First solo

M

Michael25

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Sep 24, 2011
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10
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Syracuse, NY
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Display name:
Michael
16.8 Hours logged and first solo today. It was a beautiful day, a little foggy in the morning, but it cleared up quick. I didn't think I'd be soloing after 2 weeks of not flying, but I was wrong! I did 3 (pretty decent) full stop landings and couldn't believe how fast the plane climbed without my instructor in the right seat. I'll always remember this day. :)


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I'm the slightly younger guy on the right.
 
I think I posted this in the wrong section...any way to move it to the training forum?
 
Congratulations! I think this is a fine place to post that you soloed, I seriously doubt anyone will have a problem with that.
 
What is this crap? In that picture you still have your shirt tail intact!

Seriously though, congratulations. You've come to the right place with plenty of discussion and help for us rookies.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Doc
 
Thanks everyone! Lol sorry about the posture I guess? It doesn't look that bad...

Anyway, I guess they take a more modern approach to the shirt cutting tradition with an "I solo'd" T-shirt which has a plane on the front and on the back it says "Cut here" with a dotted cutting line. They only had large and extra large so I'd have to gain a hundred pounds if I wanted to wear it.
 
Congrats on the solo!

One piece of advice: Buy the shirt, and have your CFI draw on it. Maybe even autograph it. Put the date on it, too.

My shirt tail is hanging in my hangar, and is one of my proudest possessions. My CFI drew a little picture of the Cherokee 140 in flight, with an old man blowing a 30-knot wind down the grass runway. He then signed it, and wrote the date, airport, and tail number of the plane I soloed in.

It proudly hangs next to my wife's and son's shirt tails, each similarly embellished.

Don't miss out -- buy the dumb shirt. You won't regret it in years to come.
 
You are a pilot now... Pilots notice things, like weather, the tread on the tires, etc... Notice the airman next to you... Shaved, combed, chinos, polished shoes, and a pressed shirt... Notice that is what an airman looks like... Capiche?

denny-o

btw, my very best congratulations to you on the solo... Now onward to the check ride...
 
Dr. O said:
You are a pilot now... Pilots notice things, like weather, the tread on the tires, etc... Notice the airman next to you... Shaved, combed, chinos, polished shoes, and a pressed shirt... Notice that is what an airman looks like... Capiche?

denny-o

btw, my very best congratulations to you on the solo... Now onward to the check ride...
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I'm not sure where I asked for fashion tips, but thanks. They should put those requirements in the regs. That way we can all look the same, and everyone can stop being so damn diverse.
 
Michael25 said:
I'm not sure where I asked for fashion tips, but thanks. They should put those requirements in the regs. That way we can all look the same, and everyone can stop being so damn diverse.
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Oh, great. Put it in the regs. Why are you people trying to prevent me from flying?
 
Jay Honeck said:
Congrats on the solo!


Don't miss out -- buy the dumb shirt. You won't regret it in years to come.
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Thanks! The shirt was free so I have nothing to complain about. The picture of the plane has a spot where he wrote the tail number, and the clouds is where he wrote the date and signed it. I'll have it for a long time for sure.
 
Dr. O said:
You are a pilot now... Pilots notice things, like weather, the tread on the tires, etc... Notice the airman next to you... Shaved, combed, chinos, polished shoes, and a pressed shirt... Notice that is what an airman looks like... Capiche?
Click to expand...

Heck, I fly on my day OFF. T-shirt and jeans and there's no way I'm shaving unless I feel like it.

The professional guys can have their pressed shirts, polyester pants, and twenty or thirty bars on the epaulets.
 
denverpilot said:
Heck, I fly on my day OFF. T-shirt and jeans and there's no way I'm shaving unless I feel like it.

The professional guys can have their pressed shirts, polyester pants, and twenty or thirty bars on the epaulets.
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+1

Congrats on the solo, PILOT. :D
 
denverpilot said:
Heck, I fly on my day OFF. T-shirt and jeans and there's no way I'm shaving unless I feel like it.

The professional guys can have their pressed shirts, polyester pants, and twenty or thirty bars on the epaulets.
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I'm trying to remember if I've ever NOT worn jeans . . . . I'm with you on this one!
 
