Optimizing the solo hours

[3Dreaming]

Actually it is 2 hours of prep for the checkride in the previous 2 calendar months. Any training that falls within those 2 calendar months before the checkride can be counted towards the 2 hours if the it covered the items listed in 61.311.

You also need to remember it is not just about the hours, you are training to meet the standards set forth in the PTS. Your instructor should not sign you off for the checkride until you are ready to pass the checkride.

[MrMorden]

Just a quick chime in on this...

I only have 160 hours, but I have over 500 landings, or an average of 3+ per hour. Probably 75% of my flying is pattern work. I figure the most challenging maneuver I need to make on most flights is landing the airplane, and I want to get *really* good at that. I'd rather be surprised doing landings at my home field where everything is familiar (and a few landings have certainly surprised me), than to get caught off guard when making a trip 300nm from home. Most of my landings at unfamiliar fields have been very good, because I practice landings constantly.

As for touch and go landings, I think the risk is related to the runway you are landing on. At my home field I almost always do touch and go landings when practicing, but our shortest runway is over 3000ft long and the one I usually use is 5000ft. All of them have excellent surfaces. If I was flying off of a short runway, one with a rough surface, and/or obstructions at the ends, I might taxi back for each landing. It all just comes down to what you think is safe and smart for your skill and your runway.

For solo where you don't yet have your certificate, make sure you are doing maneuvers and not just "flying around". As mentioned previously, your instructor should have tasks for you on each flight. If he or she is not giving adequate guidance after you have requested it, you might either have to find a new instructor or take more initiative. Practice steep turns, stalls, ground reference maneuvers, slips, landings. Also practice holding both heading and altitude as precisely as you can on every flight; you should be able to hold them within less than half of the PTS guidelines in preparation for your checkride.

Good luck and have fun!

[rezaf_2000]

Just a quick chime in on this...

I only have 160 hours, but I have over 500 landings, or an average of 3+ per hour. Probably 75% of my flying is pattern work. I figure the most challenging maneuver I need to make on most flights is landing the airplane, and I want to get *really* good at that. I'd rather be surprised doing landings at my home field where everything is familiar (and a few landings have certainly surprised me), than to get caught off guard when making a trip 300nm from home. Most of my landings at unfamiliar fields have been very good, because I practice landings constantly.

As for touch and go landings, I think the risk is related to the runway you are landing on. At my home field I almost always do touch and go landings when practicing, but our shortest runway is over 3000ft long and the one I usually use is 5000ft. All of them have excellent surfaces. If I was flying off of a short runway, one with a rough surface, and/or obstructions at the ends, I might taxi back for each landing. It all just comes down to what you think is safe and smart for your skill and your runway.

For solo where you don't yet have your certificate, make sure you are doing maneuvers and not just "flying around". As mentioned previously, your instructor should have tasks for you on each flight. If he or she is not giving adequate guidance after you have requested it, you might either have to find a new instructor or take more initiative. Practice steep turns, stalls, ground reference maneuvers, slips, landings. Also practice holding both heading and altitude as precisely as you can on every flight; you should be able to hold them within less than half of the PTS guidelines in preparation for your checkride.

Good luck and have fun!

Excellent advice, I will spend whatever remains of my solo hour requirements in supervised solo work, asking my instructor to watch me and possibly talk to me on the radio. Speaking of which, that sort of chatter can't take place on CTAF, can it? My understanding is that you can use a UNICOMM frequency for that, but my airport doesn't have a UNICOMM frequency listed either. I wonder if we can use the air to air 122.75 MHz frequency?

[drseti]

If yours is a low-activity airport (like mine), there's nothing wrong with an instructor and student coordinating supervised solo activities on the CTAF. If there are usually other people in the pattern, you might want to do your supervised solo practice on a less busy airport anyway.

[MrMorden]

There is a lot less "flight ops related" banter than that on CTAF at my airport. I think as long as you are discussing flight operations, very few people will mind at a non-towered airport. Just try to keep your transmissions terse so you leave enough gaps for other pilots to make their calls.

[Merlinspop]

....Just try to keep your transmissions terse so you leave enough gaps for other pilots to make their calls.

......

Ha ha! Just kidding.

[CTLSi]

There is a lot less "flight ops related" banter than that on CTAF at my airport. I think as long as you are discussing flight operations, very few people will mind at a non-towered airport. Just try to keep your transmissions terse so you leave enough gaps for other pilots to make their calls.

Remember, even in non-towered air making personal calls is both unwelcome and potentially interferes with others trying to communicate. I suggest if an instructor wants to talk to, or give instruction to a student in the air they should do it on handhelds using a non CTAF frequency. Or if the radio has a monitor frequency capability, use the backup frequency to talk plane to plane and ground to plane.

Section 4.1.11 of the AIM suggest these frequencies: Aviation instruction, Glider, Hot Air Balloon: 123.300, 123.500

[drseti]

This discussion was about students doing a supervised solo. When this is conducted in the pattern, the student is of course tuned to the CTAF. If brief guidance is required (e.g., "make this next one a soft field landing"), it is certainly appropriate to transmit (succintly) on the CTAF.