Soloing This Weekend

[mechanic]

good luck nova, im sure you will do fine

[Talon07]

Spins are fun. Glider's have more fun at least for recreation. power planes go places lol
kind regards FBClaw

[Golfer]

I don't think my instructor would allow it and I don't think its a required part of training anymore..

Get a new instructor.  I never gave an endorsement to anyone who had never spun and recovered an airplane.  That's my rule.  If he's afraid or intimidated by spins then he's the one who needs additional training.  Stall and Spin awareness are one thing but you have to do them and not be intimidated by them in order to be safe should you ever find yourself in one.

[deSelys]

Glad there's a big pond between us, I should feel safe on sunday   

j/k, have fun & walk away from the landing. The plane being flyable again is only a bonus.

[Casca]

Good luck.  It'll be fun.

[Russian]

Get a new instructor.  I never gave an endorsement to anyone who had never spun and recovered an airplane.  That's my rule.  If he's afraid or intimidated by spins then he's the one who needs additional training.  Stall and Spin awareness are one thing but you have to do them and not be intimidated by them in order to be safe should you ever find yourself in one.

Isn't there a requirement to wear a chute during spins? 

[Golfer]

Nope.  Not in the USA.

[Russian]

Nope.  Not in the USA.

Hmm... I guess it was rule in my old school then.

[xNOVAx]

Welp.. Just got back from my lesson today, and I'm not ready for my solo on sunday.. I'll have to push it back for a few weeks now.. Pretty frustruating but I'm sure its for the best because I really don't want to be making the same little mistakes during my solo as I was making today.. Argh! 

[Golfer]

You'll be fine, Nova.  Everybody feels the same way leading up to it.  In fact I don't remember a checkride or initial type ride where the night before I would question whether or not I was ready for it.  It keeps you sharp, keeps your nose in the books and makes you a better pilot because of it.

You can't forget to put the gear down.  You're not going to forget to push the props forward.  No worries about setting the flaps for takeoff and having the airplane yell at you because your configuration is wrong.  You just learned how to not count your chickens before the eggs hatched is all.  Celebrate by saying you solo'd not that you're going to.  Thinking like that will put extra pressure on you whether you realize it or not as you've built it up on your head.  It's very easy to let things snowball once you start making a mistake or two and you'll always make mistakes.  If you let them eat at you by not moving on and doing the next thing you need to you're going to snowball into a mental mess which safe to say every pilot has done at least once.  I know I did and still remember it happening in slow motion during an oral checkride of all things.  I learned from the feelings of slipping so when it happened a year or so later for my initial CFI checkride I was able to draw on the experience, regroup and focus on what needed to be done to finish the oral portion of the practical test.  You learned that lesson earlier than I did so draw upon whatever mistakes you made and remember them.

You'll do fine

[Grayeagle]

'peice of cake' -grin-

Agree with alla others, the day will bring a smile every time you think of it from now on.

I still smile thinkin of 'four-zero-romeo' ..aka 'Snaggletooth' ..'68 C-172 with the exhaust stickin straight down outta the cowling and a bit loud at full giddyup.

Just sooo much fun to fly

-GE

[Sandman]

Agree with alla others, the day will bring a smile every time you think of it from now on.

Can't say the same for my first solo. I was really focused on the task. My instructor thought I was ready a few weeks before I agreed. In hindsight, I was really worried about whether I'd panic or not. That worry passed after the first landing. Can't say I actually enjoyed it and after seven passes, my thoughts were, "Okay, what's next?" It wasn't until my fourth or fifth solo flight that it became fun and I stopped worrying so much about making mistakes. That was a good day. I was twenty miles or so from the field and as I was turning the airplane I actually started laughing.



I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I'm finding that the airplane is quite capable of landing even when I miss my target parameters somewhat. Still exploring those particular boundaries.

[bcadoo]

good luck!!

i still remember my first solo.......it was fun.

remember the plane's gonna perform much better without your 200# cfi in there.

 

grease em on dude!

I know what you mean.  I was in a 152 and it just hopped off the runway solo.  (then I started hearing all these strange sounds I had never noticed before when I had my 'safety net')  unforgettable time for sure.

[Roundeye]

*snip*

My instructor thought I was ready a few weeks before I agreed.

Same here.  She said I was ready but had a habit of keeping her hand on the yoke every time I flared for landing.  I had no problems with landings by that point, but it was just a habit she had.  I told her that when she can ride along like a passenger and not make any corrections or touch any controls THEN I'm ready.

We got to that point and I soloed with no problems.  She was an excellent instructor who mixed fun with learning to fly.  She would pick out a little cloud and fly through it then look back to see if there was an airplane-shaped hole in it like in the cartoons.    Those were some good times.

She moved to Key West shortly after I soloed and was killed in a banner-towing accident.   I will always remember her unique style of instruction and can picture her now soaring among the clouds and looking back to see if she left little angel-shaped holes in them.

Plane: Cessna 152 N49415
Instructor: Ryan Koury (RIP)

These are good times.  Enjoy them while you can.

[68Wooley]

Thanks!

Wow you guys are doing spins? We've done power on and power off stalls, but yet to put the cessna into a spin.. I don't think my instructor would allow it and I don't think its a required part of training anymore.. Though, I did get myself into some spins when I went flying in a Pitts S-2B a few months ago..

Spins aren't required any more, but my school makes a point of making everyone do them.

Was slightly apprehensive on Friday, but it turned out to be fun. Wouldn't recommend a large lunch beforehand though. 

Hope you get the solo soon xNOVAx