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First Solo Flight

by Jason Schappert

First solo flight – This video is awesome. As nerve-wrenching as soloing a student can be it’s equally rewarding. IF you’re curious as to what a first solo flight looks like check out this one I recently did with my student. You’ll learn that soloing all comes down to one thing and that’s confidence. You need to not only have earned your instructors confidence but also be confident in yourself.


Have you soloed yet? What was it like? Let me hear your experiences below in the comment section

Tagged as: First Solo Flight

  • http://www.facebook.com/michael.w.stevens Michael Stevens

    Cool, I had my first solo this weekend on Sunday, 9/26. I thought I would feel more anxious but it all went away once I left the ground and I was just doing what I knew how to do. Also, I think my first landing of the three I did was probably the best landing I’ve ever done.

  • http://www.facebook.com/MyScien Michael Mayes

    Congrats! You soloed on my birthday hah!

  • http://www.facebook.com/MyScien Michael Mayes

    I bet that student visits your blog so congrats to him as well!

    I soloed on Sept 16 in 2008. I remember being about the most nervous as I had ever been in my life. My legs were shaking and I think my hands were too taxiing out.

    I can ditto the Mike’s observation below that that nervousness left later in the flight, but I think for me it was more around when I was at TPA. Around that time I had been able to observe that everything was acting just like a normal flight, minus the better climb rate.

  • Anonymous

    Michael,

    haha better climb rate for sure! That’s the first thing I tell my students… “When I get my 6’5 200lbs butt out of here this 150 is going to be like a rocket”

    But calming the nerves can be a tough one to combat. Like you said treat it like a normal flight.

    Jason

  • Seanbrownlee

    I will always remember my solo back in October 2000. Yes I was nervous, but the interaction between ATC, a 747 pilot, and myself stands out. I was at Ottawa International and was #1 for take off ( taxied in from the east) and on the other side of the runway a 747 had pulled up and was also ready to depart. I jumped on the radio and informed ATC that I was ready to depart and was on my first solo. ATC informed me that they were going to clear the ‘heavy’ and then myself. The 747 pilot responded that he was ahead of schedule and that ‘he and his passengers’ were looking forward to witnessing my first solo. Pretty amazing….but lots of pressure!! My touchdown wasn’t perfect but it did the job. After touchdown, the 747 pilot came on the radio and conveyed his congratulations……ATC did the same and cleared the 747 to the active. Priceless!!!

  • Anonymous

    I soloed just this summer. I wrote it up on my blog: http://www.cleghorn.org/flying/uncle-brads-big-moment.html

    What an amazing day, one I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

    Jason, I love the “let’s go live to the airplane” editing you did on this piece.

  • David

    I posted my solo experiences in a note on FB

    http://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=25549757994

  • Jules N714WQ

    My first solo happened in the late 60s but I remember it well. Congrats to Jim. Those were real smooth landings.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MIQZHVRVVCBLB6RKYYCYJ2A6NA Shawn

    on that last landing, did he land front wheel first?

  • Anonymous

    haha no Shawn, that would have done some damage to good ole’ 12R if that were the case.

    If you watch it closely and listen you can see and hear it go left wheel, right wheel, nose wheel.

    For that last landing the wind was picking up a hair and he executed a perfect crosswind landing.

    Not bad for a first solo!

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    Awesome Jules! Who could ever forget their first solo!?!

    What kind of aircraft did you solo in?

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    Awesome!

  • Anonymous

    QUOTE: “Jason, I love the “let’s go live to the airplane” editing you did on this piece.”

    haha Brad I’m thinking about giving up flying and going to be a newscaster! haha teasing. I figured most people would think i’m completely cheesy! But you’ve got to have fun with it!

    Checked out the blog post! Very very cool!

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    hahah Sean that my friend is priceless! One of those “wish I caught it on tape” moments. So did they 747 just circle back around? That is so funny!

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    All my students say that… “Jason I have my best landings when you’re not there.” haha should I believe them? :)

    That’s awesome Michael!

    Jason

  • Pmckanna

    I soloed at KGGG – East Texas Regional – in 1977 – a towered airport. I remember having an issue with hearing the controller’s instructions and flying the plane at the same time…Until the Instructor stepped out of the plane so I could solo. Then I held on to and heard every word spoken. I’ve really never had an issue with towered environments since. Actually, I would rather fly into a towered Airport in class B Airspace than some of the uncontrolled fields where I have landed…

  • Anonymous

    I understand that!

    It’s funny I you had problems with your instructor there but once he was gone it was game on!

    Neat insights,
    Jason

  • Pmckanna

    Hey everybody…Jason is a contributing writer for a new online magazine. He may have mentioned it somewhere on this site – but I didn’t find it. So check out the new magazine http://www.airplanista.com and Jason’s article…Congratulations Jason!!!

  • Jrjlambin

    Hey there my name is John-Henry Lambin and I wanted to shar my first solo experience as it was quite the ride: it was on oct_22_2010; beautiful day when both my brother and I where scheduled to solo the same day. He went up first and set the pace to what was a vary high standard. Anyway long story very short it was then my tern, up at pattern altitude, thered and final cercute I was on L-downwind over the highway doing my prelanding check (ironically) when my engine failed on turn to base! Luckaly my instructor (whom I chairish dearly) always finished every leson with emergency engine-out training, so I was able (by the grace of god) to declar and emergency landing to clear traffic before I brought her down safely, & I must say it was serenely the best landing I’ve ever maid hah..  

    Also a Well deserved thanks to jaison for the hard work that is well appreciated.

  • Forrest Haverin

    I just flew my first solo on 12/18. Aside from the top door latch on my Warrior II not latching, it went perfect. Made the first landing a full stop, corrected the door, then went back up for two more circuits. Like others on here, I think those three landings were my best to date :-)

  • Jamie Underhay

    Hey,
    I’m 15 years old, i have been in a couple newspapers here in the uk for flying so young, but im planning on doing my first solo flight on my 16th birthday which is in a coupe months, and im just about to take my Air Law exam, any tips on thesolo, or the exam?

    jay out.

  • Masterman3178

    My solo is coming up in the next 2 weeks and im confident in my flying ablitys but i still have a healthy dose of nervousness 

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