a bit confused about how to correct it when I found I am just a few meters left to the center line right at the moment to start flare. Should I use rudder to turn aircraft to intercept the center line and then turn back or I should hold aircraft aligned with center line by rudder and use aileron to side slip to the center line.

I tried to step the rudder once in the video on the second landing, it seems not the best way.

[ranmar850]

As others have said, don't do it before YOU feel you are ready. I was offered solo by my instructor, IIRC, 8.2 hrs. Relatively quiet aerodrome, but with lots of strong wind--Geraldton, Mid-West WA, late spring /summer. C172P. Turned her down, then went, also IIRC as my log book is not handy, over 10 hours, until the weather settled, I certainly didn't want to do it in 25-30kts SSE with a crosswind factor of around 30 degrees.
When I did, it was all go from then on. Great feeling. But there is also the factor of actual traffic. Geraldton wasn't bad, some RPT (F-50's and Dash-8's) RFDS, regular charter, private. Not common to be in the circuit with more than one other aircraft. Then I did my first dual cross-country nav, to Jandakot , while it was still doing all the training, no-one at Merriden.
Fark me, is that a circuit or a dogfight? I was coming in from the SE, into a setting sun--I remember getting instruction to join downwind from overhead, and couldn't actually see a gap.My instructor grabbed the yoke, and neatly slotted me in , and I took it from there. Adds a whole new dimension to training, actually having to share airspace.

[Aimpoint]

Roger,

Very difficult to comment because we are not in the aircraft. However, my observations are:

- seem to be too fast on late final. Been a while since I've flown 172s, but looks like you're around 75-80kts on mid final when you should be closer to 65-70. Depends on what your school teaches though. Power should be controlling airspeed, need to start slowing a little sooner.
- approach profile is inconsistent. Sometimes you look very high, sometimes low.
- flaring too high
- I think you're trimming but a bit hard too see from the angle. Trim so you can take your hands off the controls and it will keep flying to the aim point (dont literally take your hands off the controls).
- use aileron to control drift off centerline, and rudder to straighten the nose. As discussed in another post, if you keep looking ahead during the hold off you will be able to control the landing well. Get yourself on centreline early on final.

I'm not sure how much direction your instructor is giving, or what your situational awareness is like, use of checklists etc. - this could be holding you back too. The instructor needs to see consistent circuits without any direction before you go solo.

Be careful using my advice or anyone else on pprune because we are not in the plane with you, nor have we been during the prior lessons. Use our suggestions in conjunction with what your school tells you.

I don't think you are very far off solo if you can sort out the above items.