Cutting of your shirt tail

[Dean]

A few friends and I were talking the other day about my first solo and one ask what name my instructor gave me when he cut my shirt tail.
I thought this would give everyone a chance to share with us you shirt cutting name and if there is a story that goes with it.

My instructor gave me the name "dippity do" because my first landing was not the best, he said it was more like three landings.

 

[ScottM]

i did not have to endure that dumb ritual of shirt cutting. I got a nice certificate instead.

 

[Rob Schaffer]

My instructor has typically printed out certificates,... but I brought the marker and sissors in my flight bag for a few lessons just waiting for the day, so she cut my shirt-tail while the "regulars" at the airport watched. It was exciting, and she wrote on it, but didn't give me a name. It's been years since she cut shirt-tails she said.

On it, it says my name,.. the date, C152, 9.3 Hrs, and 'Gustin to 20' as it was windy that day, but right down the runway.

 

[Dean]

i did not have to endure that dumb ritual of shirt cutting. I got a nice certificate instead.

Sorry to hear you missed out on a "Grass Roots" tradition that has been done for years, but I am sure your certificate looks good on the wall.

 

[CJones]

No cut shirt and no certificate for me. I got back to the club office and I bought my CFI a Mt. Dew and Grandma's Chocolate Chip cookie, and we sat and shot the breeze for an hour. Good enough for me!

Oops.. I almost forgot: My dad was working on his IR at the same time I was working on my PPC. Apparently, while I was out preflighting the 152, my CFI told my dad and his CFII that he was going to solo me that day. I thought it was weird that they only did a couple of approaches and went back to the office. He was waiting on me when I walked into the office. They had all be huddled around the radio scanner as I was flying.

 

[ScottM]

Sorry to hear you missed out on a "Grass Roots" tradition that has been done for years, but I am sure your certificate looks good on the wall.

I don't care if it is a "Grass roots" tradition (I really don't know what that means anyways). I don't feel as though I missed out on anything. I learned to fly to fly, that have clothing ruined. I never really like any of those types of 'rights of passage' hazings. But if you all liked it, great for you!

I did not even show up for my graduations ceremonies from college either. IMHO I got the diplomas and that is what I was there for, I did not need to dress up.

 

[vontresc]

I was told by my CFI to wear an old shirt the day of my solo, and it probably still hangs in hangar H2 (north east tee hangars) at Oshkosh. Made for good decoration on the hangar walls. I personally didn't mind, as it was kind of a fun way of comemmorating the achievement. I'd be a bit ****ed if someone just cut the sirt off my back without asking though.

 

[Ted]

The day that I had my first solo was apparrently planned. It was a windy day (so was the day before). I knew my first solo was coming soon, but I didn't know when. I had meant to wear a shirt I didn't mind getting cut up.

A bit after lunch time, I was sitting in Missa's cube talking to her. During our discussion she was looking at me in a more odd than usual manner and playing with her scissors, then said "That's an awfully nice shirt to be wearing flying today..." It then clicked, and I was wearing a dress shirt I liked. My instructor and called her shortly before and said "I think I'm going to solo Ted today."

I ran downstairs to the company store (where the woman who runs it happened to be in), and bought an $8 t-shirt. I changed in the car before going flying that day.

After our warm-up sessions around the pattern, we came in for a full stop. Missa was waiting at the hangar complete with camera, markers, and scissors. First we had to deal with the paperwork issue, and then I went up for my three times. I actually did four.

When I landed, my instructor cut the back off of my shirt (which ended up being about the whole back, see the picture for it to make sense). All I got was "Way to go Ted", and Missa drew the airplane on it.

Dumb tradition? Sure. But to me, that memento is worth the $8 spent. Now it's hanging in my office. The picture below is of it "hanging" off the wall in the flying club building.

 

[t0r0nad0]

I purposely wore a crappy shirt just for that purpose. It was the first (and probably only - none of his other students requested it) that my CFI had ever cut, but I made him do the old tradition anyway. I ironed on a picture of me and the airplane on the top half, and the bottom half says "First Solo!" C-172-N N1629E, 6-22-2007 and it has my CFI's signature on it. It is now framed and hangs on the wall in my game room.

 

[Everskyward]

After my first solo my instructor said that he didn't like to ruin people's clothing by cutting off their shirttail. I had never heard of such a thing so he explained that it was a tradition. If he told me the background, I have forgotten. Anyone want to explain?

