First Solo

NWA · Thu Oct 16, 2003 2:15 pm

After how many hours did you all get your first solo? I am at 17.1 hours and I dont think I am going to get to solo anytime soon. Just a feeling of mine. So I am kind of worried that I may be a bit behind.

flykal · Thu Oct 16, 2003 2:22 pm

Can't remember exactly when my first solo was...around 16 hours I think.

One thing to remember though, the "speed" of your first solo depends just as much on your instructor's ability as it does on your own ability.

saintsman · Thu Oct 16, 2003 4:13 pm

I went solo after about 6 hrs and a bit of simulator time but don't read anything in to that. It doesn't really matter how long it takes as long as you are enjoying and learning from what you are doing. I did my solo after a week, but I was at the flight school full time. If you can only fly once a week or once a month, then it will take a lot longer to get that first solo in as you will not have the continuity and will have to recap what you did last time. Worrying about it will not help either so remember that it is not a competition and that you are doing this because you want to. With a positive approach you will soon get that solo and ultimately that licence.

flyf15 · Thu Oct 16, 2003 4:21 pm

Another factor that people often forget to realize is that a student flying a simple VFR Cessna 152 out of a very relaxed and uncontrolled field is going to solo many many hours sooner than a student flying a brand new airplane with lots of buttons, switches, and other things to pay attention to out of a busy controlled field....no matter what the skill levels of the two pilots are.

707CMF · Thu Oct 16, 2003 6:06 pm

My first solo was around 17h in this aircraft :

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Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Antoine Ossadzow

But what Fylf15 says is entirely true. What aircraft do you train on ?

707

Springbokheavy · Thu Oct 16, 2003 6:54 pm

I did my first solo at 10 hrs on the 1st of this month. Great experience, but while I was waiting to line up and take off the landing that I witnessed didn't help my nerves or shall I say 4 landings Smile

Cheers - Marius

NWA · Fri Oct 17, 2003 12:09 am

The Aircraft I fly is a new 172 and the Airport is Jackson County, Jackson Michigan. Its a fairly busy controlled airport. They have this ATC person in training, I dont like her bery much.

meister808 · Fri Oct 17, 2003 2:50 am

Dude, don't worry about your solo too much. Just have fun flying, and work on improving each time you go up, and it will happen soon enough. Have you asked your instructor about a solo? It could be (s)he is not sure if you are comfortable with it, but if (s)he knew that you definitely wanted to solo, they would work with you on getting proficient for a solo flight.

-Meister

NWA · Fri Oct 17, 2003 6:35 am

Today he told me I was a decent student, but oh well. I can wait.

Beefmoney · Fri Oct 17, 2003 10:32 am

I made my first solo flight in February of this year on my 16th birthday. It was in a Cessna 152, at Phoenix Deer Valley (KDVT) which is the second busiest airport in Arizona, and one of the busiest GA airports in the nation.

I had about 15 hours logged, but about 30-50 non-logged as I had been flying with my dad since I was 12, but was unable to log that time.

It was really a piece of cake, even with the busy field. Actually, I get more worried around a non-towered field, as I am not completely familiar with it. I am much more comfortable at a busy, heavily ATC'ed field.

futureualpilot · Fri Oct 17, 2003 10:41 am

My first solo was on my 16th Birthday, in November of last year. I had been flying for about 3 years prior so I had around 45 hours I believe. Ive heard somewhere that the minimum is 40hrs. to solo in the U.S. but somebody double check it! Its a piece of cake and was one of the greatest thrills of my life!

flyf15 · Fri Oct 17, 2003 10:45 am

Futureualpilot, 40 hours is the minimum to get a private pilot's license in the US. There is no minimum time to solo.

futureualpilot · Fri Oct 17, 2003 10:51 am

Thanks Fly15, I knew 40 was in there somewhere Laugh out loud

Victor Hotel · Sat Oct 18, 2003 2:35 pm

First solo was at 13 hours for me.
VH

Adam T. · Sat Oct 18, 2003 10:22 pm

I believe out of the 40 horus you have to have 20 hours of flight time w/instructor and 20 hours of solo time in order to get your PPL.
I just started flying this month so I have a ways to go, I am not even thinking of going solo yet.

Adam Smile

redfox · Sun Oct 19, 2003 3:03 am

I am at 3.05 and the very thought of solo flight kinda frightens me! - well done anyway

I think I may be a few more than 17.1 probably by my own choice, before I commit to such a big step I shall decide when ready - plenty of time

Stephen Fox

cosync · Sun Oct 19, 2003 4:28 am

I soloed after 13.5 hours in a Piper Tomahawk at a non controlled airport. Pretty boring huh. I don't know about anyone else here but I thought my solo flight was an anticlimax and not what I expected. I expected to be really nervous and start shitting bricks but I was pretty calm. I was impressed by my gresser landing though, hehe. I thought that I was pissed about a bit in my training and could have soloed a couple of hours earlier. I got signed of to solo by one of my instructors and then the other who was an a**hole made me wait a bit. Not because I wasn't competent but because he thought it was too early. But oh well. I can't wait to begin the my training towards my PPL now. Im sure that will be an immense achievement and far harder than than soloeing.

But don't worry yourself mate it all depends on how often you went flying. I was averaging once of twice a month. And also what type of plane you are flying. I mean sure the tomahawk is far more difficult to hand fly then planes like the C172 but the C172 has many more buttons to come to terms with. Also it depends on you instructor. It really depends if they are cautious, some are quite happy to sign you off when you are not quite ready.

But best of luck and most importanly have fun.

Regards Ryan

ThirtyEcho · Sun Oct 19, 2003 5:46 am

I soloed at 16 in a taildragger Luscombe with no radio but I'd have to dig out my old log to see exactly how many hours I had. The trick here is continuity; if you fly a couple of times a week, you're going to solo at a lower number of hours than if you fly a couple of times a month. At a low frequency of flights you'll spend part of each lesson "starting over" rather than progressing, especially if you have do deal with complex airspace, navigation and ATC situations.

USAFHummer · Sun Oct 19, 2003 9:43 am

I soloed with about 23 hours, 7 months after starting lessons...had a lot of mitigating circumstances which increased that time...I think under good circumstances I could have soloed around 14 or 15...

Greg

Inbound · Sun Oct 19, 2003 11:40 am

I guess I'm the only idiot to solo at 40 hrs.

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