Advice for first solo?

Matthew K

Matthew K

Line Up and Wait
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Sep 14, 2016
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Broke Engineer
Hello all!

I'm getting pretty close to having my first solo. I'm wanting to go ahead and get the written part done next weekend. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice for my first solo/for the pre-solo written test, or any key points to focus on for studying.

Thanks!
 
Have you spoken with your CFI? That's what he's for. Not trying to be a ****e head, but you should be listening to him/her IMO.
 
V speeds
Capacities and fuel burn
Info on your airport, size of runway etc
What to do in a engine failure should be down pat
Know your flows
Don't **** up ;)
 
Make sure your affairs are in order and confirm that your life insurance policy doesn't have an exemption for student pilots.
 
Sight picture while landing and how pattern varies in the wind.
 
Pretend you CFI is sitting next to you, and fly accordingly.

And wipe that silly grin off your face! :D
 
Cajun_Flyer said:
Exactly. You don't want your mistress showing up while your wife is there filming your big day.
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Good point.

Every pilot should have both a spouse and a girlfriend (or boyfriend, Cajun). That way each will assume you're with the other and you can slip away and go flying.
 
mscard88 said:
Have you spoken with your CFI? That's what he's for. Not trying to be a ****e head, but you should be listening to him/her IMO.
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I have. I just want to see what you guys say and to hear about any lessons learned about other's first solos.
 
I have XM in my plane. If you do too, when your CFI gets out and says do three laps, unmute the XM satellite radio and rock out with you **** out
 
Half Fast said:
Good point.

Every pilot should have both a spouse and a girlfriend (or boyfriend, Cajun). That way each will assume you're with the other and you can slip away and go flying.
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Haha. That's a great idea except for the fact that it'd make flying twice as expensive since now you have a girlfriend on the payroll just to get time for flying. :D
 
mulligan said:
I have XM in my plane. If you do too, when your CFI gets out and says do three laps, unmute the XM satellite radio and rock out with you **** out
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Or double the stupidity by taking pictures during the approach.
 
Left downwind is on the right side of the runway and right downwind is in the left side of the runway
 
Invite someone to take some pictures if you know when it will be. All I got was a lame selfie walking back in to the FBO.
 
Bring a beer so you can celebrate afterwards.

Do as you've been taught and you'll be just fine. Relax and have fun!
 
The usual surprise is that the airplane will reach pattern altitude a little sooner without the other meat bag on board.

Fly your airspeeds. Don't get too slow or too fast. Go around if you need to. Have fun.
 
A local flight instructor didn’t properly brief his student on the difference in how the aircraft would perform without the weight of the instructor. The aircraft pitched up and stalled. She destroyed the aircraft but didn’t get hurt.

Learn a lesson from this and be aware that less weight will cause the aircraft, especially a light one; to fly differently.
 
Shouldn't pitch up that drastic w/o a CFI on board. Maybe she had it trimmed for her last landing and didn't reset it to the takeoff position. Really should lift off sooner and climb better, which you'll notice. But it won't be earth shaking or drastic.
 
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My friend from the Van Nuys FSDO shared that with me to let me know that he blamed it on the CFI and I was responsible for a proper transition to solo. I don’t know the details or if there was any enforcement action.
 
Vance Breese said:
My friend from the Van Nuys FSDO shared that with me to let me know that he blamed it on the CFI and I was responsible for a proper transition to solo. I don’t know the details or if there was any enforcement action.
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I think this effect is more pronounced when the aircraft is very small and light. And even more so when the student is light while the CFI is heavy.
For example, in the case of a light helicopter like the R-22, with that combination of CFI/student weights, the "first solo" effect can very significant. The problem there is not so much the extra (and very welcome) climbing rate, but the drastic CG change, both fore-aft as well as left-right (lateral).
So much so, that many instructors routinely add lead weight to compensate for their absence on students' initial solos and prevent nasty surprises.
 
RotorDude said:
I think this effect is more pronounced when the aircraft is very small and light. And even more so when the student is light while the CFI is heavy.
For example, in the case of a light helicopter like the R-22, with that combination of CFI/student weights, the "first solo" effect can very significant. The problem there is not so much the extra (and very welcome) climbing rate, but the drastic CG change, both fore-aft as well as left-right (lateral).
So much so, that many instructors routinely add lead weight to compensate for their absence on students' initial solos and prevent nasty surprises.
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Speaking of light helicopters. In my dream world I'd like to get my helicopter license at some point(My grandpa had a helicopter and fixed wing license in the military so naturally I'd want one also). However, even the super small helicopters seem to be much more expensive compared to fixed wings (could be all I see are generally almost new helicopters). So is it even practical to find a fair helicopter to buy under 80K? I could look into sharing a helicopter with another pilot I suppose...
 
