Average hours to first solo
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As Astir says it depends on age. My driving instructor reckoned the number of hours required to pass your test, was about the same as your age.
As most of us here have the mental age of around seven
seven hours to solo sounds about right.Pace
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frequency and cost
airborne_artist probably made the most important point here :
Lesson frequency is of paramount importance. If lessons are once a month, or even less, the one spends at least a third of the next lesson catching up on what has been forgotten since. If lessons are much more frequent, say once a week, or even more, then much more reinforcement of acquired skills can occur.
In many, especially the young, lesson frequency is solely dependant on what can be afforded ! So, as always, finance comes into it !
My own first solo was 26 years ago, but I'll keep the hours to myself !
Age, lesson frequency, instructor
In many, especially the young, lesson frequency is solely dependant on what can be afforded ! So, as always, finance comes into it !
My own first solo was 26 years ago, but I'll keep the hours to myself !
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"Figures I've seen indicate about 10 hours as a base then add 1 hour per year of age from about 21 upwards."
I was 62 years old when I did my solo,using above 41 plus 10=51 hours to solo
Well I did it in 19 hrs so I must be much better than average
It really is a load of old b****cks,you go when the instructor says so.
When I was learning there was a fixation around 10 hrs to solo,and it made my life more than a bit miserable thinking I was nowhere near ready.
It could be useful for the student to be told by the instructor on day one that it is not a race,that going solo at x hours does not make you a better pilot,and that the world is full of flash bas****s trying to be one up.
Lister.
I was 62 years old when I did my solo,using above 41 plus 10=51 hours to solo
Well I did it in 19 hrs so I must be much better than average
It really is a load of old b****cks,you go when the instructor says so.
When I was learning there was a fixation around 10 hrs to solo,and it made my life more than a bit miserable thinking I was nowhere near ready.
It could be useful for the student to be told by the instructor on day one that it is not a race,that going solo at x hours does not make you a better pilot,and that the world is full of flash bas****s trying to be one up.
Lister
.
The Original Whirly
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It could be useful for the student to be told by the instructor on day one that it is not a race,that going solo at x hours does not make you a better pilot,and that the world is full of flash bas****s trying to be one up.
Most pilots are competitive high achievers, and even if something isn't a competition, they'll somehow make it into one.
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1977, RAF Manston ATC gliding school
6-weekend course
Kirby Cadet Mk III
40 launches to first solo
average flight time 3 minutes
total pre-solo time 2 hours
They sure don't teach 'em like that any more.
Not sure I was ever taught to turn right, though ??
(My solo glider, XN246, is suspended from the ceiling of Southampton air museum, I believe in testament to my achievement in bringing it back in one piece !)
6-weekend course
Kirby Cadet Mk III
40 launches to first solo
average flight time 3 minutes
total pre-solo time 2 hours
They sure don't teach 'em like that any more.
Not sure I was ever taught to turn right, though ??
(My solo glider, XN246, is suspended from the ceiling of Southampton air museum, I believe in testament to my achievement in bringing it back in one piece !)
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Including a few trial lessons, and the first stint (17 hours) until money ran out, I solo'd at 25 hours and was jolly happy with this! There was also a 3 year gap between the first 17 hours and the next 8 to solo, so maybe I could claim 8?
It could have been a couple of hours lower but the day they said I was ready to solo I did not have a spare pair of glasses with me so was stopped on a technicality!
I then completed the PPL course at 59 hours, again I was jolly happy!
It could have been a couple of hours lower but the day they said I was ready to solo I did not have a spare pair of glasses with me so was stopped on a technicality!
I then completed the PPL course at 59 hours, again I was jolly happy!
Oh Shazbat!
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Lady Whirls,
It may be for some but are you sure that there isn't a measure on insecurity here. I would suggest that most folks coming to pilot training are probably very proficient at other things in life, such as driving a car. Then suddenly after a long break from learning, they are thrown into a new situation where they think they are doing something badly & start to worry that they've lost the ability to take on new skills. In these cases it would be reasonable to seek reassurance by asking "Am I as good as everyone else?".
Of course we'll always have those who say "Solo? Piece of duff. I was so good at the taxi on my first lesson, the instructor hopped out at the hold point and let me take it from there" but their words will probably float past and be totally ignored. It's the guys who say "Actually, it took be about 15/20/25 hours" that will be taken into mind with the recipient mentally saying "Phew...at least it's not just me"
Lister, I tell my students something similar, very early on. The difference it makes is precisely...nil. 
Most pilots are competitive high achievers, and even if something isn't a competition, they'll somehow make it into one.
Most pilots are competitive high achievers, and even if something isn't a competition, they'll somehow make it into one.
Of course we'll always have those who say "Solo? Piece of duff. I was so good at the taxi on my first lesson, the instructor hopped out at the hold point and let me take it from there" but their words will probably float past and be totally ignored. It's the guys who say "Actually, it took be about 15/20/25 hours" that will be taken into mind with the recipient mentally saying "Phew...at least it's not just me"
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Batninth
Exactly,I've sailed around bits of Europe with my wife,I've raced cars in an amateur way and run a successful farming oriented business.
I'm not at all special, just someone who enjoys mechanical things,but I was sure I was behind the plot when I passed 10 hrs without solo.
