[RVAddict]

Big deal, I know...

But, I'm excited because it's a milestone. Also, my instructor told me two lessons ago that he'd solo me right then if I had my medical.

Looks like the next time I go up, it'll be a few rounds around the patch with him, then up on my own!!!!

Not scared or nervous, but RESPECTFULL of what my responsibilities are.

Advice, anyone???

Josh

 

[tomcostanza]

Congrats in advance. It's an experience you'll remember the rest of your life. Just relax and keep your eyes open.

Clear skies,

 

[jtrusso]

Relax....

Advice, anyone???

Josh

Just relax, fly the airplane and have fun. This was without a doubt the most anticipated and "biggest" day for me in my flying career.

And remember to wear an old shirt.

 

[RV-3Bravo]

They are letting students go up without medicals now?? I thought that your medical certificate was your student certificate.... I know that I am required to carry my medical every time I go up.

 

[Tom Maxwell]

Be Ready

Advice, anyone???

It will be a thrill of a lifetime. Enjoy!

I remember mine of 32 years ago as if it were yesterday. When the wheels left the ground I let out a squeal and giggled like a bunch of love struck school girls at a slumber party. I was so proud of myself that I could hardly stand it.

Advise:
======

1) Be ready for the increased performance. I don't know what you are flying, but I learned in a 150 and without my instructor that thing jumped off the ground and didn't want to come down. Be prepared for this.

2) Don't be too proud to go around if your approach is not perfect. I came in higher than normal (see 1 above) and was tempted to push it down. But I got wise and decided to make another trip around the pattern. I later told my instructor I did it on purpose because I wasn't ready to come down.

 

[RVAddict]

And remember to wear an old shirt.

I've got one in mind....

=rvwannabe] They are letting students go up without medicals now?? I thought that your medical certificate was your student certificate.... I know that I am required to carry my medical every time I go up.

You can fly with an instructor. You can't solo without a medical/student pilot certificate. In dual training you are NOT PIC.

 

[RVAddict]

It will be a thrill of a lifetime. Enjoy!

Advise:
======

1) Be ready for the increased performance. I don't know what you are flying, but I learned in a 150 and without my instructor that thing jumped off the ground and didn't want to come down. Be prepared for this.

2) Don't be too proud to go around if your approach is not perfect. I came in higher than normal (see 1 above) and was tempted to push it down. But I got wise and decided to make another trip around the pattern. I later told my instructor I did it on purpose because I wasn't read to come down.

I have some time in a 172, but the majority is in a 150, which is what I'll be flying. I only flew the 172 when the 150 was down for maintenance.
I'm looking forward to the increased performance beause the O-200 needs all the help it can get!!!

 

[frankh]

My most often given piece of advice

Although its probably a little too soon but anyway...

"don't do ANYTHING you have not been shown how to do by an instructor"...While your logic may make (whatever you might like to do) sound safe enough, you don't have enough knowledge for a couple of hundred hours to know it isn't.

Thats how I crashed a C152 right after I got my ticket...I and my passenger are very fourtunate to be alive!

I was flying from the right seat because my instructor said I could...But he had not checked me out in the right seat.

Note at 700hours TT...I have landed the 7a from the right seat once when my CFII was in the left seat doing some instrument practice for his ATP.

Why was I in the right seat...Well I'm English and I jump from right to left when I go back home in cars all the time..Same difference right?...NOT!

With flying you start with a full bucket of luck and and empty bucket of experience...Don't spill any when filling one from the other!

All the best in your flying career.

Frank

 

[Low n Slow]

...1) Be ready for the increased performance. I don't know what you are flying, but I learned in a 150 and without my instructor that thing jumped off the ground and didn't want to come down. Be prepared for this...

Josh, I agree with Tom as this really surprised me on my solo. The L2 I was flying practically leaped off the runway and didn't want to come down, so be prepared...
Tom

 

[David_Nelson]

Congrats...

Hi Josh,

Congrats on your upcoming 1st solo!

Let's see, what do I remember:

- When the wheels left the ground, I remember thinking to myself that it was up to me, and only me, to get it back down - and hopefully in one piece!

- And my instructors words - "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate!"

