Another new guy. I mean REALLY new

markstanco

markstanco

Pre-Flight
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Messages
70
Location
Texas
Display Name
Display name:
Mark
Hello all.... Mainly just a post to get a run on the board to make it official.

41 years old, and I have wanted to fly for probably the last 20 years since I took the wheel on a 182 that belonged to a friend.

Anyhow, I just took and passed my Medical and meet with my CFI on Friday at the local hangar. (Ya'lls acronyms are killing me, but at least I figured what a CFI was).

Not going much farther than single engine day, maybe instrument. Who knows. I probably said that wrong so laugh at me.

Question number one which has likely been answered a lot:

How long until my solo?

What? Loaded question???? :) 2 kids, wife, dogs, USA. I could easily give up half a day on Saturdays and even sneak away from work during the week at 2 or 3 once a week. I consider myself a fast learner and a very technically oriented personality.

What works in my favor is the CFI works for an Aviation company at the airport so he is always there.

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Congrats. My solo took 27 hrs but that's a little long IMO. I ended up going instrument, but getting the ppl was a huge milestone for me. Btw I was 39 when I started.
 
Welcome, Mark. You can probably solo in 8-10 hours, to answer your question. Good luck and have fun!
 
markstanco said:
Hello all.... Mainly just a post to get a run on the board to make it official.

41 years old, and I have wanted to fly for probably the last 20 years since I took the wheel on a 182 that belonged to a friend.

Anyhow, I just took and passed my Medical and meet with my CFI on Friday at the local hangar. (Ya'lls acronyms are killing me, but at least I figured what a CFI was).

Not going much farther than single engine day, maybe instrument. Who knows. I probably said that wrong so laugh at me.

Question number one which has likely been answered a lot:

How long until my solo?

What? Loaded question???? :) 2 kids, wife, dogs, USA. I could easily give up half a day on Saturdays and even sneak away from work during the week at 2 or 3 once a week. I consider myself a fast learner and a very technically oriented personality.

What works in my favor is the CFI works for an Aviation company at the airport so he is always there.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...

Well, for normal PPL training, and assuming your CFI is going by the FAA standards, an SPL..... :D

When to solo depends on a lot of things. I hate throwing numbers at people lest they feel inadequate or "slow" because they went beyond that number. THough I'd say 15 hours or so if the weather cooperates. You may be "ready" to solo but mother nature might not be, your CFI might go through a little more than the next guy etc....
 
Time to solo varies with so many factors that any specific number thrown at you has no value. It takes as long as it takes. The important thing to remember is to fly as often as is possible especially early in your training. There is a lot to learn how to do and repetition is the best teacher. Choose your instructor carefully. Make sure your styles mesh. Good Luck.
 
Welcome to POA and welcome to aviation,and congrats for chasing the dream.
 
Don't count hours (except for noting when you have met whatever minimums are required for the rating), and definitely do not keep track of the money spent (unless you are independently wealthy). That will only produce anxiety you don't need while you are training. ;)

Keep track of smiles, laughs, life lessons, and all the cool new friends you will make as a pilot. :)
Also remember that the learning does not stop when you solo, or when you pass your checkride, or after you have 1000 hours. If you are really serious about flying, the learning never ends.
 
Welcome. I'm new also. I've seen people do their solo in 8-10. Most 15-20. All depends on how you apply yourself and how fast you pick up on everything. Yeah, the acronyms are a PITA but the more you're around them, the faster you'll understand them all. I'm doing my CFI and it's ridiculous the acronyms needed to know in the AIH for FOI test. Way more than I ever needed for any other rating. Good luck and have fun.
 
rottydaddy said:
Don't count hours (except for noting when you have met whatever minimums are required for the rating), and definitely do not keep track of the money spent (unless you are independently wealthy). That will only produce anxiety you don't need while you are training. ;)

Keep track of smiles, laughs, life lessons, and all the cool new friends you will make as a pilot. :)
Also remember that the learning does not stop when you solo, or when you pass your checkride, or after you have 1000 hours. If you are really serious about flying, the learning never ends.
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Well said.

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Welcome. What part of Texas will you be training in?
 
Welcome enjoy the learning experience and don't worry about the hours,everyone is different and so are the CFIs .Ask around to make sure you have a good instructor with a good pass record.
 
You will solo somewhere between 2:05 and 200 hours unless you set a new POA record on one end or the other.

;)


The objective is to go flying. Instruction is flying - enjoy the journey and don't worry about when you get to the destination.
 
Geoffrey is right.

It's not at all satisfying for an answer, but you'll solo when you can predictably and safely fly a complete pattern.

It's also really, really hard to guess how good you are at it before you try it. I think most of us considered ourselves fast learners when we started, otherwise we wouldn't have started. It's just not like learning anything else, so you really can't know. I think the closest analogy I've run across is learning to play a musical instrument (as it requires precision, muscle memory, and tuning sensations), but for those, solo practice time is cheap and generally safe. It's also not that close an analogy.

