First Solo

Jeanie

Jeanie

Pattern Altitude
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Dec 15, 2008
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Alpine, TX
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Display name:
Jeanie
Well, as a new CFI I am about to send off for a first solo my first solo student. Possibly tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to it from this side of the experience... exciting and a little nerve wracking too. :yikes:

I told him that he'll need to figure out which shirt he wants to sacrifice to tradition and he said that he already has it out and ready. So tonight I'm looking for my good sewing scissors so I can cut it easily!
 
Congratulations Jeanie!!! You've taken someone who probably didn't even know how to close the door on the plane and trained him to actually fly it!!!

Just be sure to pick a pair of scissors with a blunt tip so you don't stab him in the back!:hairraise:
 
MN_Flyer said:
Congratulations Jeanie!!! You've taken someone who probably didn't even know how to close the door on the plane and trained him to actually fly it!!!

Just be sure to pick a pair of scissors with a blunt tip so you don't stab him in the back!:hairraise:
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~~~~~~~~~ Oh, hadn't thought of that! I'll have to be very careful... a new learning curve - how to cut a shirt off a student without causing injury..... maybe he can take it off and we can cut it on a table? Nah, that's no fun
 
Cool, Jeanie! Congrats to both of you. What type of plane is the student soloing?
 
It's a Cessna 152 - tonight we flew w/ 7200 foot density altitude :) but the wind was only 11
 
Way to go, Jeanie. This seems to me (not a CFI) to be a pretty awesome responsibility.
 
somorris said:
Way to go, Jeanie. This seems to me (not a CFI) to be a pretty awesome responsibility.
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~~~~~~~~~~~Yeah, sometimes I think about it and it's a bit staggering. But, I can't imagine not doing it .... yet.

I'm getting better at not flinching :)
 
Congratulations! I hope to have that day some time in my future.

I think PinkinShears(sp?) would be best.

Doc
 
MBDiagMan said:
Congratulations! I hope to have that day some time in my future.

I think PinkinShears(sp?) would be best.

~~~~~ pinking shears but pinkin is how it's pronounced here in TX.
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This is so awesome. My CFI didn't even cut my shirt. Are you going to watch and be on the radios too?
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
This is so awesome. My CFI didn't even cut my shirt. Are you going to watch and be on the radios too?
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~~~~~~~~~~ absolutely. If it's this evening when I think it will be there will be no one else around except the buzzards and maybe the UPS pilot that leaves at 6. I called a friend to ask if he'd come out to take pictures.
 
If you haven't already thought of it, run to the office supply store and get some fancy certificate paper, a gold seal, and a bit of ribbon.

Then hop on your word processor of choice and make up a nice fancy "Be it known to all comers that on September 7, 2011, _______ slipped the bounds of this earth, defied gravity and all known odds, and successfully completed his first solo flight..." certificate.

I got one made up by the tower crew at KAFW. Have plans to get it framed along with my shirt tail.
 
AggieMike88 said:
If you haven't already thought of it, run to the office supply store and get some fancy certificate paper, a gold seal, and a bit of ribbon.

Then hop on your word processor of choice and make up a nice fancy "Be it known to all comers that on September 7, 2011, _______ slipped the bounds of this earth, defied gravity and all known odds, and successfully completed his first solo flight..." certificate.

I got one made up by the tower crew at KAFW. Have plans to get it framed along with my shirt tail.
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I got a similar thing from my DPE. A really nice gesture. I think your student will love it.
 
Jeanie said:
MBDiagMan said:
Congratulations! I hope to have that day some time in my future.

I think PinkinShears(sp?) would be best.

~~~~~ pinking shears but pinkin is how it's pronounced here in TX.
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Okay, since I'm a fourth generation Texan I guess I get a pass on it then. My Grandma called 'em pinkin shears, but I never saw it written.

I had a cousin who kept after me all during high school wanting me to go to Sul Ross. It wouldn't have been a bad choice, but it sure is way out there from East Texas.

Doc
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AggieMike88 said:
If you haven't already thought of it, run to the office supply store and get some fancy certificate paper, a gold seal, and a bit of ribbon.

Then hop on your word processor of choice and make up a nice fancy "Be it known to all comers that on September 7, 2011, _______ slipped the bounds of this earth, defied gravity and all known odds, and successfully completed his first solo flight..." certificate.

I got one made up by the tower crew at KAFW. Have plans to get it framed along with my shirt tail.
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wow that sounds nice. I got nothing.
 
