First solo tradition - Humour
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First solo tradition - Humour
I just passed through a flight school in the US and saw a ton of ripped shirts with writing on attached to the wall. This is standard practice apparently for when a student goes solo for the first time. Where I'm from in the UK we always threw a bucket of cold water over someone (kinda mean I know) 
. Some of the comments were hilarious and I wish I had taken some photos now. I didn't know flight instructors had such warped senses of humour!
I thought it would be fun to start a thread and see the funniest things that people have seen or written or had written on shirts, or even those in Blighty telling their stories of the unexpected bucket of water ritual.
Jim
. Some of the comments were hilarious and I wish I had taken some photos now. I didn't know flight instructors had such warped senses of humour! I thought it would be fun to start a thread and see the funniest things that people have seen or written or had written on shirts, or even those in Blighty telling their stories of the unexpected bucket of water ritual.
Jim
My ripped T-Shirt is now framed on my bedroom wall from my first solo. The bucket of water idea would have been better suited for me as it was 33 Celsius the day i done my solo.
First solo in a plank:
Icecold water over the "backside" and from each member of the class (students and teachers ) a big slap with the hand...
Couldnt sit for one day...
Procedure like on this sample picture:
First R/W-Solo:
An unexpected bath in the pool of the Officers-Club in Ft. Rucker
skadi
Icecold water over the "backside" and from each member of the class (students and teachers ) a big slap with the hand...
Couldnt sit for one day...
Procedure like on this sample picture:
First R/W-Solo:
An unexpected bath in the pool of the Officers-Club in Ft. Rucker
skadi
Last edited by skadi; 11th Oct 2009 at 09:41.
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First Solo in a sail plane in Gwelo, Rhodesia (Gweru, Zimbabwe)
Took me outside and stripped me to my underwear, painted me black and then man handled me to get my foot print on the club house ceiling... Followed by many coke and diesel's...
Got, my shirt cut up with a witty comment written on it in the USA... a bit less dramatic.
Took me outside and stripped me to my underwear, painted me black and then man handled me to get my foot print on the club house ceiling... Followed by many coke and diesel's...
Got, my shirt cut up with a witty comment written on it in the USA... a bit less dramatic.
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Denmark, Air Force. When I soloed the tradition was to carry the lucky pilot from the plane and throw him into the nearest fire pond. He was then to swim to the far end and back – all in flight suit, boots etc.
In the bar in the evening the tie was cut in two – both had date and name written on it. The long end was hanged on display in the bar, the short one was given to the pilot.
All the same happened to me – only with a variation; it was -2°C and the pond had 3mm of ice on it…
RD
In the bar in the evening the tie was cut in two – both had date and name written on it. The long end was hanged on display in the bar, the short one was given to the pilot.
All the same happened to me – only with a variation; it was -2°C and the pond had 3mm of ice on it…
RD
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All the same happened to me – only with a variation; it was -2°C and the pond had 3mm of ice on it… 
In Poland it is ass slapping and most of the guys do it wholehartedly... My first solo coincided with National Junior Gliding Championships - couldn't seat down for three days
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Bucket Baptize
I faced a cold bucket of water followed by some sparkling white wine. So I guess it was a rather common version. Later my instructor told me that in his days the tradition meant to avoid the student touching the ground (after landing the chopper) without being baptized as a pilot. That meant that he had to remain seated in the PIC seat until they had rolled a tub full of “something” aside the chopper which he had to fall into after his first exit as a solo student. The procedure becomes funny where a party is being held in the name of the lighty the evening before he goes solo. During this party, the until then empty tub, will be filled with things that can be found in a chopper hangar and parties in general. As it is all pilots, who are assumed to have gone through this procedure filling the tub, I could imagine that it usually ends up to be a rather disgusting mix. Needless to say that the person to go solo is not present but trying to get some sleep at home.
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The choice
I went solo in a humble R22 on it's thrid rebuild, when R44s where just a gleam in ol' man Robinson's eyes.. The flying school boss said, "Congratulations, you should celebrate, what would you like to do?" The only other machine type at the school was a B206. I used to hang around some days just to hear the thing start, it was the sweetest sound accompanied by a great smell. Bravely I said "What about half an hour in your JetRanger"? It was a bold request from a twenty hour wonder given that I was struggling to scrape together the coin for the R22 hire & really had no idea what the Bell cost.
The owner thought for a moment, "Yeah alright", he replied looking at my instructor, "but don't let him start it"! The dual flight was great but it was another decade before I got to start a kero burner, it was worth the wait!
The owner thought for a moment, "Yeah alright", he replied looking at my instructor, "but don't let him start it"! The dual flight was great but it was another decade before I got to start a kero burner, it was worth the wait!