Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: GrimCO on September 01, 2006, 04:59:40 PM
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A squaddie of mine recently got his pilot's license and sent me a link to an article he had written about his first solo. Man did that bring back some sweet memories. I soloed in 1985 at the age of 16, and got my pilot's license the day after I turned 17. It's something I have treasured ever since, and has never gotten old even after 1200 hours logged of private flying.
At any rate, I thought I'd share my experience with my first solo, and would like to hear from others about theirs since it brought back such good memories for me. Here's my story about my first solo...
My instructor Mark was a great pilot. Like most CFI's he was just logging flight time with his commercial license to build time for his ATP license and eventually get hired by an airline. He took his job as a flight instructor very seriously, and was one of those guys that was completely obsessed with safety. He drove "safety safety safety" into my head time and time again... Sometimes literally. When I was a new student, I had this peculiar habit of looking out the window at the ground every time I talked to ATC on the radio. I still have no idea why I did that, but I did. He was quite fond of taking a sectional chart and whapping me over the head with it every time I would look down when I keyed up the radio. "Palm Beach approach, this is Cessna 5147C... WHAP!!!!!!!!! Needless to say, I didn't hold on to that habit very long...
Anyway, on to my solo... What is so odd about my experience is that I had no idea it was going to happen. Mark never told me that he thought I was ready for it. A date was never set, he never told me "You're going to solo next time", or anything like that. He would always tell me that he thought I did a good job with stalls, or slow flight, landings, etc... But gave me no indication as to when I would solo. So there we were at good old Lantana Airport in South Florida doing some touch and go's. After the third one, he told me to come to a full stop on the runway, took off his seatbelt and got out of the airplane. He said "Do two touch and go's and come to a full stop on the third landing". He patted me on the shoulder, shut the door, and gave me a thumbs up through the window. Good God man, I didn't know whether to crap or go blind!
As nervous as I was, I did as I was told. Man what a feeling! I was flying an airplane by myself! To this day it is one of the most intense, memorable experiences I have ever had. I can remember seeing Mark standing out in the grass on the side of the runway keeping a watchful eye on me as I did my touch and go's and then the full stop. I can feel it and remember it like it was yesterday... WOW, thanks for sending me that link Glove... It brought back some absolutely AWESOME memories!
Grim CO "Grim's Reapers Squadron"
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Wow your the same age as may....that's right around when I solo'd too. I'll have to check my logbook, but it was either 85 or 86
And C172s were a LOT cheaper to rent back then
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Thank God the pattern was completely empty the day of my first solo, because I took off 29 instead of 24, and never got clearance....doh! live and learn (and thats why 17 year old's should not solo lmao)
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I was 16 when I soloed in France. I had 20 hours, and no more or less excisted than usually. Sadly, I didn't feel this unforgetable experience that other pilots always mention, it was just "an another manoeuver to accomplish before I could move foward" :(
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Mike was my instructor at Apple Valley Airport, near Victorville, CA.
It's a small field, nestled between two shallow hills on a sloping valley that is aimed at Apple Valley.
Very much desert terrain ..high altitude (3700ft or so) ..and fairly warm during the summers. That all adds up to a bit longer take-off roll and a bit slower climbout for most planes.
No tower, no nearby controlled airspace (unless you went east towards George AFB ..where the Thuds an Phantoms would give you hell)
We breifed on what I was gonna put 'four-zero-Romeo' thru ..a snaggle-tooth 172 that I liked to fly. Stall recoveries, slow flight, ..we even did a mock power off (Mike pulled the power back while I wasn't looking during climbout shortly after takeoff .. LOL ..I was right back into it and aimed at a nice wide open section of dirt directly ahead..on ideal glide speed and glide slope .. ready to start droppin flaps .. we weren't very high yet :)
When we got back, I did my usual power off as I passed the numbers and fly the base and final as a glider ..I always tried to put her right on the numbers ..it was a challenge to myself to see how well I could 'fly' .. yanno?
I didn't miss often.
We roll off the first turn off ... Mike unbuckles and steps out .. I grinned from ear-ear .. he says 'I still don't beleive you're not some F-4 jock out here to pull my leg .. but go ahead .. do a coupla touch an goes and then park it' .. I was *jazzed* .. I taxi'd out to EOR, check for traffic both with eyeballs and on local .. announce takin the active .. roll on the power as I get straight on the runway .. and four-zero-Romeo lifted off smartly with back pressure and we went to pattern altitude at best climb speed.
