Training Plans

jdennis1989

jdennis1989

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Mar 17, 2013
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jdennis1989
Hello,

I am new to the board and currently training for my private pilot license. I had read somewhere that a lot of people solo around 15-20 hours. Can anyone give me a breakdown of what you learn before your first solo? I'm at 6.5 hours and my instructor said I will solo soon. I have done 22 To/LD, MCA power on and off stalls, steep turns, and the majority of my touch and go's were in crosswinds and heavy gusts.
 
I know a lot of people (including myself) who solo'd well under 10 hours.
Next thing you'll do is learn simulated engine failures, then start beating up the pattern, round and around you will go until your instructor hops out one day and says "go do 3 laps by yourself!"
 
Thank you for the response, that helps. So I am guessing that if I solo closer to the 10 mark then I could very well finish this up close to 40 instead of the 50-60 range?
 
It really depends on what the instructor has laid out, the time before solo you're still learning many critical aspects of flight. If he says you will solo soon, then I'm guessing within the next 4/5 flights. After you solo will come the cross countries, then right into the solo cross countries (you will learn A LOT on these), then night flying (which is very cool), then on to checkride prep. In order to get all the required hours in a shorter time frame, combine different tasks that you need in each flight. For example, you need 3 hours of simulated instrument time (wearing the hood/foggles) I wore it and had my instructor give me altitudes/headings on the way to/from the practice area. That would give me 3/10ths or so of sim instrument time that is useful rather than just droning along straight & level.
 
Some schools and CFI's schedule solo earlier than others. Much depends on the locale, airspace, proximity to big airports and other stuff. As long as you're making progress and enjoying it, don't worry about it. When he gets out, that's a good indication he thinks you're ready.
 
You might check the regulation on point, 61.87:
(d) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a single-engine airplane. A student pilot who is receiving training for a single-engine airplane rating or privilegesmust receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;
(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;
(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;
(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;
(5) Climbs and climbing turns;
(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;
(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;
(8) Descents, with and without turns, using high and low drag configurations;
(9) Flight at various airspeeds from cruise to slow flight;
(10) Stall entries from various flight attitudes and power combinations with recovery initiated at the first indication of a stall, and recovery from a full stall;
(11) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;
(12) Ground reference maneuvers;
(13) Approaches to a landing area with simulated engine malfunctions;
(14) Slips to a landing; and
(15) Go-arounds.
Click to expand...
 
jdennis1989 said:
Hello,

I am new to the board and currently training for my private pilot license. I had read somewhere that a lot of people solo around 15-20 hours. Can anyone give me a breakdown of what you learn before your first solo? I'm at 6.5 hours and my instructor said I will solo soon. I have done 22 To/LD, MCA power on and off stalls, steep turns, and the majority of my touch and go's were in crosswinds and heavy gusts.
Click to expand...

61.87 tells you what you must be proficient in to solo:


(d) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a single-engine airplane. A student pilot who is receiving training for a single-engine airplane rating or privileges must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:

(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;

(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;

(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;

(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;

(5) Climbs and climbing turns;

(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;

(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;

(8) Descents, with and without turns, using high and low drag configurations;

(9) Flight at various airspeeds from cruise to slow flight;

(10) Stall entries from various flight attitudes and power combinations with recovery initiated at the first indication of a stall, and recovery from a full stall;

(11) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;

(12) Ground reference maneuvers;

(13) Approaches to a landing area with simulated engine malfunctions;

(14) Slips to a landing; and

(15) Go-arounds.
 
Thanks guys! Just got my 3rd class medical, and only have a few things on that list left. Guess I might solo </= 10 hrs!
 
Welcome to PoA. We look forward to hearing about your solo. Sounds to me like it could be soon.
 
Welcome to PoA. You'll learn more than you need to know here!

Time to solo depends on factors out of your and your instructor's control. Your airport may have consistently bad weather such as strong cross-winds for a couple of sessions after you're ready to solo.

It also depends on whether your instructor is gaining hours for a job with the airlines. A student accident can come back to haunt him or her. So the instructor may be extra careful before letting you make the solo flight.

Or, if there is a break in your training, you may need extra sessions to show you've not grown rusty.

The final hours depends on other factors, too. Should you have to switch instructors, the new one may want you to run through all the other things the previous one trained you in, which could add 4 hours to the total.
 
Thanks guys! I look forward to learning and becoming part of the community here. My instructor is already an airline pilot so I don't think he is trying to build hours with me. I don't see why I would need to switch instructors, but I have noticed in my very short time reading these forums that it seems to happen more than I would imagine it would. I live very close to Houston, so I guess it wouldn't be too hard to find another one though if needed.
 
PBristolJr said:
I know a lot of people (including myself) who solo'd well under 10 hours.
Next thing you'll do is learn simulated engine failures, then start beating up the pattern, round and around you will go until your instructor hops out one day and says "go do 3 laps by yourself!"
Click to expand...

Evidently there is a reason you solo'd in less than 10 hours...your CFI violated the regulation and, in my opinion, his ethical (and possibly moral) requirements to ensure you had a fighting chance in the event your engine quit at 400 AGL on your first solo take-off.

That's a shame and I would find a new instructor that worried more about the regs and my safety than keeping me on the "Hobbs hook"


http://www.risingup.com/fars/info/part61-87-FAR.shtml
 
Mach.12 said:
Evidently there is a reason you solo'd in less than 10 hours...your CFI violated the regulation and, in my opinion, his ethical (and possibly moral) requirements to ensure you had a fighting chance in the event your engine quit at 400 AGL on your first solo take-off.

That's a shame and I would find a new instructor that worried more about the regs and my safety than keeping me on the "Hobbs hook"


http://www.risingup.com/fars/info/part61-87-FAR.shtml
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you misread my post, I was speaking to the OP about the next thing he will learn is engine failures.
 
PBristolJr said:
I'm guessing you misread my post, I was speaking to the OP about the next thing he will learn is engine failures.
Click to expand...

No. If you did engine failures after solo, you had a derelict instructor. Who needs a refresher in the regs and common safety practices.
 
Mach.12 said:
No. If you did engine failures after solo, you had a derelict instructor. Who needs a refresher in the regs and common safety practices.
Click to expand...

Umm.... perhaps, if he did. But he didn't say that he did engine failures after solo.
 
I think most solo by 6-8 hrs. Unless you are comparing yourself to the 1 flight a month guys who take 3 years to get a PPL.

I think you might be a little behind...


jdennis1989 said:
Hello,

I am new to the board and currently training for my private pilot license. I had read somewhere that a lot of people solo around 15-20 hours. Can anyone give me a breakdown of what you learn before your first solo? I'm at 6.5 hours and my instructor said I will solo soon. I have done 22 To/LD, MCA power on and off stalls, steep turns, and the majority of my touch and go's were in crosswinds and heavy gusts.
Click to expand...
 
I am at six and a half right now with only engine failure left to learn according to the list the other posters provided... I don't think I am behind by any means, I was more worried about being cut loose before I'm ready, which I now realize the CFI would never do that to me in a plane he owns and cares about. My next lesson will be tomorrow if weather permits, I'll keep y'all updated in my progress.
 
Tony_Scarpelli said:
I think most solo by 6-8 hrs. Unless you are comparing yourself to the 1 flight a month guys who take 3 years to get a PPL.

I think you might be a little behind...
Click to expand...

6-8 is possible, but 12-14 is more likely if you're actually covering all the things listed for presolo. Plus every one learns at their own pace...how quick one solos has little bearing on total hours before checkride.
 
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