When Will I Solo (asked many times I'm sure)

Oh he's 57? Never had someone that age solo in less than 30.
 
dmspilot said:
Oh he's 57? Never had someone that age solo in less than 30.
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You are kidding right?

Only reason I ask is because I was 50 when I decided to restart flying and earn my ticket after 30+ year hiatus. Maybe because I built and flew large RC planes all my life, it only took me 10 hours or less to solo.
 
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My 2 cents:
At less than 20 hours I honestly wouldn't worry about solo, just focus on flying, learning and asking as many questions as you can. Get-there-itis can kill as one CFI once told me.
That said, it is possible that you have a time builder on your hands, airliner-bound CFI. That could be a red flag as it was in my experience. My young CFI left in the middle of my training. I ended up spending double to get to checkride!
If that's the case, my best advice to new student is to purposely ask for a full time CFI. These are much older men and women who actually enjoy flying and teaching (no pun intended). They have no other agenda nor are they trying to build time to get hired by Delta.
Other than what I've already mentioned, if you see any red flags, trust your guts and take action early. But please don't rush your training and don't try to compare numbers with other pilots because we all have a different learning curve.

Here is a video I did on the topic. If you notice any of these with your CFI or at the school, then yea switch it up NOW.
 
Strangely I feel very disappointed in joining this forum. When I joined I felt it would be a great way to learn and share experience with fellow students. That I might receive valuable constructive advice in pursuit of my ticket. Some posters have provided that very much so and I would like to thank them. There are many others on here who are condescending, negative and downright rude. I would of thought in aviation, even General Aviation that there would have been a higher level of maturity. Reading through other posts I found the same level of sarcasm, condescension and infighting. It actually scares me that some of the people I am speaking about are CFIS, yet they act like 2 year olds. As for me I did have my three laps around the pattern, the plane airport an all around actually survived, in spite of some of ya. So now for more training and XC.

FYI: dmspilot if it takes you thirty plus hours to get a student ready to make 3 laps around the pattern by themselves, what does that say about you as an instructor? Perhaps these students would have been better served getting someone more competent.
 
Cptwing said:
Strangely I feel very disappointed in joining this forum. When I joined I felt it would be a great way to learn and share experience with fellow students. That I might receive valuable constructive advice in pursuit of my ticket. Some posters have provided that very much so and I would like to thank them. There are many others on here who are condescending, negative and downright rude. I would of thought in aviation, even General Aviation that there would have been a higher level of maturity. Reading through other posts I found the same level of sarcasm, condescension and infighting. It actually scares me that some of the people I am speaking about are CFIS, yet they act like 2 year olds. As for me I did have my three laps around the pattern, the plane airport an all around actually survived, in spite of some of ya. So now for more training and XC.

FYI: dmspilot if it takes you thirty plus hours to get a student ready to make 3 laps around the pattern by themselves, what does that say about you as an instructor? Perhaps these students would have been better served getting someone more competent.
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I think you are mostly describing your own posts. As the last paragraph demonstrates quite well.
 
Cptwing said:
Strangely I feel very disappointed in joining this forum. When I joined I felt it would be a great way to learn and share experience with fellow students. That I might receive valuable constructive advice in pursuit of my ticket. Some posters have provided that very much so and I would like to thank them. There are many others on here who are condescending, negative and downright rude. I would of thought in aviation, even General Aviation that there would have been a higher level of maturity. Reading through other posts I found the same level of sarcasm, condescension and infighting. It actually scares me that some of the people I am speaking about are CFIS, yet they act like 2 year olds. As for me I did have my three laps around the pattern, the plane airport an all around actually survived, in spite of some of ya. So now for more training and XC.

FYI: dmspilot if it takes you thirty plus hours to get a student ready to make 3 laps around the pattern by themselves, what does that say about you as an instructor? Perhaps these students would have been better served getting someone more competent.
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I think you are getting constructive criticism, you just don't want to hear it.
 
@Cptwing - way to go!!!! Feels awesome doesn't it :)

Share a bit - how did the CFI go about it. Were all the landings greasers? You know...details!

Rather than give up on the forum, I'd challenge you to continue posting on how its going. Yes, you'll hear some things you don't want to hear but sometimes that's the stuff we need to hear the most. There will be more frustrating points during the training. Keep asking questions if you need to. Like it or not, PoA will provide MANY different points of view!
 
Thanks Sinistar, not much to tell really. I had done the ASEL (pre solo exam) my previous lesson and had the endorsement in my logbook. When I arrived yesterday we sat in the office and he said todays the day and ask me how I felt. I was honest and said I was ready but also had a few butterflies. We did a quick preflight review of exactly what I was to do, 2 T&G and a full stop. He reminded me to inform ATC that I was a student on my first solo. I just followed the same routine I had been doing with the CFI, preflight checks, pre taxi checks, ATIS, GC, taxi to the run up area, run up, received ATC clearance to take off. I was a little nervous of course, after first T&G I felt good did the second, landed and taxied to the tie down area. No shirt cutting.