The instructor was excellent,and we are still good friends,but it would have helped me a lot if he had told me that there is no exact time target for solo.
He didn't imply there was,but I thought there was!
Lister
I'm not at all special, just someone who enjoys mechanical things,but I was sure I was behind the plot when I passed 10 hrs without solo.
The instructor was excellent,and we are still good friends,but it would have helped me a lot if he had told me that there is no exact time target for solo.
He didn't imply there was,but I thought there was!
Lister
The Original Whirly
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You really can't blame instructors for not being mind-readers, and not understanding about students' massive and unnecessary feelings of insecurity. Most of us have this extremely strange idea that people are learning to fly....for fun.
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It,s the landings that count not the hours, flying the average civilian airfield you will get about 5 to 6 landings per hour, instructing as I do at a military airfield we can do the 6 landings in about half that time.
The number of student landings are about the same, it just takes us a lot less flying time to send someone solo.
The number of student landings are about the same, it just takes us a lot less flying time to send someone solo.
Hovering AND talking
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The attitude of ones instructor makes a difference. I soloed in 40 ish hours but my instructor wanted to make sure my autorotations were OK and I'd done a couple of engine off landings. However, after that I completed the PPL in a relatively short time of about another 25 hours.
It's no real indication of your progress!
Cheers
Whirls
It's no real indication of your progress!
Cheers
Whirls
Oh Shazbat!
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Hold on! Two Lady Whirls? This is getting so confusing....
Lady Whirls 1(*) said:
& then Lady Whirls 2 said:
Both are absolutely correct, and with the benefit of hindsight I guess a lot of us can look back and agree with that but at the time it feels much different. I suspect here that learning styles may come in to play as well, some people may take it all in at the beginning of their lessons and keep it in mind. But a lot of us need it repeating later on.
Personally I started with all the good intentions, but got lost in the mist of "I must land this thing properly or else it stops me going solo" and went downhill from there.
Partly it was a gentle chat on the clubhouse veranda with my instructor whilst watching the sun sink slowly into the evening that helped me to get it back in perspective after about 10 hours of instruction, but also (echoing Lady Whirls 1) when on final an exasperated voice next to me said "You're doing this for fun, just have fun".
Frankly it was the fun message that fixed it for me, I'd forgotten that I was doing it to have fun, and after that I used that as my mantra.
I'd say that reminding folks down the line, when their mouths are dry & they're trying desparately not to mess up again, that it is fun could be a huge boost.
(*) Numbering of Lady Whirls does not imply anything. I just worked it out on the fact that if I were flying from Ooop North, I would pass the good Whirlybird first before I got to the good Whirlygig - which would be embarassing if I thought I was heading for Northumbria.
Lady Whirls 1(*) said:
Most of us have this extremely strange idea that people are learning to fly....for fun.
It's no real indication of your progress!
Personally I started with all the good intentions, but got lost in the mist of "I must land this thing properly or else it stops me going solo" and went downhill from there.
Partly it was a gentle chat on the clubhouse veranda with my instructor whilst watching the sun sink slowly into the evening that helped me to get it back in perspective after about 10 hours of instruction, but also (echoing Lady Whirls 1) when on final an exasperated voice next to me said "You're doing this for fun, just have fun".
Frankly it was the fun message that fixed it for me, I'd forgotten that I was doing it to have fun, and after that I used that as my mantra.
I'd say that reminding folks down the line, when their mouths are dry & they're trying desparately not to mess up again, that it is fun could be a huge boost.
(*) Numbering of Lady Whirls does not imply anything. I just worked it out on the fact that if I were flying from Ooop North, I would pass the good Whirlybird first before I got to the good Whirlygig - which would be embarassing if I thought I was heading for Northumbria.
The Original Whirly
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batninth,
It's very simple really. My good friend Whirlygig and I worked out long ago how not to confuse our poor colleagues on Rotorheads...
Whirlybird = Whirly
Whirlygig = Whirls
That said, we cope with all the other variations too.
It's very simple really. My good friend Whirlygig and I worked out long ago how not to confuse our poor colleagues on Rotorheads...
Whirlybird = Whirly
Whirlygig = Whirls
That said, we cope with all the other variations too.
Upto The Buffers
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Went solo at about 20hrs. Passed PPL skills test at 43hrs. Just goes to show, first solo doesn't mean a right lot in the grand scheme of things.
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Went solo after 6hrs in a Piper SuperCub. Never flown before or even sat in a plane - apart from scheduled airlines.
Instructor was the don, ex military, but not from Miramar lol
Certainly the best five grand I've ever spent.
Instructor was the don, ex military, but not from Miramar lol
Certainly the best five grand I've ever spent.
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Dad was in the Glider Pilot Regiment. Brother built & flew superb tissue & balsa models. (Background in aviation.) I play jazz piano, trumpet & drums to a professional standard. I can sail. I love driving and drive an 'interesting' classic sports car. (Coordination, spatial awareness, talented polymath etc.)
I went solo in 17 hours, and 26 years later I'm still trying to complete the PPL.....beat that!!
I went solo in 17 hours, and 26 years later I'm still trying to complete the PPL.....beat that!!
Last edited by kevmusic; 19th Dec 2008 at 08:48.
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Went solo at about 20hrs. Passed PPL skills test at 43hrs. Just goes to show, first solo doesn't mean a right lot in the grand scheme of things.