first solo
 

hello all
im currently circuit training at the moment and have been doing so for the last 10 hours at least and most of the flying has been consistent.
im at 23 hours and have not yet gone solo.
now i know some people take much longer than this and others have done it within 10 hours but i really do feel like im making no progress at all.
my instructor has not given me any indication at all as to when this might be.
my general flying ive been told is good and nearly all the landings very tidy but the flare isnt perfect everytime.
am i right in thinking you have to have a lesson on emergency procedures first?, as ive not done this yet.
im soo fed up of waiting.
please dont think im impatient because im not and i wouldnt want the instructor sending me up there if he didnt think i was ready.

any thoughts on this
thanks

Solo
 

I'm not an instructor and I'm sure some will be along here soon with sage advice but here's my 2p's worth.
Have you spoken to your FI,you are after all the customer and paying a lot for the privilege?
Ref the emergency procedures (remember I'm not a FI),during you circuits presumably you would have practised EFATO,glide approach and flapless which can be typical circuit 'emergencies',also how to get to the nearest alternative airfield in case someone else had a probelm when you are alone in the air.
Have you passed Air Law-not mandatory but most FTO's insist on it?
Do you have a current medical-you can train dual without one?
Hope things work out for you-I didn't solo until 21hrs and passed at 48hrs.
Do talk to your FI ( or even CFI if getting nowhere)
Good luck
MM

Hi Aerofoil,

I am an instructor and I'm certainly not going to second guess the guy (guyess?) you have been flying with. Be wary of setting too much store by the answers which you will get here from unknown sources. Do speak to your instructor and, if not satisfied speak to the CFI. Ask them for a review of your overall progress, they have the experience and the specific knowledge of your performance to give you the answers you need.

Good luck with your flying and especially that first solo!

PS, let us know on here when you have done it!

3 Point is right, talk to your instructor. Most are very approachable :ok:

solo
 

thanks guys your advice is appriaciated.
ive got another lesson booked for next week so i will ask as to how my progress is going.
i will say the instructor i usually fly with is the CFI and is very profesional so ive no problems there. guess ill keep plugging away

Don't panic aerofoil!

When I was first in the circuit, I just couldn't get the hang of the touchdown - Every landing seemed to involve dropping onto the runway from about three feet! I did exactly what you're doing now - looking on the internet to see how long other people had taken to go solo (which is incidentally how I found pprune), and worrying that I'd never get the hang of it. I had been through emergency procedures, flapless and glide approaches already, but I felt a million miles away from my first solo.

Then, one afternoon, when I was expecting another hour of shoddy circuits, it all just seemed to click. I don't know exactly how, but my landings were suddenly consistently much better. My instructor sent me solo that afternoon.

So don't worry - your instructor will know your strengths and weaknesses better than you do. And you're probably closer to that first solo than you think! Apart from checking (weeks earlier) that I had the necessary exams and medical, my instructor didn't mention going solo until it happened. Hinting that you were almost ready would probably just add to your stress. As 3 Point says, have a chat with your instructor if you're not happy.

All the best, and best of luck with that first solo :ok:

Joel.

solo
 

cheers!
ive passed all the exams except RT although ive not done a medical.
i drive HGVs and have passed that medical (you need this for the licence)
i dont know if that one can used for aviation purposes?
pretty much since i was at school ive loved aeroplanes and would really like to go commercial one day but for now im taking it step my step it would be great if i could pass for this xmas ive set a goal on that but you just never know do you!!

No medical no solo thems the rules until you get the medical they won't send you solo.

Get the medical and make sure the CFI knows you have it.

There you go,
A class 2 JAR medical is required for any PIC flight, IE solo
Ask your FI as school's often have an arrangement with a local
Medical examiner

also you should know that from aviation law:p!!!! JAR FCL!!!!!



anyways good luck! :ok:


EZY:cool:

EDIT:
other thing is maybe email your instructor, (especially if you bought the whole course up front) asking what his predictions are regarding your training, what your TT is likely to be at the Skills test and how he rates your aptitude and ability from a commercial point of view.(not suggesting anything, especially with commercial thoughts it would be best for you to know now than with 60k spend on a F.ATPL) email seems to work best for this kinda thing, people are more honest!

I dont think its just the medical , ask you instructor for an update and plan

Thought the HGV medical was fine for an NPPL? Of course we have no idea if the OP is aiming for a PPL or an NPPL.

You and me both and I have done thousands of them.

