I have 13.1 hours of flight time in my log book. 10.6 hours from the previous flight school of Mac Dan/RGI Aviation a year or two ago at Essex County Airport and 2.5 hours from Royal Karina flight school in Trenton Mercer Airport. I have flown in the Evektor Sportstar, Cessna 172, Cessna 172SP, a Cessna 150, and most recently, in a Storm Century.
So when do student SPs usually solo at around what flight hours? What about student SPs like me who haven't flown for over a year and got back into flight training?
Sorry if it is too early for me in my training to ask, but I feel excited and want to solo soon.
When do Student Sport Pilots usually make their first solo?
Moderator: drseti
I soloed at Private curriculum, at 30 hours. When I had about 9, my CFI said: "if it goes like this, I'll have to solo you at 13 hours". But then it degenerated into "I think you're ready, but let's just do this again to be sure", and me screwing up landings. I had difficulty with emergency procedures, too. Also, FBO policy required stage check, same as on the part 141 curriculum, so I had to schedule that with another instructor.
Although do keep in mind that I am a rather inept pilot. You should be able to fly solo by about 20 hours, I think.
-- Pete
Although do keep in mind that I am a rather inept pilot. You should be able to fly solo by about 20 hours, I think.
-- Pete
-
robert9999
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:48 pm
solo
I did it in 35 hours. Landings are the hardest part for me.
-
robert9999
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:48 pm
solo
I did it in 35 hours. Landings are the hardest part for me.
WHAT!!!!
Guys...guys...guys...
Where are these instructors coming from???????
I soloed in a Tomahawk in 7.5 or 8.5 hours FROM ZERO FLIGHT TIME EVER! I was an AVERAGE student with an AVERAGE CFI.
I soloed a U.S. Army TH-55 Helicopter on training day #21 with 27.3 helicopter hours! Again, average student, average instructor.
This new breed of instructors are raping their students. If you haven't soloed by 10 hours, your instructor is not getting the stuff seared into your brain, or, you are flying when it's to windy. My students have ALL taken and passed their sport checkrides by the hour-point you guys are soloing...
Now granted, I have only had five. But their Sport Ticket didn't cost them an arm and a leg and none of them bent an airplane or failed their practical exam. The highest time one took his checkride at 36 hours and that was because it was his plane and he flew a lot solo, just for fun.
Where are these instructors coming from???????
I soloed in a Tomahawk in 7.5 or 8.5 hours FROM ZERO FLIGHT TIME EVER! I was an AVERAGE student with an AVERAGE CFI.
I soloed a U.S. Army TH-55 Helicopter on training day #21 with 27.3 helicopter hours! Again, average student, average instructor.
This new breed of instructors are raping their students. If you haven't soloed by 10 hours, your instructor is not getting the stuff seared into your brain, or, you are flying when it's to windy. My students have ALL taken and passed their sport checkrides by the hour-point you guys are soloing...
Now granted, I have only had five. But their Sport Ticket didn't cost them an arm and a leg and none of them bent an airplane or failed their practical exam. The highest time one took his checkride at 36 hours and that was because it was his plane and he flew a lot solo, just for fun.
Bryan Cobb
Sport Pilot CFI
Commercial/Instrument Airplane
Commercial Rotorcraft Helicopter
Manufacturing Engineer II, Meggitt Airframe Systems, Fuel Systems & Composites Group
Cartersville, Ga
[email protected]
Sport Pilot CFI
Commercial/Instrument Airplane
Commercial Rotorcraft Helicopter
Manufacturing Engineer II, Meggitt Airframe Systems, Fuel Systems & Composites Group
Cartersville, Ga
[email protected]
I started to fly solo in SP program at 15hrs and ended up passing checkride - on a second attempt, mind you - at 60hrs ;-)
Surely you want to solo when your experienced instructor believes that you're ready and safe and just climbs out of the plane one day to get your wet shirt-tail afterwards :) Our optimism should be always tempered by the experience and wisdom, even if we have to borrow it from our instructor, since we do not have any :)
What I discovered for myself that although a training was always a blast, but the progress is not always steady or with equal rate of progression. There're fast breakthroughs, setbacks, platos, "brain farts", etc... Sometimes I felt that things I used to do easily and perfectly suddenly and unexplicably got steadily worse and I can't get them back... Sometimes I've managed to push envelope too far and to scare myself enough that I felt I have to le-learn some technique from the scratch to gain my confidence back...
Consistency, precision and decision making in the face of variety of adverse enviroment factors imho is the hardest and most essential part of flying and can come only with experience. In my estimate it would take me a lifetime to achieve it. :)
In my view my aptitude for flying is not great, so I'm sure there're plenty of SP students who did their program and get their ticket much faster. But I didn't feel that this is the race I have to win. My goal is for me to become a safe and proficient pilot - hours other people put into it are irrelevant.
Surely you want to solo when your experienced instructor believes that you're ready and safe and just climbs out of the plane one day to get your wet shirt-tail afterwards :) Our optimism should be always tempered by the experience and wisdom, even if we have to borrow it from our instructor, since we do not have any :)
What I discovered for myself that although a training was always a blast, but the progress is not always steady or with equal rate of progression. There're fast breakthroughs, setbacks, platos, "brain farts", etc... Sometimes I felt that things I used to do easily and perfectly suddenly and unexplicably got steadily worse and I can't get them back... Sometimes I've managed to push envelope too far and to scare myself enough that I felt I have to le-learn some technique from the scratch to gain my confidence back...
