Impending first solo - NOW DONE MY FIRST SOLO 20/10/2012 !!!
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First Solo - Finally did it
well the title says it all really !
For those of you who have offered welcome advice while I whined about the fact I'd never be able to do it, thank you !!!
Wasn't even sure I was going to fly today , the TAF called for clouds at 800 ft
then I had an okish lesson with some scrappy ( by my standard ) landings.
6 kt crosswind and my least favorite runway didn't help. Thought we were coming in to end the lesson, then instrcutor asked me how I felt about soloing.
I told him that my landings weren't good enough today, so no way
. He politely disagreed and left me to it.
Solo was loooooong. waited at least 5 mins at hold shortline for backtracking traffic, then had three other planes in the circuit to deal with.
They tried to switch me onto another runway ( more crosswind) because of spacing but the nice instructor in the plane in front obviously heard my hesitation in accepting and very kindly overshot for me !!!
And yes , they dumped a bucket of water over me !!!!!
For those of you who have offered welcome advice while I whined about the fact I'd never be able to do it, thank you !!!
Wasn't even sure I was going to fly today , the TAF called for clouds at 800 ft
then I had an okish lesson with some scrappy ( by my standard ) landings.
6 kt crosswind and my least favorite runway didn't help. Thought we were coming in to end the lesson, then instrcutor asked me how I felt about soloing.
I told him that my landings weren't good enough today, so no way
. He politely disagreed and left me to it.Solo was loooooong. waited at least 5 mins at hold shortline for backtracking traffic, then had three other planes in the circuit to deal with.
They tried to switch me onto another runway ( more crosswind) because of spacing but the nice instructor in the plane in front obviously heard my hesitation in accepting and very kindly overshot for me !!!
And yes , they dumped a bucket of water over me !!!!!
Congratulations. Your post reminds me of July 23 1977 and another then student pilot who thought they were not ready, but really was ! 
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First Solo
Congrats on the first solo
Reminds me of my first solo in May this year, I thought it would never come and then when the time was right, I was not even nervous, just focused on getting the job done.
Thats the funny thing I think about learning/training for your PPL, you enjoy it when the flight is over and have time to reflect on what just happened.
I really is great. I was driving on a road trip with my wife today and out of the blue I said to her - Its mad, I can fly a plane and she smiled!!!!
Reminds me of my first solo in May this year, I thought it would never come and then when the time was right, I was not even nervous, just focused on getting the job done.
Thats the funny thing I think about learning/training for your PPL, you enjoy it when the flight is over and have time to reflect on what just happened.
I really is great. I was driving on a road trip with my wife today and out of the blue I said to her - Its mad, I can fly a plane and she smiled!!!!
Many congratulations!
Goals are important but it's who you become on the way to your dreams.
First solo is a "game changer" - consolidate on this now and enjoy the freedom of the skies.
Happy Landings!
Goals are important but it's who you become on the way to your dreams.
First solo is a "game changer" - consolidate on this now and enjoy the freedom of the skies.
Happy Landings!
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Impending first solo - NOW DONE MY FIRST SOLO 20/10/2012 !!!
Thank you everyone
I got some great advice on here
I will admit that I almost bottled out !
My instructor is a great guy , just the right mix of handholding ( given my nerves) and throwing me under the proverbial bus
This has been a truly life changing experience for me in so many ways.
Seriously looking back for my first few lessons my biggest achievement was not hyperventilating and panicking
I've gone from barely being able to breath to being in sole control !
( just to throw it in there , I don't drive , an aeroplane is the first vehicle I've ever been in sole command of !)
I got some great advice on here
I will admit that I almost bottled out !
My instructor is a great guy , just the right mix of handholding ( given my nerves) and throwing me under the proverbial bus
This has been a truly life changing experience for me in so many ways.
Seriously looking back for my first few lessons my biggest achievement was not hyperventilating and panicking
I've gone from barely being able to breath to being in sole control !
