Finnally....First Solo.. | FerrariChat

Finnally....First Solo..

Discussion in 'Aviation Chat' started by FERRARI-TECH, Oct 28, 2012.

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  1. FERRARI-TECH

    FERRARI-TECH Formula 3

    Nov 9, 2006
    1,677
    Los Angeles
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    Ferrari-tech
    #1 FERRARI-TECH, Oct 28, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Well after years and years of telling everyone i wanted to fly, i finally got serious about lessons and took the plunge.
    Now many hours and bumpy landings later, my instructor stepped out and said off you go !
    I'm sure i don't have to tell most of you on this forum the thrill and rush it is to look over to your right for the first time and see no one there !
    I was held short of the runway for what seemed like an eternity, which let my heart rate drop back down to some what normal, then tower asked me to expedite my take-off which didn't allow me to get more nervous, then 500 agl, it suddenly dawned on me, " holy ****, ain't no going back now, you gotta land this thing on your own" , came in a little high and a little fast, but got it figured out, didn't bounce but wasn't my smoothest either, but i made it, and my instructor was happy.
    I feel really lucky in the flight school i chose, as my primary flight instructor is the owner, (German and very methodical,) we have not concentrated on landings and/or solo, he kept drilling into me "what if something happens at the airport while you are on your solo, and you have to go somewhere else, you need to be able fly the plane, navigate, communicate, get into and out of and avoid all the class Charlie and Bravo that surrounds us, thats more important than solo", everything was going great until he said "OK your ready for solo" then all my landings went to ****, i couldn't find the right flare point to save my life, but we got it worked out i guess. Now here i am grinning like a Cheshire cat, having done something i have always dreamed about.
    Next week already booked first solo cross country. Wish my Dad could have been here to see it.
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  2. LouB747

    LouB747 Formula 3

    Apr 8, 2009
    2,123
    Huntington Beach, CA
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    Lou Boyer
    Let me be the first to say, "congrats!!!!" That's awesome. Flyings an addiction...a good one. Looking forward to many more posts and pictures in the future. 172, nice start.
     
  3. davebdave

    davebdave Formula 3
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    Mar 18, 2007
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    Northern VA
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    Congratulations! Sounds like you have a leg up by starting out in complex airspace.
    I learned to fly at an uncontrolled airport with very little traffic. When I started flying to controlled airports I felt like a fish out of water.

    Don't worry about the landings, before you know it you'll be signing the airplane out and practicing solo pattern work on your own. You'll know you are hooked when you hope for a stiff crosswind.

    Dave
     
  4. Bob Parks

    Bob Parks F1 Veteran
    Consultant

    Nov 29, 2003
    8,017
    Shoreline,Washington
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    Robert Parks
    Congratulations! That's the greatest feeling ever, isn't it? Now you start to learn and to be very careful about what you think you can do and what you can actually do. Focus, concentrate, practice, and leave ground thoughts on the ground.
     
  5. Schimpf

    Schimpf Karting

    Jul 20, 2005
    137
    CO
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    Schimpf
    I was paranoid/nervous when I solo'd. On my x-country I realized my flaps did not raise all the way (still at 16%) & I was overspeed. No issues though! Checked for stress cracks upon landing.

    To hone my landings I did nothing but practice them for a couple days...insane amount of landings but now I can grease them relatively easy (while still putting the wheels down within spec).
     
  6. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

    Feb 22, 2003
    10,213
    San Antonio
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    Russ Turner
    Congrats. No better feeling.
     
  7. kverges

    kverges F1 Rookie

    Nov 18, 2003
    3,179
    Dallas
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    Keith Verges
    Congrats! It is so liberating and confidence-inspiring to be set loose solo. Get endorsed to fly in Bravo solo - I did and it was great, I fly in DFW Bravo airspace all the time and in fact MUST contact approach to get to my home airport KADS. It will make trips much more enjoyable in the future if you need to get near big cities, plus VFR flight following is a must for x-country IMO.
     
  8. zygomatic

    zygomatic F1 Veteran
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    Jun 19, 2008
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    Chris
    Photo must be before the solo... I can still make out shirt tails.


    Congratulations!
     
  9. jcurry

    jcurry Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 16, 2012
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    No you don't, but I'm glad you did. Its a memory that will be CAVU forever. Congrats.
     
  10. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    Dec 1, 2000
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    congrats pilot!
     
  11. James_Woods

    James_Woods F1 World Champ

    May 17, 2006
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    Legend says the Red Baron crashed on his first solo - so you have done better than him!
     
  12. joker57676

    joker57676 Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 12, 2005
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    Sin City
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    Deplorie McDeplorableface
    Congrats! I remember my first solo, it's a great feeling you'll never forget. :)


    Mark
     
  13. 2000YELLOW360

    2000YELLOW360 F1 World Champ

    Jun 5, 2001
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    Art
    Congrats. It's been 44 years since I soled, but I still remember the feeling, enjoy!

    Art
     
  14. 348 Turbo

    348 Turbo Formula 3

    Jul 17, 2002
    1,837
    Congrats! Fly safely, and welcome aboard!
     
  15. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
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    Nov 30, 2003
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    Congrats! I remember my first solo very well.
    I suspect you'll remember yours forever too.

    I remember hearing my instructor's voice in my head on every leg of the pattern.
    Back when I did it in 1994, we did 3 landings in a row where the first two landings were touch-n-go's.
    I remember constantly checking my airspeed in my scan, making sure not to get anywhere near stall speed until I was only a few feet above the runway.
    I did my first solo on a 5500 ft runway on a completely calm clear day, so in hindsight, I had plenty of room to be imprecise on final.

