When did you solo??

[pilotty]

Well...good luck to you! I soloed on my 16th birthday and my parents showed up with a brigade of my friends and other family to surprise me and video tape it ( I didn't realize this until after I got out of the plane and was glad I didn't see them until then! )

I really didn't have the attitude that I was going to solo on my 16th birthday or else...it was more like I really hoped I could but being I live in Ohio...heck who knows with the weather, and whether my instructor would feel I am ready. It just worked out, and was one of the best days of my life up to this point...I am really glad I have the video to look back on it every now and then. I also had about 30 hours when I soloed but that was because I had been taking lessons since age 12. My parents were I'd say a little nervous but had total trust in my instructor...maybe your instructor can explain what training is required and what training you have had up to this point...let us know how it works out!

Ty

[mojo6911]

I sucked. I had about 25 hours.

[meritflyer]

Chuck Norris soloed his CFI.

[EineBeBoP]

~14 hours. I had 2 hours logged that wasn't really teaching towards my Solo.
Show mom my logbook so she can see whats normal.
http://www.logshare.com/log.jsp?vpid...&end_year=2007

[Copperhed51]

I think my first solo was right around 7 hours. Funny, my flight instructor is now about 15 spots senior to me at my current company. I thought I moved up pretty slowly but he had some legal issues so he had to instruct for a while. If you're instructor thinks you're ready, you're ready. He's got too much riding on you not screwing up.

[mhcasey]

Originally Posted by Gulfstream IV

I solo'd at 32hrs, and completed my check ride at 41hrs...

When did they change Part 61 to require 10hrs of solo time?

I think people get too tied up with this one. Most of my students solo around 20 hours. I wait until I see maneuvers performed well, and overall PIC character before spending too much time in the pattern. I guess we all do it the same.

I soloed at 10ish, then took a few extra flights to get the 25nm endorsement out of KAUS.

[Cool2Fly]

6.5 out of TLH. My instructor told me I was ready but I said no and we shut the plane down. I sat in the parking lot for 5 mins and then said "let's do it".
I beat my old man's time of 7 hours, but that was grass strip in England with a Tiger Moth, and no Radios..He finished his career on a 400 for Singapore Airlines, I should be so lucky.

[firebirdswm]

26.6 hours at age 17 on July 21, 2001. I agree with the poster who suggested getting your mom to go up with you and your instructor. That should ease a lot of her fears. Good luck!

[flyguy]

17 hours on November 1st 2003 at KOAK on Rw 27L in N8274E.

Your instuctor has almost as much reason to worry about you as your mom. If something happens to you, his career could be in shambles. If he thinks you are ready, you are. Has your mom spoken to your instructor?

Good luck and fly safe!!

[CSK]

8.5 hours it was super fun you'll never forget it

[Flyin_bryan]

Originally Posted by meritflyer

Chuck Norris soloed his CFI.

[jml2992]

About 28 or so...I was also, teh suck. KBIL always has horrible winds and I ended up having all afternoon flights. Most of my students solo around 15-22 hours but I just feel better knowing that I have covered every possible maneuver with them before sending them out to fend for themselves. For most of the low time solos out there...did you instructors cover just the basics of attitude, slow flight, stall recovery, and landing or did you just learn a lot faster than me.

[tonyw]

You'll solo when your instructor and you think it's safe.

Your mother is being a mom. She's worried about her boy doing something "unsafe."

So don't argue with her, just go out and do it when he gets out of the airplane someday.

[jrh]

For what it's worth, most of my students solo at 15-20 hours, but I've signed them off as early as 10 and as much as 32. Personally, I soloed at 17 hours.

A lot depends on the standards the CFI holds the student to. I could probably teach someone to takeoff and land safely in good weather in less than 10 hours. I don't consider that the ultimate mark of being ready to solo though.

I want to see the "PIC attitude" in my students before they go on their own. I also want them to be able to handle at least 10 knot crosswinds...here in Nebraska winds can pick up quickly and unexpectedly. I don't want them to ball up a plane because they got caught in bad weather. I also make sure they can glide in and successfully put the plane in to a relatively small field well enough to walk away from in case of an engine failure. For a lot of students, that task alone might take 2-3 hours of training over nothing but emergencies. I don't ever want to get a call that one of my solo students got killed because he couldn't handle an engine failure on takeoff.