First touch an go .. easy .. it went by much too fast .. second .. almost a yawner .. right by the numbers all the way .. comin downwind for full stop ..
flaps out, trimmed, at downwind speed .. a Maul comes in at 45 and goes right over my head in a steep bank as he joins me on downwind about 75 feet above, he's faster and I slow a bit more to let him get some room ahead of me. Kinda neat .. we both waved at each other.. as we were lookin right at each other ( I had banked when a little when I heard the call that he was comin over me on the radio)
As I pull even with the numbers .. a fast mover calls in on short final ..goin in direct.. I spot the little white bombshell blastin in .. think it was a KR homebuilt ..about the size of your average guy ..those things are *small* ..and FAST. So I keep motoring downwind .. the Maul banks over and heads into final .. I keep goin a bit more ..finally turn on base ..and some tourist in a 182 is flyin opposite pattern, no radio call, and comin right at me.
I go to full power and climb, bankin left to keep him in sight. ..I don't think he ever saw me! .. continues on in to land .. my bank and speed takes me wide of final approach so I maintain my climb to pattern alt offset to the right of runway center over the field.
After passing end of runway, I announce 'four-zero-Romeo entering left downwind .. again . . for full stop runway (whatever it was ..I dont remember :)' ..and the rest was uneventful .. came in, parked, went thru shut down procedure, got out .. Mike asked me for my T-shirt .. grr .. it was one of my 'good' ones ..they stapled it to the wall after cuttin the front from the back, along with markin the date I solo'd.
I was 43. My next flight I logged my 8th hour of dual.
To this day Mike thinks I was an f-4 jock from George pullin his leg.
It was an awesome day .. my wife and Mike were watching from the ground all thru it .. wife said of that lil fiasco on the third approach 'Your husband did exactly the right thing .. he always does' .. then he asked her if I really was a new pilot, no bull****, really .. I need to know .. LOL.
-GE (to date I have only logged 18 hours of flight time .. Aeronca Champ, Stearman PT-17, c-172, and TF-51D .. perhaps more will come . . it's been a long dry spell :)
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First solo was with my first instructor Alden Blanchard. Anyways, kinda the same kind of situation as Grim's... Got out on the taxiway, and walked over to the FBO and said go shoot 2 touch an go's then go fly over your house...
Took off, did everything, and when I was over on my way to my house, he called my parents and said I was otw!!!
Very proud momnet that always brings a smile to my face.
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Ahh, yes. Sweet memories.
For me, it was July of 1969 just after the Apollo 11 landing and world was bursting with interesting times. It was the Summer before my last year of high school and I headed out to small airfield near Bailey's Crossroads, now long gone, in the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C.
As usual for everyone, we had done some touch and goes and my instructor said to do a full stop and taxi back to the shack. He hoped out of the 150 (no fancy electric flaps for me... this was the car emergency break handle model) and said, "You're ready. Go do 2 more touch and goes then bring it back here. Remember, she's going to float a little without me."
He pulled down those standard issue aviator sunglasses from that era and gave me wink.
God how I soaked in that first moment of freedom when that little 150 almost jumped off the runway. It was a bright, magnificent summer morning that could not have been more perfect. After a couple of uneventful couple of touch and goes, I taxied back in. No cutting of shirts or anything like that for me.
I had only 3 hours in my logbook before that. Now, that isn't because I was special, I had plenty of stick time before that in the front seat of a J-3 Cub my dad rented a few times a month. His generation learned to fly in fabric covered planes (Tiger Moth) and I suppose we all keep a special place in our hearts for our roots.
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My official solo was late August 2002 (dont know exact date) which was the same month I'd picked up an airplane. C-172. It didn't have that surprised special feeling much like Frenchy. It was a planned event and I think it was the only time the weather cooperated for me while I was a student pilot.
My first solo in a multiengine airplane sticks more in my head than my first solo. Pitts1c was there that day I test flew a pretty nice duchess around palm beach county :) I really felt like I was moving up in the world and had never been more on the ball realizing that nobody but me was in charge of my fate if an engine gave out now...or now...or now...or now...or now...or now...or now...
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May 1978 off a grass strip in Almont, MI, had all of 10 hours. It was just like Grim, was doing t&g's instructor said stop, got out and said do 3 take off's and landings. was talkin to myself outloud about speed, flaps, rate of climb etc. sweaty palms:)
shamus
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Bailey's X-roads airport:
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/VA/Airfields_VA_Fairfax_NE.htm#washingtonvirginia
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Thanks for the stories fellas! I always love hearing other people's stories about something that means a lot to them. I know I still treasure my ability to fly an airplane. There's nothing quite like it :-)
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my 1st solo story is a bit sissy.
i held out on getting my medical cert until, at well over 20 hours, i was certain i was ready for it.
i dont think my CFI even watched, he was picking blackberrys by the side of the taxiway.
sea level, light headwinds, Cessna 150 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
snort
yawn
what was i saying?...
...oh, yeah...those were good blackberries
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Picking blackberries... LOL
At least he wasn't picking up pieces of 150! hehehe
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My solo story is on our office newsletter online at:
http://www.leafsoftwaresolutions.com/images/eNews/03-27-06/Reveal_03-27-06.html
Speaking of picking up pieces of a 150, I saw the 150 I took my checkride in on the news the other night. It was upside down in a soybean field. Fortunately, nobody was injured, but it was a sad sight to see just the same. I hope they can fix it.
