First Solo, July 20, 2012!

GFLIGHT

GFLIGHT

Filing Flight Plan
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Jan 2, 2012
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GFlight
Friday was the big day, my first solo! I just got down from the high this morning. Thought I would share my experience. We went out early in the morning with just a bit of wind. Three trips around the pattern and my CFI was out. He told me to stay in the pattern as long as I felt comfortable. He called the tower from his phone when he got out to give them a heads up. Told me later, on the ground, that the tower guy said "you're not going to let HIM solo are you?" This controller is a real fun guy! So, my first 2 landings were not my best, I knew I could do better. The third was okay, but I felt something a bit odd happening. I was determined to finish with my fourth landing and I wanted it to be the best. The wind had shifted to a slight tailwind. I got it, and flew a great approach and the landing was my best! I think the tower guy didn't want to mess me up by trying to turn me around in the pattern with the wind change. After I was at the hanger I noticed the active changed from 32 to 14.
Everyone around the hanger was congratulating me, what a nice feeling and that so many people took the time to give me a pat on the back. This is truly a great community. And, I must say that I have enjoyed reading all of your comments on various topics. You folks a truly amazing and a positive influence to us younger and soon to be pilots!
Oh, and by the way, having grown up with the space program and seeing man walk on the moon when I was 13 years old, the coolest thing is my first solo was on July 20th. "One small step for man, one giant leap for me!"
 
Congratulations Gflight, I know just how you are feeling right now. I did my forst solo in April, I had been practicing in the pattern for a couple of hours at KGIF with my CFI. Take off and landings on active runway 29.
After he decided I was ready he hopped out and told me to go do 4 take off and landings.
Just as I was rotating for my first solo take off from 29, I heard on the radio the active was changed to runway 23.....:hairraise:
Well I tried to stay calm, announced my intentions to other traffic and altered my climb out to get into a revised pattern position for 23 instead of 29.
I brought the airplane back in on 23 and then carried on with the rest of my take off and landings without any more changes.

Afterwards chatting with my CFI, I was telling him how I had a little panic when the active changed on my very first solo, he calmly said, yes I noticed....but if you are ready to solo and be PIC, then you should be ready to make decisions... which you did...well done pilot.
 
Nice work sir! You can now claim to have done something that very few people in the world can lay claim to- you took an airplane into the sky by yourself and landed safely! Enjoy the rest of your training and the continued experiences being a pilot will give to you! Congrats
 
GFLIGHT said:
Oh, and by the way, having grown up with the space program and seeing man walk on the moon when I was 13 years old, the coolest thing is my first solo was on July 20th. "One small step for man, one giant leap for me!"
Click to expand...
Congrats GFLIGHT! Yesterday (21st) was the 49th anniversary of my first solo flight. I hope yours stays as vivid in memory as mine has through the years.

On my sixth anniversary, they landed on the moon. How's that, since it was July 20th, a day before my birthday? I was in Southeast Asia across the international dateline--it was on my birthday over there!

dtuuri
 
Congrats! Awesome feeling ain't it :D
 
Congrats, I just had the pleasure of talking to a student pilot over the phone last night, lovely person, that pilot was so close to solo.... any day now we may have another solo thread!

It is pretty awesome, huh.
 
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