Honestly, I never noticed the difference in takeoff without my CFI in the plane. Maybe that's because we are both light weight.
 
Focus on V-Speeds, holding attitude, and communication.
Tips for the actual event, enjoy it. Tell the ground/tower you're a student pilot on your initial solo and they will make your life way easier. But you'll never want to forget this flight, don't make it a stressful memory.
 
Cajun_Flyer said:
Honestly, I never noticed the difference in takeoff without my CFI in the plane. Maybe that's because we are both light weight.
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That would make sense. It's all a question of percentages.
 
Dmitri Scheidel said:
Focus on V-Speeds, holding attitude, and communication.
Tips for the actual event, enjoy it. Tell the ground/tower you're a student pilot on your initial solo and they will make your life way easier. But you'll never want to forget this flight, don't make it a stressful memory.
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Good points. Yea I plan on recording the flight with my go pro so I can remember and show family.
 
Vance Breese said:
My friend from the Van Nuys FSDO shared that with me to let me know that he blamed it on the CFI and I was responsible for a proper transition to solo. I don’t know the details or if there was any enforcement action.
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So an FAA inspector blamed it on the CFI? Must have been a different or another reason for violating the CFI. If she was ready for solo she should have been able to handle it, IF she had the proper training. Perhaps she wasn't quite ready and the CFI signed her off early or too soon.
 
Matthew K said:
Speaking of light helicopters. In my dream world I'd like to get my helicopter license at some point(My grandpa had a helicopter and fixed wing license in the military so naturally I'd want one also). However, even the super small helicopters seem to be much more expensive compared to fixed wings (could be all I see are generally almost new helicopters). So is it even practical to find a fair helicopter to buy under 80K? I could look into sharing a helicopter with another pilot I suppose...
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There are definitely solutions within that price range. Either sharing, or buying a kit (e.g. Rotorway or even sexier Helicycle). But bear in mind that helicopters are not ideal cross country machines, they are optimal for relatively short distances into small and/or confined spaces, or just for fun. I would suggest getting a rating in the R-22, and then deciding on the best long term solution.
 
RotorDude said:
There are definitely solutions within that price range. Either sharing, or buying a kit (e.g. Rotorway or even sexier Helicycle). But bear in mind that helicopters are not ideal cross country machines, they are optimal for relatively short distances into small and/or confined spaces, or just for fun. I would suggest getting a rating in the R-22, and then deciding on the best long term solution.
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Yea so unless I make a ton of money in my future I probably won't ever buy a helicopter. There's just so many good planes you can get for less in my opinion, plus the cross country factor. Getting my helicopter license and at least renting occasionally is still on my bucket list though. I'd go out and do a discovery type flight in a light helicopter right now except for the fact that the local helicopter school charges $300 a person and requires 2 people. Might as well wait until I've gotten my fixed wing rating.
 
Don't forget to pick up your instructor after the last landing.....
 
Matthew K said:
Yea so unless I make a ton of money in my future I probably won't ever buy a helicopter. There's just so many good planes you can get for less in my opinion, plus the cross country factor. Getting my helicopter license and at least renting occasionally is still on my bucket list though. I'd go out and do a discovery type flight in a light helicopter right now except for the fact that the local helicopter school charges $300 a person and requires 2 people. Might as well wait until I've gotten my fixed wing rating.
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Getting my Rotorcraft add-on is still on my bucket list, but for the estimate of 12k, it's not in the budget.
 
Just focus on your routine. You'll feel a lot more confident as you call out each action you take... from full throttle, airspeed alive, Vy... just talk to yourself just like you would speak if your instructor was in the right seat. Remember that your CFI wouldn't send you up if he didn't feel confident that you could fly and land the plane.

Oh... and yeah, I agree about wearing a shirt you don't like. :p
 
Ryanb said:
Getting my Rotorcraft add-on is still on my bucket list, but for the estimate of 12k, it's not in the budget.
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Yea considering how much it will cost just to stay current flying fixed wings and to recover from flight lesson expenditures I'm sure I won't be wanting(or be allowed) to spend money on a helicopter rating anytime soon. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe those estimates of 12k are the low end also. :(
 
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