What was your favorite part of you flight training for your Private Pilots License?

Long solo XC. Flew higher than I ever did and actually experienced something new without my CFI having to demonstrate it first.
 
First Solo was thrilling. Easy to see why so many students drop out after that. After that, buying a 182P and finishing the training.

-David
 
First solo, followed closely by night cross country to my first class c (and first exposure to flight following. Several firsts on that flight ;) )
 
Long Solo XC, KRNO - KSVE - KWMC - KRNO. The leg from Susanville, CA to Winnemucca, NV goes right over the Black Rock desert and I had never been to KWMC before. It was 9 degrees (F) on that very cold mid January day which put density altitude below sea level even thought the airport elevation is over 4300'.
 
First solo, first solo x-country, and my first night flight were my favorites. Great memories!
 
Short flights to a nearby grass strip just for fun.
 
First solos away from the airport.
 
Opening the cockpit door and smelling that familiar electronics smell mixed with butt sweat. Same smell from when I flew in Ceznas w/ my pa as a kiddo.
 
From what I can remember that long ago, maneuvers, stalls and steep turns, turns around a point, X-C's and landing on grass.
 
Just being up there. Between all the "required" instruction, follow alongs, demonstrations. It was everything "St. X" said (and I hadn't read him yet). It was everything. Period. Full stop.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
 
Cross country flights. That's when I really felt like a pilot. Solo, too, but even more so when I went somewhere new on my own.
 
kayoh190 said:
First solo, first solo x-country, and my first night flight were my favorites. Great memories!
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Concur with each of these. The night XC was really fun!
 
I agree with all that has been quoted above, One thing to add for me was, long XC and doing a complete flight log by hand, no electronic help, and timing everything along the flight to see how well i did my planning. Very gratifying.
 
40 hour signoff.

"No one ever does it in minimums."

challenge-accepted.jpg
 
Solo. Like so many have said just being up there doin my thang on my own. The one that sticks out looking back on it was the time I did something that was actual flying for a purpose other than training, with a passenger. I was at the airport and the Club manager asks me if I have time to fly him over to SDM. He had to go pick up an airplane there and bring it back. I said yeah, he jumps in the right seat, I dump him off at SDM and fly back to NZY. Let’s have some fun. I got to fly for free. I did not have to pay rental on the plane. Was I ‘compensated’ for flying not only without a Commercial Pilot Certificate, but without even a Private Pilot Certificate?
 
To me, It was the first solo flight and then the first solo cross country.
 
Favourites - First solo, First XC.

Least Favourite - Second leg of my long XC. Crosswinds picked up and I should have either diverted or just executed a better xwind landing. Went around the first time. Second time, crabbed in, but didn't slip enough and ended up landing less than longitudinally, let's say. Didn't damage anything, but ending up on the faaaaaar left side of a 100' runway scared the sh*t out of me. But I learned something - I didn't die and I knew I needed to get better at crosswind landings. Which I immediately had my CFI work with me on in some seriously nasty stuff.
 
I'll say "second solo".

The first was all focus and intensity and exhilaration in the pattern. But for the second, I flew out to the practice area by myself, and it was the first time I had the time to relax a bit. I looked behind me, out the rear windows to see the tail, and had a sudden realization that I was in the middle of the sky by myself. "No strings holding this thing up!"
 
My long solo x-c. My CFI and I went over the marginal weather carefully... It was MVFR at best at the furthest airport, but conditions were improving rapidly. I decided I should launch, have a look, and be spring-loaded to return if necessary. Then, talking to ATC to get flight following, getting "VFR FLIGHT NOT RECOMMENDED". Exercised my PIC authority and continued to a successful conclusion. :)

-Skip
 
I wish I could answer Solo XC - had stiff turbulence during every segment... and at every altitude. I had a really cool dual XC. My favorites have to be grass landings and my night XC where we flew Chicago Skyline tour.

Also - I checkride next week (wx permitting), so I may update my answer.
 
First solo, spins, and falling leaf stalls.
 
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2nd favorite training activity--masochistic department: gusty crosswind landings. (A survival skill at my home base.) Usually follows an instrument approach in real life, for extra fun and entertainment.
 
For PPL, it was the night XC. Winter night in January, cold for Florida (upper 30s at altitude), calm air, beautifully clear and we could see forever. Greased two perfect landings.

For my SPL, it was the solo XC. First time I felt like a real pilot, on my own taking the airplane somewhere else.
 
XC - any of them, solo or not. Practicing RNAV approaches, the emergency decents with my instructor screaming like he was dying, and the shortest landing compitetions.
 
You did RNAV approaches in your private training?
 
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