Consistency, precision and decision making in the face of variety of adverse enviroment factors imho is the hardest and most essential part of flying and can come only with experience. In my estimate it would take me a lifetime to achieve it. :)
In my view my aptitude for flying is not great, so I'm sure there're plenty of SP students who did their program and get their ticket much faster. But I didn't feel that this is the race I have to win. My goal is for me to become a safe and proficient pilot - hours other people put into it are irrelevant.
-
ArionAv8or
- Posts: 271
- Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 11:42 am
I soloed at 12 hours and passed my checkride with 22. I have said it before and I will say it again, the instructor makes all the difference in the world. I was lucky and got training from an OUTSTANDING CFI that made learning fun and easy. Once I had confidence in myself the rest was easy.
I also agree that it will happen when it happens. Don't try to rush it, just learn at your own pace and ensure you are comfortable and confident in your abilities.
I also agree that it will happen when it happens. Don't try to rush it, just learn at your own pace and ensure you are comfortable and confident in your abilities.
Re: WHAT!!!!
Bryan, like you I've seen around 35 hours average for a sport ticket, but I've also seen 20 hours to solo for some of these students. The biggest thing from when you learned in the Thawk is the FAA added several items of required instruction before solo. Back then you would be started doing take offs and landings by the 3rd or 4th lesson. Also there were several special solo for only $399 ect. that schools were forced to turn out students quicker. My dad only had 1 hour of training from an instructor when he soloed, but things were even more different back then.bryancobb wrote:Guys...guys...guys...
Where are these instructors coming from???????
I soloed in a Tomahawk in 7.5 or 8.5 hours FROM ZERO FLIGHT TIME EVER! I was an AVERAGE student with an AVERAGE CFI.
I soloed a U.S. Army TH-55 Helicopter on training day #21 with 27.3 helicopter hours! Again, average student, average instructor.
This new breed of instructors are raping their students. If you haven't soloed by 10 hours, your instructor is not getting the stuff seared into your brain, or, you are flying when it's to windy. My students have ALL taken and passed their sport checkrides by the hour-point you guys are soloing...
Now granted, I have only had five. But their Sport Ticket didn't cost them an arm and a leg and none of them bent an airplane or failed their practical exam. The highest time one took his checkride at 36 hours and that was because it was his plane and he flew a lot solo, just for fun.
As you've probably gathered from the other responses on this list, that varies a whole lot. The two biggest factors are the age of the student and constancy of training. It is not unusual for a young student who is flying very consistently to solo in under 15 hours. Older students, even if they are flying consistently, will often take a good deal longer. Students who are not flying regularly no matter what age, may never solo. Your age is what it is but in order to make it to solo as quickly as possibly you really need to be flying regularly, preferable about 2 or 3 times a week.
Considering how you've bounced around from school to school and plane to plane, I wouldn't really count any of that time as time towards solo. Soloing is all about consistency and regularity neither of which it seems that you have had.
Helen
Considering how you've bounced around from school to school and plane to plane, I wouldn't really count any of that time as time towards solo. Soloing is all about consistency and regularity neither of which it seems that you have had.
Helen
-
ArionAv8or
- Posts: 271
- Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 11:42 am
That's a great point Helen! For me, I work 6 days a week and can only fly on Sunday's, weather permitting. I am 45 yo, flew one day a week and only transitioned two planes. I still managed to solo in 12 hours but promise that it was the instructor that made the difference. I am average in abilities and talent and would admit that without the CFI I had I am sure it would have taken a little longer given my schedule.
Solo time
Helen, as you probably know, I was one of the guys that took awhile longer to solo. Although I am one of the older guys, I'm not sure I am any more or less inept now than I was when I was in my twenties! It did take me awhile to get over my fear of screwing up on those last few feet before I touched down, so I had a lot of instances where I flared too high, lost speed and wound up doing a "thumper" or landing crabbed. A couple of instructors helped me through this phase by literally yelling "keep it coming down" until I got to the right flair level. Learning to do a short field landing also seemed to help me get over that fear of being too low. A couple other factors, of course, were training frequency and wind! Over the last several months, the days we have had with mild wind at our airport have been sparse - at least when I could get out there. As a result, it was necessary for me to get quite a bit of cross wind and gust training on my way to solo. Thank goodness for that, because (on the day of my solo) the wind completely changed direction and got gusty the minute after my CFI stepped out of the plane.
BTW, that "zipper exercise" you developed (where you fly down the runway with a good crosswind and try to "unzip" the centerline) helped a bunch with my crosswind skills.
I don't think any of the instructors I had were sandbagging me. They all had their hands full!
BTW, that "zipper exercise" you developed (where you fly down the runway with a good crosswind and try to "unzip" the centerline) helped a bunch with my crosswind skills.
I don't think any of the instructors I had were sandbagging me. They all had their hands full!
Tecnam Flyer
Helen, I did fly 2 days a week during spring break, last Sunday and Thursday. But now, spring break is coming to an end and Monday I'm going back to college. I can only fly one day a week, or maybe one day every 2 weeks, hopefully on Sundays because I have college Mondays through Thursdays and Fridays and Saturdays I have work.
I do hope however, plan on flying as often as possible. Believe me I do want to fly more often but work and school have to come first sometimes.
I definitely want to fly more during the summer. Plus I plan to increase my hours at work this summer so I can fly more often.
I do hope however, plan on flying as often as possible. Believe me I do want to fly more often but work and school have to come first sometimes.
I definitely want to fly more during the summer. Plus I plan to increase my hours at work this summer so I can fly more often.