After the solo

[slpilot]

Hey guys, I got my first student about to solo. Do any of you guys cut their shirts after and write all the info on it, I remember my instructor did. Or do any of you do anything creative to make your student feel good about what they did and to remember their first solo.

[jrh]

I cut the shirt for one of my students when I worked at a small flying club. It was sort of expected around there. Otherwise, my shirt was never cut, and I never cut anyone else's shirt at the other places I've worked.

Now I'm at a sort of classier, higher-end flight school associated with an FBO...train a lot of business owners, etc., so it's not really appropriate to go cutting their shirts off. Instead, we take a picture with them right after they get done soloing, print it out on a color printer using photo paper, and stick it in a cheap picture frame for them to take home the same day. I'd never heard of doing that until I started working for the school, but I think it's a really cool, personalized way to remember the day.

[mojo6911]

The Indians like to spray each other with a hose after the first solo.

[exleardriver]

old tradition. yeah, i cut them all and take some time to use paint pens and draw a runway usually with an airplane..include their name, the date, the airport and runway number, my name as cfi. couldn't say how many of these i've taken the time to hand draw in 15 years. the shirts then hang in the fbo. after they get their license, they take the shirt down and home with them. we have a huge pair of shears..often people take pics now, too, these days. i usually start to tell the student to start wearing old t-shirts when i sense they're getting close. avoid dark colored t-shirts..makes it harder to see. i;d hate to cut an expensive shirt, but i've done it before. we don't buck tradition down here!

[XcalibeR]

Ok guys, I've got to ask about this. I never had a "shirt", and I've never been to a place who does this, so I've got to ask a few questions. Do you actually cut the shirt they they are wearing off their body? Or just have them take it off and cut it up? Or just have some old shirt ready to be cut up? Sounds either dangerous (you know, flailing students and all ) or grounds for legal/employer action. Thoughts?

As a secondary option, I have a friend who takes a white shirt and cuts it up beforehand, draws a plane and runway, then puts all the other data on later.

[exleardriver]

Originally Posted by XcalibeR

Ok guys, I've got to ask about this. I never had a "shirt", and I've never been to a place who does this, so I've got to ask a few questions. Do you actually cut the shirt they they are wearing off their body? Or just have them take it off and cut it up? Or just have some old shirt ready to be cut up? Sounds either dangerous (you know, flailing students and all ) or grounds for legal/employer action. Thoughts?

As a secondary option, I have a friend who takes a white shirt and cuts it up beforehand, draws a plane and runway, then puts all the other data on later.

cut off the shirt they're wearing. i've never 'cut' anybody or really given any thought to possible 'legal action'. where i work it isn't particularly litigious or politically correct, but just an old fbo that's been doing these things forever, like so many across the country. maybe old flyer traditions are disappearing more and more with the new generation. that's too bad..it's always been in fun for so many past generations. but i guess for many it's a different world..part 141 schools..instructors and even students wearing 'pilot costumes'..lol.

[slpilot]

I went to a 141 school for private, and my instructor goes I hope you dont have a nice shirt on underneath that jacket, and didnt even think about not cutting it, and i wouldnt trade that piece of clothing for anything, it made me feel so good driving home, maybe im still old school at my young age

[Nihon_Ni]

I don't cut the actual shirt they are wearing, but I do help them decorate a shirt and hang it up in our classroom. I think we should do everything we can to help celebrate a pilot's first solo, so I make sure to schedule time to partake in the activities. I normally walk them back into our building and announce, "Make way for a new pilot in command!"

[moxiepilot]

yeah i take about 4 hours to draw on it. gives me a creative release after all the stree. I dont cut off their tail i take their whole back off. it's frameable.

students love it

[MidlifeFlyer]

http://www.avshop.com/product/364/16/

[killbilly]

My CFI was about to cut my whole shirt off, when I reminded him that I had dinner plans and I was going straight there from here.

So he cut a chunk off the tail of my t-shirt. I had a jacket on to cover it up.

[moxiepilot]

my students arent so lucky

[exleardriver]

i'm guessing that most of the smaller, part 61 fbo's do keep the tradition alive. i've seen the shirts hanging on the walls in every state in the country. i think i can do one in about half an hour now, but in the beginning, it was a b!tch! many people today - and i don't know how they're doing it exactly - but they find a pic of an airplane on the 'net and then do an iron-on transfer for the picture...can even handle the written part. personally, i don't like them as much. i think the students are also more proud of something that they know their instructor took some time to do. we used to have a cfi who was also one helluva an artist..boy was i glad to see him go!

[HighFlyingIL]

Everyone that worked/works at my school signs an "American Flyers First Solo" t-shirt and writes a quick msg w/the date on there. My fav. msg was from my flying brotha' Eric... he wrote "More Right Rudder Darnit!" . Yes, I was a non-right rudder user going thru private but quickly learned to love the right rudder!!!

[XcalibeR]

Yeah, I work at a Part 141 school (UND), so I think that cutting off a student's shirt wouldn't be the best of ideas...though it does seem like something I'd like to do outside of this area. I know I've seen a few shirts in airports around the area. I think I'll stick with making my own beforehand and then putting on the other important info the day of.

[AngelFuree]

Originally Posted by XcalibeR

Yeah, I work at a Part 141 school (UND), so I think that cutting off a student's shirt wouldn't be the best of ideas...though it does seem like something I'd like to do outside of this area. I know I've seen a few shirts in airports around the area. I think I'll stick with making my own beforehand and then putting on the other important info the day of.

Speak for yourself! I'm working at UND, too, and have cut all of my students' shirts. My old instructor at UND, back when I was a student pilot, also cut my shirt. I still have it.

I still like to keep the tradition. Being in a part 141 environment has nothing to do with keeping some of these fun traditions. I do warn my students to wear an older shirt, though. I would hate to cut an expensive shirt. Most of the time, however, they're just wearing some plain t-shirt.

[jima7011]

I got my shirt cut (I was wearing a tee--it was July) My instructor drew the plane, the runway, my name and the date on it--I keep it in my flight bag--I love that cut up shirt--She (my instructor) was very pretty so I did not mind though I got a look from my wife when I got home--

[awalker]

I brought in a plain white t-shirt when I did my first solo. But I'm now instructing at the same flight school and they have gone away from cutting off the shirt or just designing one after they solo. It's to bad

[EineBeBoP]

I didn't get my shirt cut :-/
I kinda wish I had, and theres older shirts on the wall of my flight school, but I guess my CFI just doesn't do it (anymore? Ive seen others with his name on it)

[beechpilot]

Originally Posted by MidlifeFlyer

http://www.avshop.com/product/364/16/

We do something similar to this. The chief instructor makes certificates for all of our students after a first solo or after a checkride. I always thought it was pretty cool.