    I think the instructors are even more nervous than the student pilots on first-solo days. :)
    .
     
  16. jcurry

    jcurry Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 16, 2012
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    I've done that before too!:eek::eek::p:D
     
  17. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
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    Nov 30, 2003
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    LOL. I meant to say 3 times around the pattern.
    But on a 5500 ft runway, you could do 3 landings in a row on it in a Cessna 172!
    .
     
  18. CavalloRosso

    CavalloRosso Formula 3

    Jul 12, 2007
    1,423
    Atlanta, GA/Vail, CO
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    A big old' dose of Congrats! You will never forget that feeling of looking to your right on short final for the first time and seeing an empty seat. It's terrifying and exhilarating for all of us.
     
  19. rovingtravler

    rovingtravler Formula Junior

    Feb 2, 2004
    309
    Clovis, NM
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    David
    Congrats and welcome to the pilots club! It is a great feeling... flying.
     
  20. FERRARI-TECH

    FERRARI-TECH Formula 3

    Nov 9, 2006
    1,677
    Los Angeles
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    Ferrari-tech
    Thanks everyone, the picture was taken after the flight (as can be seen from the sweat stains on my shirt LOL).

    Also thanks for all the advise, i am fortunate to have several friends who fly and own planes, every thing from C150's to SR22's and Barons,Bonanza's and the like, and my best friend growing up in the UK now lives in Oregon, and is a Cirrus factory instructor, teaches at 3 different schools and is also FO on a private fleet of King Air's ,Lear's and a couple of Gulfstreams, so as you can imagine i do lots of phone calls after each lesson for encouragement and advise.

    I think the best thing i did was interview 5-6 flight schools before i took the plunge, and this was the one that made me feel most relaxed about the program. The owners main goal is that we "learn and improve" every lesson and not just focus on that first solo, so we have already done so much that most schools told me would come after the solo, as they would concentrate on pattern work and landings.

    Flying out of Van Nuys, which i think is still the busiest GA airport in the world, you have to be able to talk the talk and walk the walk, around the 10-12 hour mark i remember a flight, having to get a clearance from socal for transition through Burbank, into and out of Socal for flight following, to Ontario, to Bracket and back to Van Nuys via socal and Burbank, all while, he had me doing dead reckoning and pilotage, I never felt so intimidated, or busy, it almost wasn't fun, on the walk back to the hanger I ask my instructor if he normally puts 10 hour pilots through that, his answer " heck no ! most 10 hour students cant hold an altitude and heading, let alone fly and navigate and talk, so i got to keep you busy"

    As i said always learning and always something different, but for sure my favorite is doing the special flight rules route over the top of LAX, don't know why but i just get a kick out of seeing all the heavies below me ( maybe you are there Lou747 ?).

    Not sure if other schools do this but every few weeks, they send me out with my reserve instructor for a review, and wouldn't you know it once i found out he could not sign me out for solo, my landings with him are spot on, then i get back with the bloke who is aloud to step out and i cant find the flare point with a flash light and a guide dog !!

    But yesterday i put in two lessons, and at the end had enough day light for just one TO, pattern and landing, which i didn't think counted as solo, (thought i needed 3) but i was told, on your own is on your own, so good job..
    Next week's plan is 6 good landings with my primary instructor, then 3 on my own, then out to the practice area ( westlake village, simi valley), slow flight, stalls and steep turns, with instructor,then back to KVNY, then repeat flight on my own, so approx another 4 hours, After that a beer or 3.

    One of the best parts about yesterday was one of my pilot friends knew i was going for it on my second lesson of the day and listened to the whole thing on ATC live, while playing golf with his wife, send me a text as soon as i had parked to congratulate me...I think he was nearly as excited as i was...

    Again thanks for all the encouragement and sorry for the long ramble.....I think i have the bug....
     
  21. subirg

    subirg F1 Rookie

    Dec 19, 2003
    4,369
    Cheshire
    Fantastic achievement - congrats! I am on the road towards first solo - boy would I like to be where you are now... I am learning to fly at a small grass airstrip. 1800ft runway. Not much clearway to speak of. Needless to say, my instructor makes sure I fly at the numbers when landing. For sure he will be just as nervous as I, if not more so, when I am unleashed.

    Good luck for your forthcoming adventures - and keep the updates coming!
     
  22. Sales@CNCMOTORS

    Sales@CNCMOTORS Formula 3

    Aug 10, 2011
    2,420
    Upland, California
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    Ira
  23. HobbsTC

    HobbsTC Formula 3
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    Jun 14, 2004
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    Lakeland, FL
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    Thomas
    Awesome welcome to the aviation club! Maybe one day the Army will let us solo...
     
  24. m2g2

    m2g2 Formula 3
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    Aug 10, 2012
    1,383
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    Mark
    Congrats on that great accomplishment!! It seems everyone who has been through it has some interesting, unexpected quirk pop up. I know how excited you were in anticipation of this milestone...congrats again!

    BTW: Ferrari-Tech, are you going to be at S.C.S. this weekend?
     
  25. Bob Parks

    Bob Parks F1 Veteran
    Consultant

    Nov 29, 2003
    8,017
    Shoreline,Washington
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    Robert Parks
    I probably posted this before but anyway, I was sitting here thinking about my first solo almost 70 years ago. A 1937 J-3 with a 55 HP Lyc, tail skid, no brakes, no radio, and a wide open door that gave me a great view of Florida. I still enjoy that kind of flying more than anything and I'm still able to do a few things but I have lost some of the smooth coordination now.
     

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