Sport Pilot Talk

patmike · Joined: 15 May 2011 Posts: 18 Location: New Britain Ct.

is there a set time by regulation or is it at the instructors discretion. how many hours was it for some of you. i ask because i have only 5 hours and my instructor's already asking if i'm ready for the pre solo written test.

flyboy2007 · Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 79 Location: wisconsin

It all depends on your ability and if your instructor feels your ready and SAFE. There is no time regulation for solo. It is not a good idea to rush it as you need to have hours with the instructor anyway, so you may as well make sure you are ready and confident. Most people solo around 10 or so, I did it at 8 but I had been flying with my uncle for years before that. Just make sure you are ready and feel good about it because once you take off there is no one with you to help if needed. If the instructor say's ok your ready to solo and you do not feel like it, just tell him you would be more comfortable with a few more hours with him first. It is your choice. The main thing is be safe and have fun!! Good luck and keep us updated.

3Dreaming · Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 301 Location: noble, IL USA

There is no time limit for solo, but there is a regulation that covers solo.
CFR 61.87 (d) 1-15 give the areas in which you must have training logged if it applies to the airplane you are flying. Take a look at these 15 items and make sure you have received and logged training for each.

(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;

(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;

(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;

(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;

(5) Climbs and climbing turns;

(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;

(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;

(8) Descents, with and without turns, using high and low drag configurations;

(9) Flight at various airspeeds from cruise to slow flight;

(10) Stall entries from various flight attitudes and power combinations with recovery initiated at the first indication of a stall, and recovery from a full stall;

(11) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;

(12) Ground reference maneuvers;

(13) Approaches to a landing area with simulated engine malfunctions;

(14) Slips to a landing; and

(15) Go-arounds.

If you are not sure about something ask your instructor. He should be using this as a checklist also. Tom

patmike · Joined: 15 May 2011 Posts: 18 Location: New Britain Ct.

thanks guys. i figured about 10 hours. i'm about halfway through 3d's list. these are the items my instructor hi-lited in my far-aim. for what it's worth i'm learning in a flight design ctls. my confidence in the past few days is through the roof now that i'm flying from 1 airport to another and doing touch and go's.
simply put i'm having a blast

Pat

3Dreaming · Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 301 Location: noble, IL USA

patmike wrote: thanks guys. i figured about 10 hours. i'm about halfway through 3d's list. these are the items my instructor hi-lited in my far-aim. for what it's worth i'm learning in a flight design ctls. my confidence in the past few days is through the roof now that i'm flying from 1 airport to another and doing touch and go's.
simply put i'm having a blast

Pat

That's not my list. It come straight from the regs.

RyanShort1 · Joined: 17 Aug 2010 Posts: 101 Location: San Antonio, TX

Interestingly enough, a lot of instructors treat those as a bucket list to check off, then solo as soon as checked off - sometimes with only one or two "examples" of each (yeah, I've seen that personally). What they ignore is this bit before that...

Quote: (c) Pre-solo flight training. Prior to conducting a solo flight, a student pilot must have:

(1) Received and logged flight training for the maneuvers and procedures of this section that are appropriate to the make and model of aircraft to be flown; and

(2) Demonstrated satisfactory proficiency and safety, as judged by an authorized instructor, on the maneuvers and procedures required by this section in the make and model of aircraft or similar make and model of aircraft to be flown.
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div5&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.1.2&idno=14#14:2.0.1.1.2.3.1.4

Now obviously perfect proficiency is not required, nor is a student necessarily ready for checkride standards, but there does have to be a level of "proficiency." Personally, this means to me that the student has to understand the maneuver(s) and be able to perform them without my prompting or serious correction. Usually I'm soloing students about 10-14 hours. Sometimes I would like to solo a student sooner, but if you try to follow the regs, it's going to be in that ballpark.

Ryan