( just to throw it in there , I don't drive , an aeroplane is the first vehicle I've ever been in sole command of !)
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Congrats! Well deserved
Hi Local
I'd like to add my congratulations to those above. As stated above, you are now officially an Aviator - there's no going (or holding you) back now.
And as the old Chinese proverb says, The longest of journeys begins with a single step (Lau Tzu, I think)...
...some journey. Some step.
Welcome to the club, fellow Pilot.
Tailwinds and soft landings
Gadget
I'd like to add my congratulations to those above. As stated above, you are now officially an Aviator - there's no going (or holding you) back now.
And as the old Chinese proverb says, The longest of journeys begins with a single step (Lau Tzu, I think)...
...some journey. Some step.
Welcome to the club, fellow Pilot.
Tailwinds and soft landings
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Fantastic! Congratulations to you! Having only just done my first solo around a month ago, I am still buzzing from the thrill of it. And as one of our fellow forum members just mentioned, there have been a few times where I've almost had to pinch myself... and in a sudden moment of realisation said to my girlfriend out of nowhere, "Sam, I can fly an aeroplane, that's weird isn't it!"
It's something that many of us have dreamed about doing since we were young, but never realistically believed it would happen.
Keep up the great work and have many happy landings.
PS How many hours did it take to get to solo standard in the end?
Best,
Mike
It's something that many of us have dreamed about doing since we were young, but never realistically believed it would happen.
Keep up the great work and have many happy landings.
PS How many hours did it take to get to solo standard in the end?
Best,
Mike
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Impending first solo - NOW DONE MY FIRST SOLO 20/10/2012 !!!
Hi Mike
I need to update my log book but i think it was around 25 hours
A couple of those lessons were in fairly heavy crosswinds , I was ready to go solo but couldn't
Looking back though I didn't have any "wasted" lessons
Every lesson something new happened which was valuable learning experience
Including on my solo where i learnt how I should have dealt with ATC trying to switch me onto a crosswind runway !!!
I need to update my log book but i think it was around 25 hours
A couple of those lessons were in fairly heavy crosswinds , I was ready to go solo but couldn't
Looking back though I didn't have any "wasted" lessons
Every lesson something new happened which was valuable learning experience
Including on my solo where i learnt how I should have dealt with ATC trying to switch me onto a crosswind runway !!!
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I was in the same situation this time last year, the weather was doing nothing but prolonging the misery.
But by God, its worth the wait.
Well done, especially after finding out you don't drive!
But by God, its worth the wait.
Well done, especially after finding out you don't drive!
I also soloed before getting a drivers license. Montreal has an excellent public transit system and horrible parking so there was not a lot of pressure for young people to drive. I got my license because my flight school was 20 miles South of the city and only accessable by car....and my father got tired of driving me to the airport 
Firstly, congratulations LFE! 
For someone who doesn't drive that's a big step for sure being in sole charge of ~$100,000 worth of metal. From someone who does drive, I can say at least for me personally I didn't find any of the skills one uses when driving translate into flying. I'd go so far as to suggest learning to fly was as daunting for me as it was for you.
Secondly, tell us more about your flight. It certainly sounded like it was not your average first solo but you seemed to cope well enough. If some questions would help then here goes:
For someone who doesn't drive that's a big step for sure being in sole charge of ~$100,000 worth of metal. From someone who does drive, I can say at least for me personally I didn't find any of the skills one uses when driving translate into flying. I'd go so far as to suggest learning to fly was as daunting for me as it was for you. Secondly, tell us more about your flight. It certainly sounded like it was not your average first solo but you seemed to cope well enough. If some questions would help then here goes:
- What was the first thing you thought about when the door closed with your instructor on the outside rather than inside?
- How hard was it to make that leap of faith and trust your instructors judgement?
- Did you do any of the actions on the list I provided earlier in this thread?
- Have you stopped smiling yet?