Dr. O said:
You are a pilot now... Pilots notice things, like weather, the tread on the tires, etc... Notice the airman next to you... Shaved, combed, chinos, polished shoes, and a pressed shirt... Notice that is what an airman looks like... Capiche?

denny-o

btw, my very best congratulations to you on the solo... Now onward to the check ride...
Click to expand...


I guess I'm not yet a pilot. I dress pretty sloppy when I fly except when I fly before work, since I have to go straight from flying to work.

Doc
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6q2VKsvQEQ
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Thanks for the video Captain! It made me kind of feel good since I fly the tightest pattern I possibly can. I don't do it for noise ebatement. I do it because I can squeeze more stop and go's into less time. Means less fuel, less engine time runout and more fun.

I can typically squeeze 10 stop and go's into an hour and that usually includes back taxiing on the runway due to only having taxiway adjacent to half of the runway.

Last time out doing stop and go's I discovered that if I lowered my climb speed by 5MPH I could climb out about a 40% quicker vertical speed. I'm anxious to see if this will have a significant tightening of my pattern and maybe let me get in 11 stop and go's in an hour.

Doc
 
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Shaved? Clean cut?

You outta see the pilots in AK. They're "the best in the bush" :wink2:

Oh thank goodness it rains a lot, our planes are always clean!
 
Dr. O said:
You are a pilot now... Pilots notice things, like weather, the tread on the tires, etc... Notice the airman next to you... Shaved, combed, chinos, polished shoes, and a pressed shirt... Notice that is what an airman looks like... Capiche?
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.... many pilots also have a keen awareness to the presence of a douche.


douche_bag1.JPG
 
I read a story somewhere (maybe here) from a freight copilot. He said there was this captain who would change into his bath robe while in route. When the copilot asked him about it, he said "I'll be damned if I'm going to dress up for a bunch of boxes." Not sure if it true, but it's definitely amusing.
 
Michael25 said:
I read a story somewhere (maybe here) from a freight copilot. He said there was this captain who would change into his bath robe while in route. When the copilot asked him about it, he said "I'll be damned if I'm going to dress up for a bunch of boxes." Not sure if it true, but it's definitely amusing.
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Might be very true. I know several guys who do some "different" things in the air.

I know of 1 major airline captain who wears a foil hat above FL250. :rofl:

I know of 1 major airline captain who once lost her job for running checklists, with a fed onboard, via a hand puppet. She has since been reinstated and is blasting around the planet in an A300.. :yikes:

I know of 1 regional guy who refuses to wear shoes once the cockpit door is closed..

Lots of unique folks out there.. :)
 
RE: Stripes -- and some of us remember TonyAir
 
Michael25 said:
I read a story somewhere (maybe here) from a freight copilot. He said there was this captain who would change into his bath robe while in route. When the copilot asked him about it, he said "I'll be damned if I'm going to dress up for a bunch of boxes." Not sure if it true, but it's definitely amusing.
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It's not uncommon on long haul international for the cockpit crew to "dress down" to more casual clothes and hang up the uniform.

Before top of decent change back to the uniform.
 
Dr. O said:
You are a pilot now... Pilots notice things, like weather, the tread on the tires, etc... Notice the airman next to you... Shaved, combed, chinos, polished shoes, and a pressed shirt... Notice that is what an airman looks like... Capiche?
Click to expand...

Umm... Yeah... At best, I'll wear 511s and boots. But that's only on the job. Even then most times I'm wearing jeans and a T-shirt. I do shave once a week or so whether I need to or not. Oh, and sneakers are the norm for me.

Nothing worse than a stuck up pilot.

Congrats on the solo Mike!!
 
Anymouse said:
Umm... Yeah... At best, I'll wear 511s and boots. But that's only on the job. Even then most times I'm wearing jeans and a T-shirt. I do shave once a week or so whether I need to or not. Oh, and sneakers are the norm for me.

Nothing worse than a stuck up pilot.

Congrats on the solo Mike!!
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Best part is the capiche.. Just classic, really.
 
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