 

[GMascelli]

No cut shirt tail for me......

I got a handshake from my CFI and the owner of the school who also commented that at least it looks like it can fly again.

After that we hung out and BS'ed over a few cold bottles of water and I had to help the DE jump start his plane.

My Bride took me out to a nice restaurant and handed me a box with a crystal Cessna as a token of the occasion that sits here on my desk.

 

[t0r0nad0]

Anyone want to explain?

Be glad to...

Back before there were intercoms and side-by-side trainers, the instructor would sit in the back seat and the student in the front. If the instructor needed to get the student's attention, they would reach up and tug on the student's shirttail, since they couldn't hear each other. The idea is that once a student solos, the instructor no longer needs to tug on their shirttail, so they started cutting them off.

 

[ScottM]

Be glad to...

Back before there were intercoms and side-by-side trainers, the instructor would sit in the back seat and the student in the front. If the instructor needed to get the student's attention, they would reach up and tug on the student's shirttail, since they couldn't hear each other. The idea is that once a student solos, the instructor no longer needs to tug on their shirttail, so they started cutting them off.

Apocryphal story. You are not the first to repeat it. But ever see how much of a person was sticking out of those old planes? It was head and maybe a little shoulder. There was no way to get to a shirt tail.

Here is another theory on it
http://www.rollanet.org/~mopilots/stlouis/oct99nws.htm

and another

There has been a long tradition in aviation related to cutting off the shirt tails of newly soloed student pilots. One story has it that the practice began because of the student need to clean his goggles. Pilots had scarves to use in keeping their goggles clean but the student had to use a shirt tail. The cutting of the shirt tail was giving the student the symbolic scarf of a pilot.

I don't think we will ever really know where it came from

 

[Dan Thomas]

A few friends and I were talking the other day about my first solo and one ask what name my instructor gave me when he cut my shirt tail.
I thought this would give everyone a chance to share with us you shirt cutting name and if there is a story that goes with it.

My instructor gave me the name "dippity do" because my first landing was not the best, he said it was more like three landings.

When I came in from my first solo in 1973, a couple of the instructors came after me with a big pair of scissors. I didn't know about the shirt-tail thing, and thought they were after my big mop of red hair. I had a LOT of it in those days, and it was beautiful, thick, wavy, shoulder-length hair. I fought like a tiger and they didn't get the shirt tail, and after I understood what it was all about I offered the shirt but they were too pooped (and maybe a little peeved) to chop it.
I work in a flight school, and a couple of years ago one of us suggested dousing a particularly humorous student after his first solo. We did that, and it's been a tradition here ever since. The students do it to each other, even when the weather's really cold. Bucketfuls of water and super-soakers. They come with extra clothes, most of them, if they know it's coming.
The hair? Mostly gone,. and what's left is grey. Wouldn't miss it much now. I grow more on my top lip, and out my ears and nose.

Dan
________
SL175

 

[rottydaddy]

I didn't get my shirt cut; I was a little disappointed.
I was ready- I always wore crappy old T-shirts back then!!

 

[Bob Noel]

No story. My CFI told me about it, but I was always wearing t-shirts anyway.
After the solo, she cut off the t-shirt and used magic markers to draw the
airport, N number, date, etc etc on it. That t-shirt is one of my prized
possesions.

btw - my CFI said that the airport at ERAU tended to be more popular
when it was known certain young woman were going to solo...

 

[markb5900]

No cut shirt for me either.
Other than the guy in the tower, my CFI and I were the only two at the airport that day.
She had been trying to solo me for two weeks. Got a phone call that the ceiling was up enough and to meet her as soon as I could at the airport. We did a couple of T&G's, told me to taxi back to the ramp, jumped out.
Very memorable day!

Mark B

 

[Gmaper]

Shirt tail? No way. I was the airport pest from the age of 11 and after it became clear that I could not be run off I gradually began to do various tasks like mowing the 40 acres of airport. In exchange for that I was taught to fly. I soloed on my 16th birthday. I didn't even know that my Mom knew that I was going to do that but she was there when I taxied back in. The airport was a grass strip that was 2600' and on the other side of the airport there was a drainage canal. My Mom said "give me your wallet" and being the obedient son I did as I was told. Next thing I know a bunch of guys grabbed me and carried me across the field and tossed me into the canal.