If you start getting nervous on final and you start feeling that you're getting behind the plane, do a go around to calm down a little and think things through then try again. There is no shame in a go around.

/\/elson

 

[Mel]

PRE-CONGRATULATIONS!

Never forget my first solo. White Rock Airport. 1900' long with a school at one end and church at the other. September of 1967. Cessna 150. Instructor weighed 266 lbs. When he got out I thought I was riding a skyrocket.

 

[RVAddict]

Never forget my first solo. White Rock Airport. 1900' long with a school at one end and church at the other. September of 1967. Cessna 150. Instructor weighed 266 lbs. When he got out I thought I was riding a skyrocket.

Mel,
Luckily my instructor is a year younger than me, (he's 24) and he can't possibly weigh any more than I do, (160lbs) so maybe it won't be too drastic a change. Although, he did warn me about it.
Josh

 

[RVAddict]

I DID IT!!!!!!!!

Well guys,
Yesterday was the big day. I flew one more lesson friday, then soloed saturday after a few touch & go's with my instructor. Man, glad thats over! Whew! I really enjoyed it, after the first landing was over with. And every one was right, I got a whopping 700' per minute climb out of the 150 and it cruised out at 90 Mph (as opposed to 4-500 FPM & 80Mph with instructor). I could have gotten more climb at Vx but I wanted to keep the speed up, lest I stall/spin in the pattern and die on the first day...

All in all, it was a great day, then I got home and was called out on a fire in a neighboring county. (I'm on our volunteer fire department) A hay bailer had caught on fire and the field was burning. That county's fire department is huge so when they call for mutual aid you know it's going to be bad. It was.
Probably ~200 acres burning/burned allready when we got there. And it jumped the fence and was burnning a tree farm next door.

Very exciting day for me. Thankfully, today has been much calmer.

 

[Coinneach]

Conga-rats, Josh. It only gets better from here.

 

[Mel]

Congratulations Josh. You will proudly tell this story MANY time in your life.

 

[John Clark]

The fun begins...

Congratulations Josh. You will tell this story MANY time in your life.

Mel is right. Mine was 42 years ago and I can recall the details like it was yesterday. I have, however, managed to forget most of the 50-something medical exams.

Congratulations!!

John Clark ATP, CFI
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

 

[jeffrey]

first solo

Congrats

My first solo was at french Valley ca. F70
Instructor got out and away i went . So worried I would forget some thing. Made all my raido calls . on final looking at the numbers looked down the runway, saw my instructor waving and jumping up and down. aftered I pulled my shorts out of my @#@# landed taxied over to him. He asked why I wasnt making any radio calls. some how after he got out for my solo and me landing the radio went T\U. What a day.
jeffrey
7a qb
tail feathers done
n187kw reserved

 

[txaviator]

Knees.....

All I can recall is the fact that my knees were clanking together, uncontrollably, and I couldn't make them stop!

My CFI's final words when he got out of the plane were "Gary, this is a very expensive airplane....dont #@&* anything up, but also, HAVE FUN". Ah, no pressure, huh? Then on climb out, I see my dad down there taking photos. He had arranged with my instructor to be there the day I went solo...again, no pressure? Yea, right

Made two hops around the field and after my final landing, some guy on short final calls on the radio: "Student pilots who forget their landing checklist have to buy the beers that night".....Checklist? Sure I ran through that......but ooops....forgot to retract the flaps......After quickly hitting the flap control, I simply replied "what flaps?" All I heard was laughter.

Oh, and when my instructor told me to make one more takeoff and landing, what he didn't think of was that it was right at dusk. I hadn't done any night work at this point, and let me say that finding the landing light switch was a chore while nervous about everything else.

Congrat's on YOUR solo!!!

 

[RVAddict]

Radio problems.

The problem I had wasn't with the onboard radio, it was with my instructors handheld. They could hear me great but I couldn't hear him at all, just enough to know he was talking but couldn't make anything out. After my second (and one wing low, bounce, power, get it back down-land sideways ) landing, he said something I couldn't understand, so I had to stop, taxi back, and go again. What did he say? Use left aileron in that cross-wind (yeah right, it was like ~1knot) to keep the wings level. My third and final landing of the day was butter though. I quit while I was ahead.

Josh