So, hope for the best, plan for the worst, and don't worry too much if it takes you 40 hours or more to solo instead of 10. It's not that uncommon, especially for us older folks. FYI, a very rough rule of thumb is to double your age in years to get total hours to checkride. But it's real rough, and I wouldn't suggest placing any bets on it. And aside from some organ comparison (and I suspect more than a few fish stories), no one cares what your time to solo was.

As Geoffrey says, enjoy the ride rather than counting down milestones, and you'll have a much better time.

Two lessons a week is a sort-of minimum. You'll be forgetting things between lessons, but it's little enough that you can make progress. One lesson per week really isn't enough.

Good luck. It's a lot of fun.
 
MAKG1 said:
Two lessons a week is a sort-of minimum. You'll be forgetting things between lessons, but it's little enough that you can make progress. One lesson per week really isn't enough.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

If you want to get it done in a reasonable period of time and for reasonable $$, fly as often as you can (and can afford). And don't worry about the hours -- you know what they call the guy who took 80 hours to solo, 200 to get his ticket, right?
 
Flying is fun. Enjoy all of it, whether dual or solo. Hours build experience so don't worry about how many it takes to solo. In the end, it really doesn't matter. It will be well before your check ride!

EnjoyM
 
Schedule 2-3 lessons a week to stay on track. You'll solo when you solo. Focus on the check ride and getting your ticket. The only significance your first solo has is that someone has entrusted you to take-off and land in a very limited circumstance. Once you pass the check ride, the real responsibility begins.

You'll hear often in the aviation world that the Private Pilot certificate is a license to learn. It's true. That learning starts now...it's a continuous process so enjoy the ride....
 
rottydaddy said:
Don't count hours (except for noting when you have met whatever minimums are required for the rating), and definitely do not keep track of the money spent (unless you are independently wealthy). That will only produce anxiety you don't need while you are training. ;)

Keep track of smiles, laughs, life lessons, and all the cool new friends you will make as a pilot. :)
Also remember that the learning does not stop when you solo, or when you pass your checkride, or after you have 1000 hours. If you are really serious about flying, the learning never ends.
Click to expand...


That might be the smartest thing anyone ever posted.:yes:

Fly as often as you can and feel comfortable, don't feel pressure that you have to do XXX amount of hours a week.

I know guys that flew everyday, where physically ready in month, but couldn't pass the written or oral tests because they didn't have time to learn all the material.
Its a balancing act.

Solo when your instructor say's you are safe and you feel ready.

I had an instructor tell me " all my students solo in less than 10 hr". I said how many of them where ready ? . He didn't answer and I went with a different school

Good luck, set your own goals, and don't feel pressure
 
Welcome to POA. Have fun...if you pick it up somewhat quickly you will be solo in no time! :)
 
As others have said, there is no advanced answer to when you will solo. What isn't obvious though is that while your first solo is a great milestone, it's not at a fixed point between the start and end of your training. That is, after you solo you could still have a lot of training ahead of you, or you could have only a little.
 
Welcome! I took a 40 year break in flying, so I'm a bit of a "newbie" at 58.

My advise: don't push it. I solo'ed at 17 years old with 8 hours. I think that as a bit "aggressive" on the part of my instructor. It's more important to get it right than to do it early. We all learn different aspects of flying at different rates. More hours does not necessarily equate to a less competent pilot. Those extra hours might actually result in a stellar pilot in the long run!

Enjoy, and welcome to this incredible hobby!
 
Thanks guys. I am sure I will have some questions as I go along.

And to answer a previous post, I am in Texarkana. Signing up for the local flying club on Monday. They have a lot of nice planes, and I think my favorite....they have an old Cub! Of course it is yellow, and I cant wait to take it out!!!

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markstanco said:
Thanks guys. I am sure I will have some questions as I go along.

And to answer a previous post, I am in Texarkana. Signing up for the local flying club on Monday. They have a lot of nice planes, and I think my favorite....they have an old Cub! Of course it is yellow, and I cant wait to take it out!!!
Click to expand...

It's easy to start out in a Cub and transition to a nosedragger later. It appears to be difficult to start out with a nosewheel and transition to a tailwheel. But the club may or may not allow primary training in the Cub.
 
markstanco said:
How long until my solo?
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter. Focus on the requirements for the Private rating.

Solo is cool, and your instructor will cut you loose to do it on both a day in which the weather and conditions are safe enough for a low-time pilot to handle them, and after you've demonstrated the ability to take off, fly the pattern and land safely in those conditions.

But there's no hurry to solo. It gets overblown as a goal. It's a good confidence builder and stepping stone to bigger challenges prior to your Private checkride, but remember...

A Private license is the bare minim standard to carry yourself and passengers aloft safely. As much of the learning is about knowing when NOT to fly as it is in knowing how to fly.

Many people call every rating they earn, another "license to learn". And that's not such a bad way of looking at aviation.

So... How long to solo? There's national averages, instructor averages, and all sorts of answers to that. Best to not worry about it and just go fly.

The instructor will hop out one day and send you blasting around the pattern by yourself, and if they and you do your jobs that day, it'll be a moment you won't soon forget as well as a but of a non- event, training-wise. You'll already know and have demonstrated many times over the techniques and knowledge necessary.

