I've always loved reading first solo stories, so now that I have one of my own I thought I would share it.
I got to KBFI this morning at about 7:30. It was 30 minutes before my scheduled lesson, but I didn't want to deal with fuel delays or anything else getting in the way. The sky was clear, winds calm, no one in the pattern. Pretty much an ideal morning. I met with my instructor, he took my log book to sign the training and knowledge endorsements and I went out to preflight. Thankfully we had fuel and oil and everything looked good to go.
We went up, did two touch and goes and one full stop before taxiing back to the ramp. The air was super smooth and I was feeling pretty good about my landings. This was a good confidence builder since the day before we were working on short and soft field landings which, i'm sad to say, weren't pretty at all.
I was feeling pretty nervous at this point, or maybe excited with anticipation, I'm not sure which. I shut down the plane and my instructor signed my 90 day solo endorsement. I was now legal, and the reality of the situation was fully hitting me. I honestly thought for a second, am I really going to do this? Last chance to back out.... nope, fully committed. At this point the nervousness drained away. I turned the plane around, my instructor went inside, and I got in that 172 alone for the first time.
I start running through my pre-start checklist and it all seemed oddly normal. I was well aware of the big empty space next to me that my instructor usually occupied, but otherwise it was business as usual.
Business as usual that is until the darn plane wouldn't start. Four or five times I tried, but the thing just wouldn't fire. I sent a text message to my instructor, who came out and taught me about a "hot start". An interesting lesson I wish I had learned before trying to complete my first solo. Not being able to even get the plane started is not a great confidence booster for a first time solo student.
So, with the prop finally spinning and applicable checklists complete, I made my first solo radio call. That first radio call to ground with no one else in the plane is its self an interesting experience. It served to further solidify the reality of the situation. I was cleared to taxi to 32R and off I went.
Little differences started appearing right away, like how much more convenient it is to put my checklist on the right seat now that no one is sitting there, or how I don't need to look around someone to see out the right side of the plane. What I found kind of comical was the way tower talked to me like they were trying to back a jumper off a ledge after I announced that I was a student pilot on my first solo. Honestly, those guys were great and really helped make this a great experience for me.
So, run up complete, cleared for takeoff, one last flow check to make sure everything is good to go, and I take the runway. I get lined up, apply full power, and everything is in the green. From reading other 1st solo stories I was prepared for a greater rate of climb. What I didn't really anticipate was having to fight to keep the thing on the ground long enough to reach Vr. Less the weight of my instructor, it REALLY wanted to fly.
There was another brief moment of doubt as I sped down the runway, but after rotation all that faded away. I was airborne, and there was just no option but to fly the way I've been trained and get the job done. I climbed out per usual, turned crosswind and leveled out, then downwind. I allowed myself a brief moment to look around at the perfectly clear day and revel in the fact that I was flying, all by myself, in the beautiful pacific northwest. There is simply nothing that matches that feeling.
Parts of KBFI sit under a low 1100' bravo shelf, so you have to be pretty serious about maintaining proper pattern altitude. I noticed that the plane was a bit more eager to keep climbing than normal and I think I came quite close to that shelf on my first lap. Otherwise, i flew a perfectly normal pattern, turned final right on the papi, and had (what I convinced myself at least) my best landing of the day.
I was instructed to do full stops, so I exited the runway, switched to ground, and taxied back to 32R. Other than having to wait in a bit of a line for takeoff, lap 2 was pretty uneventful. A perfectly normal pattern on a perfectly smooth day.
Lap 3 was slightly more interesting. At this point there were at least 4 other planes in the pattern, and I think I had to wait for all of them to touch and go before I got my clearance. Clearance came right after a 152 had departed, which was staying in the pattern. The 152 flew a slow, low, and tight pattern, and I was concerned about overrunning them. I tried to slow down to give them some space, and ultimately ended up extending my downwind slightly. Other than that, lap 3 was again perfectly normal.
So, with three landings to a full stop complete, I switch to ground and get my clearance to taxi back to home base. On the way, the tower guys took the opportunity to be the first to congratulate me on my first solo.
As I approached our parking area, I really expected to see my instructor there to greet me, or show me where to park. It occurred to me that my first solo flight also meant my first solo parking... No problem. I found a spot, shut down and put my feet back on the ground after having briefly eluded gravity on my own for the first time.
Other than my own excitement, it all ended rather anticlimactically. I kept waiting for my instructor to come out and talk to me, but he never did. After getting the plane secured I checked my phone to discover he had a family emergency and had to leave. So, slightly more solo than I thought I guess.
