1st Solo

WGregB

WGregB

Filing Flight Plan
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Jan 23, 2021
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GregB
Just completed my first solo yesterday morn. Beautiful day so the wind was negligible. It felt pretty odd not bumping elbows with the instructor but I actually felt less nervous being alone.

The oddest sense or feeling that I had was about 5 seconds after my wheels left the ground. It was a new level of commitment to the task. lol
 
WGregB said:
Just completed my first solo yesterday morn. Beautiful day so the wind was negligible. It felt pretty odd not bumping elbows with the instructor but I actually felt less nervous being alone.

The oddest sense or feeling that I had was about 5 seconds after my wheels left the ground. It was a new level of commitment to the task. lol
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Yup, nobody there to save you. Sounds like you did awesome, congrats!
 
Congrats! After my first solo I remember people asking, "were you nervous, scared...". To your point about being committed, I don't recall being nervous as I was so focused on what I had to do my brain didn't have much capacity for anything else.
 
Congratulations. I haven’t even started any of my training and it excites me to hear of someone else advancing through this journey. Hopefully I’ll be ready to start late fall this year.
 
MICHAEL MAHN said:
Congrats! After my first solo I remember people asking, "were you nervous, scared...". To your point about being committed, I don't recall being nervous as I was so focused on what I had to do my brain didn't have much capacity for anything else.
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A friend of mine is in training as well and she solo'd right before me. She had on her fitbit and posted on FB her heart rate during the flight. It was quite funny.
 
Congratulations! You freakin' did it!

I remember that same odd feeling from almost 32 years ago: There was a moment where I realized that I was going to have to land this plane one way or another. The moment passed, and I got about my business and did it, just like the dozens of times I had previously with my instructor next to me. Three landings and my life was changed forever. It's amazing that all of us pilots share the experience of our first solo. Whether a weekend flier, ag pilot, Airline captain, fighter pilot, or whatever, we've all had that same experience.
 
WGregB said:
Just completed my first solo yesterday morn. Beautiful day so the wind was negligible. It felt pretty odd not bumping elbows with the instructor but I actually felt less nervous being alone.

The oddest sense or feeling that I had was about 5 seconds after my wheels left the ground. It was a new level of commitment to the task. lol
Click to expand...

Cool. Next up, first solo cross country.
 
Congratulations! Sounds like you did better than me. I remember I had so much adrenaline I could hardly walk after. And my landings were crappy in the C152 with 180 pounds missing. Still, I prevailed and so did you.

Solo cross-country is the best.
 
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WGregB said:
Just completed my first solo yesterday morn. Beautiful day so the wind was negligible. It felt pretty odd not bumping elbows with the instructor but I actually felt less nervous being alone.

The oddest sense or feeling that I had was about 5 seconds after my wheels left the ground. It was a new level of commitment to the task. lol
Click to expand...
Congrats!
Funny you mention that feeling when you wheels left the ground. My solo was over 20 years ago but I still remember that feeling of "this is ALL on me".
 
Congrats! The main memory from my first solo is that without the instructor in the plane I was at pattern altitude way before I was with him in the plane. I hadn't thought about that and he hadn't mentioned it. Kind off threw me off a little at first. I was used to turning as specific places in regards to the runway at pattern altitude and I got up there a lot quicker.
 
I remember that feeling very well. As soon as the wheels left the ground the sensation across your whole body and the voice in your head saying “you are 100% committed now, nobody here to help” BTW my first two landing attempts ended up in go arounds because I was not use to it just being me and the plane would not descend. I had my settings I used burned in my brain but when 250 ish lbs left the plane I had to pull throttle way back to adjust but once I had my new numbers the 3 landings went good. Congratulations!


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rk911 said:
very, very nice. congrats! did your instructor cut your shirt?
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lol. No shirt cutting. I have my logbook entry. I think she needed to get home and I’m not sure there were scissors nearby. I’ll let you know if that changes.
 
WGregB said:
lol. No shirt cutting. I have my logbook entry. I think she needed to get home and I’m not sure there were scissors nearby. I’ll let you know if that changes.
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For whatever reason my CFI didn't cut mine either.
 
Congrats!! Always great to hear of another solo!!
 
WGregB said:
The oddest sense or feeling that I had was about 5 seconds after my wheels left the ground. It was a new level of commitment to the task. lol
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As my CFI likes to say to me, #facts! I had a very similar feeling on my first solo. After that, my brain just switched into “checklist” mode and I talked out loud to myself through every solo landing I made that day. Congrats - not many “firsts” like this one!
 
Congrats! It's a great feeling, and one you'll never forget!
 
Torque beast said:
I remember that feeling very well. As soon as the wheels left the ground the sensation across your whole body and the voice in your head saying “you are 100% committed now, nobody here to help” BTW my first two landing attempts ended up in go arounds because I was not use to it just being me and the plane would not descend. I had my settings I used burned in my brain but when 250 ish lbs left the plane I had to pull throttle way back to adjust but once I had my new numbers the 3 landings went good. Congratulations!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Sounds like my first solo, 44 years ago. I had to go around on the first pass, I was way high. C-150 N8700G, our runway was 50' X 2250'. Back then, I didn't know that was considered "short". lol
 
Marshall Alexander said:
Sounds like my first solo, 44 years ago. I had to go around on the first pass, I was way high. C-150 N8700G, our runway was 50' X 2250'. Back then, I didn't know that was considered "short". lol
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Yep, that was my first true lesson in how weight effects a plane. We are taught about it but I had not flown with anyone else up to my solo so when he jumped out it was totally different especially in a low hp plane


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