And now you'll also know why a wise old instructor will smirk and not answer when you ask them this same question. ;) And say... "When you're ready."
 
I am doing 141 training, on stage 2 (solo), still have a bit of pattern work to do and more importantly get comfy with landing. Once that is done I think I will be doing my first solo. I am about 8 hours in already...will probably be closer to 15 before I do a solo run.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
It's easy to start out in a Cub and transition to a nosedragger later. It appears to be difficult to start out with a nosewheel and transition to a tailwheel. But the club may or may not allow primary training in the Cub.
Click to expand...

Maybe I said that wrong.

Zero training in the cub. My point was I am looking forward to using it.

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Last edited:
I keep seeing this 12-20 hours till solo.

My guy says 45+55 hours. Really??????

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That many hours is a big warning flag.

Unless he meant to completion? 40 hours is the minimum per Part 61, but most complete around the 55hr mark +/- 5hrs.
 
Thanks Mike. I may be way off.

Do you think if I gave my instructor a Johnny manziel autograph he would shave some hours off? ;)

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Dunno...

But for my birthday in November 2010 I said I wanted Howard Hurlbut's autograph and got it.

Bonus for me, that was the DPE I used for my checkride :D :yes:

My favorite saying of his, "I'm not here to give you any instruction... but I likely will share some old pilot wisdom from time to time." :D
 
I've got almost exactly 10 hours and am not close to ready to solo. Weather has been so bad here in SC that when it isn't raining and I can actually get up in the air the wind at the airport is gusty and or almost directly across the runway. So I've been partly involved in only 3 landings so far. Hopefully tomorrow weather will be where we can do some pattern work and landings. I did have a really good couple of takeoffs including a couple of crosswind takeoffs.

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AggieMike88 said:
That many hours is a big warning flag.

Unless he meant to completion? 40 hours is the minimum per Part 61, but most complete around the 55hr mark +/- 5hrs.
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I emailed him this morning about this. He said 10-15. Class time, FAA flight, etc would come out to about 45-50 hours at most.

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I received my Cessna / King class today, this is the one they like. I like the course so far being it is online and I can go at my own pace.

The only issue is their website is 4+ years old. It is an Adobe Flash website and tablets (Android and Ipad) dont play well with Flash. I had to find a 3rd party browser to get it to work. The browser is Puffin Browser for those who want to use Flash sites.

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Photon Browser does Flash on ipads just a bit better than Puffin.

When I use the King School content, Puffin would frequently stall and crash. No issues like tht at all with Photon.
 
Thanks Mike..

Funny, I just answered a question wrong FOUR times because of the browser. Will DL the new one.

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markstanco said:
I emailed him this morning about this. He said 10-15. Class time, FAA flight, etc would come out to about 45-50 hours at most.

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Kind of irresponsible for him to say that. He might be right in that estimation, however it could go many hours longer too; not only is every student different, but every student-cfi relationship works out differently as well. The important point is to know that even if you hit 60 or more hours, you should not be discouraged because a long time ago someone told you 50 at most. It will take as long as it takes.

Just know that the more frequently you fly, the quicker it's likely to go. This sounds like it should be an obvious statement but it's not... I don't mean quicker in real time, I mean in flight hours. For example, if you fly once a week you might need, say, 50 hours, but if you fly three times a week you'll probably need fewer (due to less time to lose proficiency).
 
Im not worried about that statement from him, he is a safety first kind of guy. The club has started a new direction with student learning. I took it as more of small talk from him getting to know me. I am a 'technical' type of personality who pays attention to detail and he has figured that out in me I am guessing.

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Update:

About 60-70 hours of looking at a computer monitor (King school online course) and just under 10 hours yoke time. Ive done stalls, maybe 25 TOs and landings, simulated lost engine at 1500 and 3000 feet near and away from airports, etc.

So the next time up we are likely going to do some night flight, weather permitting. CFI says I am ahead of my actual logbook hours by a good bit. Last few trips he hasnt touched the pedals or yoke once except when he was showing me a slip coming in for landing (purposely high on final to do the maneuver)

Good times! I like our slow C152, but the club just bought a new (well, 08 with 110 hours) Remos so I am jacked to fly it. We should have had it by now, but the govt shutdown stalled the title process until this coming Friday.

I'll post back later....

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A warning about the Remos...

You're going to get addicted to it's climb rate and won't want to return to the C152.

Congrats on your progress... keep it up!!
 
... and the cabin width! I also started (solo'd) in a C152, but don't feel like I really "learned to fly" until the LSA (in my case a CT). You'll feel like you're in a sports car.
 
AggieMike88 said:
A warning about the Remos...

You're going to get addicted to it's climb rate and won't want to return to the C152.

Congrats on your progress... keep it up!!
Click to expand...

One of our CFIs that helped on the decision on the Remos said the same thing. He said he took off in one a few years ago in FL and he was at 1000 feet before he cleared the runway.

Sadly, being a new plane for the club, it is going to be BOOKED SOLID for a few months until the new wears off.

So, I may still be in the C152 at times.

Oh, and it is fully loaded from Remos, with a second set of seats the previous owner had custom made. Cant wait.

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