Turns around a point, steep turns, slow flight, etc., those things will all be perfected with time. It's pretty hard to wreck a plane doing slow flight. I'm more relaxed about those maneuvers. But directional control on the runway and being able to handle engine failures at any point in the flight, those items are absolutely critical in my book. I just don't see how anyone can become proficient to those standards in less than 10 hours.

[Boris Badenov]

Cool. Thanks for making me go back and look.

March 17th, 1997, a date which shall live in INFAMY. 10.3 hours, Cessna 152 5105B. KLOU.

Oh, and to your question. I was 20. If I'd been able to do it at 16, I for damn sure would have. Tell your mom you'll be fine and not to worry. She'll worry anyway. That's the way that particular relationship works.

[PGT]

12-16 hours @ age of 18. I knew it was coming, it was me and another student who soloed in the patter together

I never did enjoy solo flights for some reason, I like having a 2nd person beside me.

[n57flyguy]

15.4 hours.

PGT, grow some.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by PGT

I never did enjoy solo flights for some reason, I like having a 2nd person beside me.

I didn't really grow to enjoy solo flights until I was a CFI. Mostly because by then I wasn't trying to fill some kind of flight time requirement or training or anything, I was flying for my own enjoyment. It came to be thereputic. I don't care how bad my day was, I could go up for an hour and just fly around by myself, just me and the sky, and for that hour all my problems would dissappear. Its that kind of thing that reminds you why you love flying so much.

[jdlilfan]

7 hours back in 2003. Very similar experience to what everyone else has...normal lesson then coming back for a full stop and the instructor got out of the plane and off I went. I do the same thing to my students now.

[Teller1900]

8.2 hours in 512WW. I had a total of .4 in that aircraft...it was the fancy '98 model, I was more used to the '78 model. It worked out well, nonetheless. And my mom still hates the idea of me soloing.

[PGT]

Originally Posted by flyguy

I didn't really grow to enjoy solo flights until I was a CFI. Mostly because by then I wasn't trying to fill some kind of flight time requirement or training or anything, I was flying for my own enjoyment. It came to be thereputic. I don't care how bad my day was, I could go up for an hour and just fly around by myself, just me and the sky, and for that hour all my problems would dissappear. Its that kind of thing that reminds you why you love flying so much.

That's probably true, I was getting really burnt out toward the end of my PPL training.

[PWK_Pilot]

I soloed somewhere in the high twentys@ ENW on runway 24L [C152] which is only 3300ft. Originally my CFI was gonna take me to UGN where they have a longer rwy[6000ft] but the pattern was too crowded. It was over so fast tho and due to my nerves/excitement I did an extra trip around the pattern. John Magda= thanks for the gr8 memories!!

[germb747]

I soloed on my 16th birthday on August 27, 1995 at 3:01pm PT (the time I was born) with a total of 28.1 hours. We had moved on to the cross-country phase by that time. Of course my mom was nervous, but luckily I had enough support from my dad, and she had total confidence in my CFI.

I've since soloed a 16-year-old kid, who was actually a much better stick than any of my other students, and fortunately the maturity level to go along with it. I don't try to draw lines in the sand and apply them to everyone (i.e. certain age or certain number of hours). Each student is different, and you have to consider the person individually.

[HercDriver130]

C150, May 1979, KBIX, Keesler Aero Club, Age 16

T-37, March 1986, Williams AFB UPT, Age 22

T-38, August 1986, Williams AFB UPT, Age 23

Everyone memorable..... and a day I will never forget.

[triplec76]

I don't really understand the whole "whip it out and measure up" thing that comes along with soloing times. Another instructor and I had a conversation about soloing this morning and we both agreed that there are a lot of factors involved in when a student goes solo and sometimes, as a poster stated above, you can get as far as cross countries before being sent out solo due to spring time gusty winds, etc.

A person that soloed at 6 hours isn't necessarily a better pilot down the road than a student that soloed at 20. Usually younger students solo sooner because they pick material up quickly, have better reflexes, and a little less fear than older family-based students.

Just have fun, study hard and be a good, responsible pilot.