Glove
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sounds like someone survived a C-150 engine failure (or two skinny guys did), not bad news.
replace or repair a $15k plane no biggie either
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EDIT: much better writeup from an old thread:
http://hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=137473&perpage=40&highlight=solo&pagenumber=5
Took off this afternoon, and did two touch & goes, then my instructor told me to do a full stop. So I land and he tells me to taxi over to a hangar by their office. He tells me I'm gonna solo! He runs over to grab the handheld scanner so he can listen to me, and I get clearance and taxi.
While I'm taxiing, I keep saying "Holy s**t, I'm alone in the aircraft". I get my clearance to take off, so I methodically check to make sure my transponder is on, mixture is set, lights and fuel pump are on, then wheel it out onto the runway and go full throttle.
The plane jumps ahead and tears down the concrete. I check my gauges like usual and then, at around 65 knots IAS, I pull back and take off.
ALONE.
The plane shoots up like a rocket, I've got half fuel (it hadn't been refueled in a while, half fuel is like 3 hours of flight) and no instructor, between the two that's like 300lbs difference from usual. The plane climbs faster then before, and it's GREAT!
I turn left at Lincoln, always watching for traffic outside, then checking my gauges inside. My altitude is winding up, holy crap, I'm already at 1,100 feet when usually I'm at 800! I end up leveling out at the pattern altitude (1,400 feet MSL) before I turn to the downwind leg, so like 20 seconds before I usually do. On my downwind leg, the controller radios me. "Cherokee 8258 Sierra, you're cleared for the option on two one."
I radio back "Santa Monica Tower, Cherokee 8258 Sierra, I'd like a full stop please." Technically, I don't have to ask for this because 'The option' allows for me to do a pass, touch & go, or full stop landing, but I figure that by telling her what I'm doing, she doesn't have to watch me when I'm down.
"Cherokee 58 Sierra, thanks, cleared for landing two one."
I wait until I'm abeam the white marks on the runway and begin my descent. As I pass the I-405, I turn left so I'm heading perpendicular to the runway, then I turn left again near the I-405/I-10 interchange and line up with the runway. I get a big crosswind up there and say out loud "Oh great, a crosswind landing on my first solo." I'm not enthusiastic, because crosswind landings are something I don't have a lot of practice with, but as I drop below 800 feet, it disapears.
I check the PAPI lights and see that I'm above the glideslope, so I throttle back and add another notch of flaps, and it turns out I was right next to it, I barely have to adjust at all to get a mix of red and white lights.
I bring the plane down towards the runway. About 10 feet above the runway I go full idle on the engine and pull back to flare like usual, but the plane is so light, it actually starts to go back up a couple feet. I bring it down right away and fly a few inches above the ground, slowly pulling the yoke back as I slow down until the stall horn just starts to hoot a little, then the wheels touch down.
It's the smoothest, best landing I've ever done.
I taxi off the runway, get clearance from the tower to taxi where I want, then do my post landing checklist and taxi over to pick up my instructor.
He shook my hand and congratulated me, said I did a good job!
I figure it's gotta be a good job if they can re-use the airplane, and I'm happy as a clam.
He took some pictures of me landing, I'll post 'em later.
I'm just below 20 hours, got something like 40-50 landings, and we're going to alternate for a little between solo and instructor flights as he shows me short field takeoffs, soft field landings/takeoffs, night flying, etc. We'll probably be doing things like stalls at night soon, sounds scary, but I'm ready.
So anyhow, YEE-freakin-HAW!
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Originally posted by Debonair
sounds like someone survived a C-150 engine failure (or two skinny guys did), not bad news.
replace or repair a $15k plane no biggie either
Yep. Instructor and student. Engine failure was due to carb icing.
Glolve
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Ever since I started flying in the pacific northwest, I've become a carb-heat fanatic, especially in the big ol' Continental that's turning the prop in the 172 I rent most often. I hit that carb heat every time I pull the throttle back below 2200, and I expect I'll continue to do that wherever I'm flying just as a good habit. Even if he iced up in flight, it's a shame the instructor didn't employ carb heat in the narrow window in the first few seconds where (according to my CFIs) it'll work.
We had an FAA guy ("I'm from the FAA, and I'm here to help!") at our EAA meeting last night, and he talked about how how he's seen a lot of engine failures (usually starvation) where the pilot forgets how to fly once that prop stops spinning and ends up stalling or doing something dumb.
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I'm not sure he didn't apply the heat. It's probably pilot error, but who knows? It'll come out in the FAA final report. They were at 1000 AGL when they lost power. The landing was fine up until the soy beans roped the front landing gear and started the flip. They said it really happened in slow motion. It was just fast enough to flip it, but not violently.
G