1st solo
 

Hi Aerofoil

I used to be QFI until about 10 years ago when I joined a commercial airline. From my experience I always used to ask myself " if a member of my family were to sit next to you on your first solo" would I send you both off. The truth is that most people can fly a satisfactory circuit but the thing that needs the most consistency is obviously the flare and landing. Don't think that you are under achieving as I have seen people not soloing for a lot longer time than yourself who have gone on to become airline pilots and if they did'nt want to go down that route, very professional PPL's. It's not a question of "if he did it in x amount of hours why can't I?" Unfortunately I've seen people of the mind set "Im successful in business therefore I must be a good PPL. nfortunately the two do not go hand in hand and over the years I have born witness to this phenomenon. Be assured that when the time is right your instructor will send you solo. It will be a day you will always remember and hopefully to tell your children about. It's not a contest. Have fun .... that's what it's all about!

I don't think that's necessarily true - a medical declaration form is sufficient for an NPPL:

NPPL - General Introduction to the NPPL medical requirements | Medical | Safety Regulation

Slightly pedantic.....you don't need a JAA class 2 if you're studying for the NPPL and there is no point at which you have to state what you're studying for.

Therefore, you can get your GP to do you an NPPL medical and fly solo on that. It's very similar in standard to the HGV medical so I would have thought you'd be alright.

However, if you do want the JAA PPL then you will need to get the JAA class 2 as stated above.

I'm suprised that you CFI hasn't mentioned this....it's one of the first things I advise a student to get sorted as you could have some medical condition which may mean you cannot hold any form of pilot medical and will have wasted all that money! Unlikely, I know, but possible!

Have you read and signed the school Flying Order Book (local orders) as well. Some schools would require this read and signed before solo as well as the Air Law exam. Medical is the only legal requriement though.

Duchess

solo
 

i am aware of the medical needed to go solo that was one of the first things i read about from doing the air law exam!!
just wondered if an HGV one is good enough or not.
ive realised how hard it is too get to commercial level so thats why im being realistic.its always there in the back of my mind.
im working towards the JAR PPL incidently

solo
 

school flying order book ive never even heard of it!!
so the answer is no!
there are a few noise sensitive villages nearby the aerodrome which are not aviation friendly im sure that is the case where ever you fly these days.
as i say im going to have a chat with my instructor and see what he thinks.

Another consideration might be that it hasn't been the finest of flying days lately. Now your instructor may think your circuits and landings are just fine, but would you be able to divert to an alternate field, given the current weather? Even if you do nothing wrong, somebody else may screw up and block the runway.

There are a number of boxes that need to be ticked before you can go solo. The majority of those boxes have to do with your own preparation (medical, flying order book, maybe air law) and ability, but some of them are outside your control, unfortunately. Weather is the most important one of those.

It may be, but you still have to get your GP's signature on the appropriate form - or, a JAA class 2 medical. (Class 1 for commercial can only be issued at Gatwick AMC)

What seems to be missing here is communication. Regardless of the reasons why your instructor isn't sending you solo, he should be telling you why he isn't, and should be telling you where you get your medical, that you need to read this, or do that exam. Somebody should be mentoring your progress through the PPL (or NPPL) course and it seems to me that they're failing you.

Not getting at you.


Duchess

I took 23 hrs to do mine if that helps, again I had no idea I was going to do it, instructor just sent me off after 3 decent circuits dual. This was in Sep and it was a lovely calm day.

I am a HGV Driver myself. You do need the class two medical done before you fly solo. I had to have another medical done before i was sent solo. GP does your HGV Medical but might not be qualified to do your Class two medical. I had to visit another Aviation Doctor for mine.

Hope this helps & good luck.

Trev

One thing to remember, instructors don't just wait for the student to be ready, they generally want to ensure the weather is as benign as possible too, to ensure that it's a positive experience.

Also, although NPPL medical cert is based on the DVLA 2 medical, you do need to have it done on the proper form and submitted as there are some differences to the DVLA version. Oh, and it gives your GP some more income...

Quite galling to have my one page NPPL check (all of 10mins) cost twice as much as the HGV guys with their 6 page DVLA form!:confused:

solo
 

thanks everyone for taking the time to respond to my post its been most helpful
i do feel sometimes that its just the cash you get your flying pay your fee and thats pretty much it.with nothing much in between.
certainly no mentoring as i say im going to have a chat with the instructor and go from there.
cheers