MBDiagMan said:
Jeanie said:
Okay, since I'm a fourth generation Texan I guess I get a pass on it then. My Grandma called 'em pinkin shears, but I never saw it written.

I had a cousin who kept after me all during high school wanting me to go to Sul Ross. It wouldn't have been a bad choice, but it sure is way out there from East Texas.

~~~~~~~~~ Yep, but the key is that it's still in Texas!
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AggieMike88 said:
If you haven't already thought of it, run to the office supply store and get some fancy certificate paper, a gold seal, and a bit of ribbon.

Then hop on your word processor of choice and make up a nice fancy "Be it known to all comers that on September 7, 2011, _______ slipped the bounds of this earth, defied gravity and all known odds, and successfully completed his first solo flight..." certificate.

I got one made up by the tower crew at KAFW. Have plans to get it framed along with my shirt tail.
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~~~~~~~~~~~ That's a great idea. I'll see what I can up with.
 
Bah. My shirt was safe, and I remained dry. Got no certificate. Just a handshake.

Being Russian, and having Russian CFI and pilot friends, I have to follow different tradition. A gift of some fine wine to people most involved in my training. So, CFI and my ex girlfriends stepfather (ex Aeroflot pilot, I owe him because without him, I would never taken these classes) get gifts.
 
I got the chocks with all the info written on 'em
 
My wife framed my cut and signed shirt tail for my birthday and I have it hanging on the wall of my man-cave. The whole experience was just a fantastic memory, so thank you for helping others obtain this.
 
I got nothing. Even the wife (now ex) didn't care. The shirt got mounted on my wall after I wrote the date on it.
I would think a little bloodletting could lead to a new tradition. Kind of like one of the planes around here. It usually manages to damage all who enter.
 
So.... How'd it go? And who was more nervous? The student or the instructor?
 
Well, since we're responding about our shirt tails:

I still have my shirt tail that was cut by my instructor at first solo in 1991. It hangs from a book shelf in the hall with the upper edge tucked under some books. At that time my instructor, cut the tail, grinned, shook my hand and was excited. He had just retired and began instructing, so I might have been his first solo student.

I started flying with him again 20 years later after not finishing the first time around. He solo'd me in 5 hours and when I got back on the ground he started chewing on me for all the things I did wrong. I now fly with an instructor who is as enthusiastic as the original instructor was 20 years ago. It makes a big difference.

Doc
 
Got my shirt tail cut. I have no idea whatever happened to it.

But I do remember the look on my instructors face when a bit of a gust picked up one wing of the Cessna 120 as I was rolling down the runway... (Shoulda been paying attention to what I was doing and not looking at the instructor.)

Should I dig up the NTSB report on N714HY just to make you feel more comfortable? Student "panicked" on first solo and put it into a field instead of the runway - substantial damage. (No, that one was not me)

Or the student who ran out of gas on final, turned the airplane away from the airport and (with a parachute) jumped?

Or mention my sister who put the old man's airplane into a onion field on her student cross country? ("I asked them to fill it up.")
 
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AggieMike88 said:
So.... How'd it go? And who was more nervous? The student or the instructor?
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~~~~~~~~~~ got too late last night after the first few landings - the sun was going down - he got to key up the rwy lights on the last landing.... we're aiming for this afternoon wind permitting- last night it was 60-70 deg. off the nose but only at 9.........
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Got my shirt tail cut. I have no idea whatever happened to it.

But I do remember the look on my instructors face when a bit of a gust picked up one wing of the Cessna 120 as I was rolling down the runway... (Shoulda been paying attention to what I was doing and not looking at the instructor.)

Should I dig up the NTSB report on N714HY just to make you feel more comfortable? Student "panicked" on first solo and put it into a field instead of the runway - substantial damage. (No, that one was not me)

Or the student who ran out of gas on final, turned the airplane away from the airport and (with a parachute) jumped?


Or mention my sister who put the old man's airplane into a onion field on her student cross country? ("I asked them to fill it up.")
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~~~~~~~~ that reminds me of "Wisdom Teeth" stories.... and NO I don't want to hear about it right now - I've already heard plenty of bad stuff.
 
At our flight school we used to cut the students shirt tail, draw a picture marking the day and then hang it on a bulletin along with a photograph of the day. They stayed on the board until the student got their license then it was theirs.

The only part of instructing I didn't enjoy was the shirt tail art. Too much pressure to make it look nice.
 