I never had an issue with the different view points, even those that though maybe I was pushing too hard for it, just the way some of them were expressed. But thanks
 
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Cptwing said:
Strangely I feel very disappointed in joining this forum. When I joined I felt it would be a great way to learn and share experience with fellow students. That I might receive valuable constructive advice in pursuit of my ticket. Some posters have provided that very much so and I would like to thank them. There are many others on here who are condescending, negative and downright rude. I would of thought in aviation, even General Aviation that there would have been a higher level of maturity. Reading through other posts I found the same level of sarcasm, condescension and infighting. It actually scares me that some of the people I am speaking about are CFIS, yet they act like 2 year olds. As for me I did have my three laps around the pattern, the plane airport an all around actually survived, in spite of some of ya. So now for more training and XC.

FYI: dmspilot if it takes you thirty plus hours to get a student ready to make 3 laps around the pattern by themselves, what does that say about you as an instructor? Perhaps these students would have been better served getting someone more competent.
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Relevant to the last paragraph....unfortunately, far too many begining students don't know when they aren't progressing or if they don't have a CFI that understands the student's learning style and how to best train. Things are getting better with fora like POA but there's a wide-spread attitude by most beginners that the CFI ( or any person in authority in any field) knows best.

On the other side, students do not progress at the same rate due to many and varied reasons. Frequency of lessons, forced to change CFIs and/or schools, learning style, teaching style, etc. Do not put all students into your personal definition.
 
I have the same question as Nate, what do you mean by "ASEL" - haven't heard this in regards to a solo?

I figured you'd have a few butterflies :) Hard to imagine someone not having them for that big moment!!!!

So yours was a little different than mine. My CFI and I did a few laps. Winds were friendly. He said back to the ramp. I waited and tried to not get nervous as he did the endoresments. He did not allow me to do touch and goes so that was different too. I even did a go around my second landing as it didn't feel right...I bet that made him nervous. No shirt cutting here either.

Seems like the only sort of obvious difference is you showed up at the airport, and flew your solo without the CFI being in the plane with you for a lap or two first. Interesting! Awesome day :)
 
Cptwing said:
Before you get anyone going yes I know ASEL (airplane single engine land) is not the proper name for the exam, but that's the title on the in house exam they have. The exact title is "Pre-Solo/Renter Written Exam ASEL"
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Okay, makes sense now...seems like most on the forum use something along the lines of the "Pre-Solo Written" exam, etc.
 
I did a few go-arounds with CFI on my initiative. I felt I was too high a few times asked him about a go around and he said its up to you. Perhaps I could have salvaged them but I was just not going to try to. Funny I would call the go around and he felt the need to call it a second time, and add "for training".
 
dmspilot said:
Oh he's 57? Never had someone that age solo in less than 30.
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That seems kind of ridiculous.

I was 42 (yeah I know there's a 15 year difference, but come on...) , soloed at 9 hours on my 11th flight, training at a Charlie airport, although I was ready a bit earlier but the weather wasn't cooperating for limitations (this was winter in Rochester, NY) so we kept on doing dual. I'm not exactly anyone's gift to aviation.

Seems to me that CFIs are taking a lot longer these days to solo a student and checkrides are approaching 100 hours. This is my perception from reading a lot of forum posts.
 
paflyer said:
That seems kind of ridiculous.

I was 42 (yeah I know there's a 15 year difference, but come on...) , soloed at 9 hours on my 11th flight, training at a Charlie airport, although I was ready a bit earlier but the weather wasn't cooperating for limitations (this was winter in Rochester, NY) so we kept on doing dual. I'm not exactly anyone's gift to aviation.

Seems to me that CFIs are taking a lot longer these days to solo a student and checkrides are approaching 100 hours. This is my perception from reading a lot of forum posts.
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Yup. Everyone is afraid of the lawyers and the FAA if a student screws up. Also remember that many of the aircraft are not the simple Cub or 152 (altho just about anything should be flown as a Cub or 152 from the POV of the beginner...). I'm seeing lots of beginners learning on Cirri (and paying a fortune at the hourly rate) that don't have the basic stick & rudder skills yet, and at an incredibly high-density traffic airport, too. Which only increases the hourly rate.
 
murphey said:
Yup. Everyone is afraid of the lawyers and the FAA if a student screws up. Also remember that many of the aircraft are not the simple Cub or 152 (altho just about anything should be flown as a Cub or 152 from the POV of the beginner...). I'm seeing lots of beginners learning on Cirri (and paying a fortune at the hourly rate) that don't have the basic stick & rudder skills yet, and at an incredibly high-density traffic airport, too. Which only increases the hourly rate.
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I suppose if you're learning in a SR22 at KFRG I can see the Hobbs cranking up, learning nothing more than patience...

I did my primary in PA28s, no gizmos to play with and distract from learning stick and rudder skills in short order.
 
paflyer said:
I suppose if you're learning in a SR22 at KFRG I can see the Hobbs cranking up, learning nothing more than patience...

I did my primary in PA28s, no gizmos to play with and distract from learning stick and rudder skills in short order.
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KAPA is the 2nd/3rd busiest GA airport in the country. SR22's are running over $200/hr for beginning students. There are times you can wait 20 min (on the Hobbs!) before cleared for departure. Altho I started lessons there, I moved over to KFTG.
 
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