And that was that. First solo complete in a totally normal way. Minimal drama, perfect weather, and an incredible sense of accomplishment. I think I'm even more in love with aviation now than I was before, if thats possible. I'm really looking forward to cross country flying, and hopefully I'll get my ticket in time to make the most out of the good flying weather this summer. I just need to sort out those shorts and softs
I got to KBFI this morning at about 7:30. It was 30 minutes before my scheduled lesson, but I didn't want to deal with fuel delays or anything else getting in the way. The sky was clear, winds calm, no one in the pattern. Pretty much an ideal morning. I met with my instructor, he took my log book to sign the training and knowledge endorsements and I went out to preflight. Thankfully we had fuel and oil and everything looked good to go.
We went up, did two touch and goes and one full stop before taxiing back to the ramp. The air was super smooth and I was feeling pretty good about my landings. This was a good confidence builder since the day before we were working on short and soft field landings which, i'm sad to say, weren't pretty at all.
I was feeling pretty nervous at this point, or maybe excited with anticipation, I'm not sure which. I shut down the plane and my instructor signed my 90 day solo endorsement. I was now legal, and the reality of the situation was fully hitting me. I honestly thought for a second, am I really going to do this? Last chance to back out.... nope, fully committed. At this point the nervousness drained away. I turned the plane around, my instructor went inside, and I got in that 172 alone for the first time.
I start running through my pre-start checklist and it all seemed oddly normal. I was well aware of the big empty space next to me that my instructor usually occupied, but otherwise it was business as usual.
Business as usual that is until the darn plane wouldn't start. Four or five times I tried, but the thing just wouldn't fire. I sent a text message to my instructor, who came out and taught me about a "hot start". An interesting lesson I wish I had learned before trying to complete my first solo. Not being able to even get the plane started is not a great confidence booster for a first time solo student.
So, with the prop finally spinning and applicable checklists complete, I made my first solo radio call. That first radio call to ground with no one else in the plane is its self an interesting experience. It served to further solidify the reality of the situation. I was cleared to taxi to 32R and off I went.
Little differences started appearing right away, like how much more convenient it is to put my checklist on the right seat now that no one is sitting there, or how I don't need to look around someone to see out the right side of the plane. What I found kind of comical was the way tower talked to me like they were trying to back a jumper off a ledge after I announced that I was a student pilot on my first solo. Honestly, those guys were great and really helped make this a great experience for me.
So, run up complete, cleared for takeoff, one last flow check to make sure everything is good to go, and I take the runway. I get lined up, apply full power, and everything is in the green. From reading other 1st solo stories I was prepared for a greater rate of climb. What I didn't really anticipate was having to fight to keep the thing on the ground long enough to reach Vr. Less the weight of my instructor, it REALLY wanted to fly.
There was another brief moment of doubt as I sped down the runway, but after rotation all that faded away. I was airborne, and there was just no option but to fly the way I've been trained and get the job done. I climbed out per usual, turned crosswind and leveled out, then downwind. I allowed myself a brief moment to look around at the perfectly clear day and revel in the fact that I was flying, all by myself, in the beautiful pacific northwest. There is simply nothing that matches that feeling.
Parts of KBFI sit under a low 1100' bravo shelf, so you have to be pretty serious about maintaining proper pattern altitude. I noticed that the plane was a bit more eager to keep climbing than normal and I think I came quite close to that shelf on my first lap. Otherwise, i flew a perfectly normal pattern, turned final right on the papi, and had (what I convinced myself at least) my best landing of the day.
I was instructed to do full stops, so I exited the runway, switched to ground, and taxied back to 32R. Other than having to wait in a bit of a line for takeoff, lap 2 was pretty uneventful. A perfectly normal pattern on a perfectly smooth day.
Lap 3 was slightly more interesting. At this point there were at least 4 other planes in the pattern, and I think I had to wait for all of them to touch and go before I got my clearance. Clearance came right after a 152 had departed, which was staying in the pattern. The 152 flew a slow, low, and tight pattern, and I was concerned about overrunning them. I tried to slow down to give them some space, and ultimately ended up extending my downwind slightly. Other than that, lap 3 was again perfectly normal.
So, with three landings to a full stop complete, I switch to ground and get my clearance to taxi back to home base. On the way, the tower guys took the opportunity to be the first to congratulate me on my first solo.
As I approached our parking area, I really expected to see my instructor there to greet me, or show me where to park. It occurred to me that my first solo flight also meant my first solo parking... No problem. I found a spot, shut down and put my feet back on the ground after having briefly eluded gravity on my own for the first time.
Other than my own excitement, it all ended rather anticlimactically. I kept waiting for my instructor to come out and talk to me, but he never did. After getting the plane secured I checked my phone to discover he had a family emergency and had to leave. So, slightly more solo than I thought I guess.
And that was that. First solo complete in a totally normal way. Minimal drama, perfect weather, and an incredible sense of accomplishment. I think I'm even more in love with aviation now than I was before, if thats possible. I'm really looking forward to cross country flying, and hopefully I'll get my ticket in time to make the most out of the good flying weather this summer. I just need to sort out those shorts and softs