 

[MikeELP]

I don't care if it is a "Grass roots" tradition (I really don't know what that means anyways). I don't feel as though I missed out on anything. I learned to fly to fly, that have clothing ruined. I never really like any of those types of 'rights of passage' hazings. But if you all liked it, great for you!

I did not even show up for my graduations ceremonies from college either. IMHO I got the diplomas and that is what I was there for, I did not need to dress up.

Golly gee, Scott...you sound like a real fun guy! Are you an undertaker by vocation? Lighten up!

Our students all look forward to the ritual shirt tail cut...which the FBO owner then frames along with pix of the event!!

Mike

 

[jesse]

I don't care if it is a "Grass roots" tradition (I really don't know what that means anyways). I don't feel as though I missed out on anything. I learned to fly to fly, that have clothing ruined. I never really like any of those types of 'rights of passage' hazings. But if you all liked it, great for you!

I did not even show up for my graduations ceremonies from college either. IMHO I got the diplomas and that is what I was there for, I did not need to dress up.

I'm with Scott on this. I don't care for the ritual either--or anything that is similar. Luckily, my instructor wasn't into that crap either and I made it through with a photograph after the solo.

 

[ScottM]

Golly gee, Scott...you sound like a real fun guy! Are you an undertaker by vocation? Lighten up!

Our students all look forward to the ritual shirt tail cut...which the FBO owner then frames along with pix of the event!!

Mike

I am a fun guy. I just don't like it. Why do I have to like what everyone else likes?

 

[One Short]

I had my shirttail cut. My CFI put on a surgical mask and gloves and called sharply for "scissors", then operated on my shirt.(I'm a surgeon)
I didn't get a spiffy name that day, but throughout my training, my CFI kept saying I must be Chinese and my name was Whan Wing Lo because my wings never seemed to be level.

Barb

 

[SCCutler]

I didn't get a spiffy name that day, but throughout my training, my CFI kept saying I must be Chinese and my name was Whan Wing Lo because my wings never seemed to be level.

Barb

Dat's a hoot.

---

I had no ritual of any kind- my instructor was strictly business, but he was very good to me in the process. He's in IOE at Delta now...

 

[Diana]

Our students all look forward to the ritual shirt tail cut...which the FBO owner then frames along with pix of the event!!

It's still a ritual around here and the students love it! At the little building at our local airport the walls are covered with shirt tails...most of them cut off by my husband. He still does it today.

When I soloed (as an adult) the local ritual also involved having the female student give her male instructor a garter that she wore while soloing. There are a few garters hanging up on the walls, as well. Don't know how that ritual got started.

 

[dmccormack]

No shirt tail cutting for me, and I don't plan on doing it unless the students wants/expects it.

I've seen FBOs with the shirt tails hanging and thought is was a neat memento, but the best I've seen is a solo board at 29D (Grove City, PA).

The name and date of every solo is listed on a plaque.

They start in the 1940s.

 

[gprellwitz]

We do a combination of the shirttail and dousing the student with water, though it seems to have tapered off in recent years. I knew the water was coming. I'm afraid that I took the fun out of it for them by just standing there! I figured I'd get less wet that way!

 

[Maxmosbey]

My instructor cut off my shirt tail after I soloed and tacked it to the wall in the office. That was in 1966. I was flying out of a grass field and there really wasn't a terminal, just sort of a shack that they used for an office, and a half dozen "T" hangers. It was a big deal back then to get your shirt tail cut off. There were shirt tails tacked to the wall that went clear back to the 40s. When I came back from the navy, I went by the airport and found that the shack had been torn down, and the runways were plowed under and planted to corn. I sort of wish that I could have found that shirt tail and kept it. Where I work now, they do not cut the shirt tails off. They're afraid that it will offend people. Such is life in the modern age. I thought that it was fun, but I'm willing to change with the times.

 

[BartY]

We do a combination of the shirttail and dousing the student with water, though it seems to have tapered off in recent years. I knew the water was coming. I'm afraid that I took the fun out of it for them by just standing there! I figured I'd get less wet that way!

I too got doused with water walking back into the building the flight school was in. I probably would have gotten my shirt tail cut off too, but I was wearing a polo shirt that day, because as with most days I went flying during the week, I went there straight from work.

I kinda wish I had worn a t-shirt that day, just so I'd have the memento.