My CFI didn't have the radio with him and thought that I chickened out, when I was waiting for traffic to clear the other runway. He wasn't TOO worried, since he already signed a ton of students. Good times. More on Sat, weather permitting.
 
Let me add another reply supporting the practice of cutting the shirt.

One of my prized possessions is the shirt tail cut by my CFI. She took some time to draw on it and capture the date, etc. I really appreciated the effort she put into it. I framed it and have it hanging in my TV room.
 
Meanee said:
My CFI didn't have the radio with him and thought that I chickened out, when I was waiting for traffic to clear the other runway. He wasn't TOO worried, since he already signed a ton of students. Good times. More on Sat, weather permitting.
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That reminds me. I had a KX-99 I gave my instructor to talk to me during my solo. I just had not charged it up. He lasted until I started my takeoff roll.
Probably a good thing too.
 
He soloed this evening! Yea! It was pretty cool really. The wind was nearly nuthin only 5-6 and it wasn't hot, only 80.
Said he was so nervous that he did the whole run up again to make sure everything was OK and was concentrating so hard on those things that he took off w/ the window open and his elbow leaning on it like his truck (he's done this once before) and thought "why's it so loud?" and then "oh s***, the window" he climbed to about 300 feet and then closed it. I drove my scooter - back taxiied it up the rwy - and parked off in the grass to watch the last 2 landings. Nice to be at an airport where you can do that sort of thing. No one was around at all. Last landing was a little flat which we discussed but otherwise he did fine.

Another rancher kid pilot who flies a 180 and uses it to track/count antelope w/ TX PW was back taxiing just after D. took off and had a conversation w/ him on the freq. something along the lines of : so is this your solo, yep it is!, bet the plane climbs a lot better huh w/ that right seat empty, yeah the power is really great, don't know if she can hear us, - then I keyed my handheld and said "absolutely I can hear you guys" - and Cade said "oops, she's got a handheld, congrats to you D. see ya" Pretty funny really.
I'm relieved and pleased and the student is too. We did the shirt cutting thing and I got one of the Border Patrol guys to come over to my hangar to take pictures.
Now I have to figure out what I'm going to write/draw on it
It has one of those Area 51 aliens on it - maybe I'll draw headsets on the alien and have him announce the solo in a bubble. :D
 
Jeanie said:
Now I have to figure out what I'm going to write/draw on it
It has one of those Area 51 aliens on it - maybe I'll draw headsets on the alien and have him announce the solo in a bubble. :D
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So, Puny Human... You wish to fly like us?
 
Jeanie said:
Said he was so nervous that he did the whole run up again to make sure everything was OK and was concentrating so hard on those things that he took off w/ the window open and his elbow leaning on it like his truck
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:rofl:

Who was more nervous?

Back in the olden days I used to fly with the window open and my arm out all the time (well, at least when it was warm). My current ride I can open the door, but once it is open (hinge at the top) it STAYS open. And I think it hits the fuel sump thing and drains fuel so I don't typically do that. Sometimes I take it off. That is nice on a hot day if I have nowhere to go...
 
TMetzinger said:
So, Puny Human... You wish to fly like us?
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On the twisted approach: "The shell was a real pain to open, but the meaty center was really worth it!"

Tom Cruise: "Goose: I'm switching to guns"


But for celebrating the event:

Alien #1 "So that's what a human pilot looks like!"
Alien #2 "Ask him if he knows the way to Roswell."
 
TMetzinger said:
So, Puny Human... You wish to fly like us?
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LOL. The ones I've seen just have a drawing of the plane (rough drawing - high wing / low wing), the date / runway number / airport, the facts, stuff like that. In black Sharpie marker on the shirt.
 
Jeanie,

Tell me the truth. Was this a bigger thrill than your OWN first solo?

Sounds like a kick and my goal is to get my CFI for a retirement "job." If I can make it happen, I really think my first student to solo might be more exciting than my own.

Doc
 
TMetzinger said:
So, Puny Human... You wish to fly like us?
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Good one Tim.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think he was more nervous. The conditions were just right and I wasn't too worried really. And I had that handheld just in case there was some problem.....
 
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AggieMike88 said:
On the twisted approach: "The shell was a real pain to open, but the meaty center was really worth it!"

~~~~~~~~~~ That reminds me of the Far Side joke w/ the polar bears and the igloo - crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside.

Tom Cruise: "Goose: I'm switching to guns"


But for celebrating the event:

Alien #1 "So that's what a human pilot looks like!"
Alien #2 "Ask him if he knows the way to Roswell."
Click to expand...

~~~~~~~~~ I like those....
 
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