how many friends hung out to watch you solo?

The morning I soloed, my older son and daughter-in-law needed the other car, and had gone to the house to borrow it. Left the trunk key to their car, though...

So Brian hops out, and as I'm taxiing to the end of 18, I call Mary. She gets flustered, and while I'm out doing my two t/gs, she locks herself out of the house before she realizes she doesn't have an ignition key. On my second time around the pattern I hear the cell ringing, and figure she's calling to let me know she's on her way. So I'm looking for her Buick (I'm blissfully ignorant of what's going on), and after the third t/g, I go ahead and land. I check voice mail, and discover the whole comedy of errors.

So, trying to get through the whole shirttail ceremony, knowing she's locked outside, learn my last name is misspelled on the shirttail! All in all, not the most auspicious solo! :D

She has, since then, seen me do pattern work. We've both been working on our "W & B" so that once I do get my PPL we can go get a $100.00 hamburger somewhere. Right now, that'd be a little hard to do.:redface:

Keep us posted, Liz! Looking forward to reading your report!

Jim
 
my instructor and another student watched mine. i had an inkling i was going to solo, but my parents werent really super interested in me learning to fly. I went home and told my stepmom that i soloed and i think that was when she gave up trying to talk me out of it. She just had that "i cant believe you are doing this" look on her face.
 
I don't think anyone but the tower controllers watched mine. I didn't tell 'em until I was taxiing off the runway afterwards. Like others, I had one of my worst-ever landings, bouncing on the mains and drifting downwind toward the edge of the runway. I finally went around and decided that was a good enough excuse for four trips around the pattern. :D

I don't think I really wanted anyone there. It was just me and the airplane sharing the experience. It was also just a step, not a goal; I did my first cross country the same day.

I waited until after the PPL and becoming a much better pilot before sharing the experience with most people. I did take my best friend up shortly post-PPL, on a nice sunny afternoon during Memorial Day weekend. The turbulence was worse than I've ever had on any other flight and I almost soured someone on the experience. He didn't fly with me again until about 3 months ago.

Because of that, I've been able to take people up with me instead of just have them stand and watch, and create an enjoyable experience for them. It's really rewarding when I take someone up and they call everyone they know afterwards to tell them about it, or a close friend says "You know, i can really see the appeal of this."

I didn't get my mother in the plane until about three weeks ago. She's a very risk-averse type of person and really didn't like the fact that I was flying for a long time. However, being able to share a good experience was well worth the extended wait.

So, to try and make a point at 3:30 AM... Just mention it afterwards. Be enthusiastic, but not overly so. Later, you'll be able to give them a ride and maybe even create a few new aviation junkies. Now, you'll simply sound like an overly proud parent and be as likely to turn them off as anything. :( BTDT.
 
woodstock said:
did you have a huge contingent of friends hanging out and cheering you on?
Click to expand...
Just my CFI. You should be sure to invite your first CFI, too. Be sure your CFI knows you want your shirt-tail decorated.

Save the party for your checkride. I understand what an achievement that first solo can be since it took me about 200 hours and more than a dozen CFIs to get there (http://auntpeggy.home.att.net/soloday.html) but the real celebration comes with that license to learn you get from the examinator.
- Aunt Peggy
 
woodstock said:
so, did you just quietly get it over with one day and then told some friends or did you have a huge contingent of friends hanging out and cheering you on?
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I can't remember it being a big deal. I had around 10 hrs and things were
going well and one day when we were flying my CFI just said pull over on
the ramp, called the tower and told them I'd be solo and told me to go do
3 TO's and landings. I remember double and tripple checking everything
and off I went. My first thought on leaving the ground was .. "WOOOO
HOOOO this thing really scoots without that 200lbs in the other seat".
I hadn't thought about it, planned for it or expected it. After that I wanted
to just go out by myself and fool around without the CFI. It's definitely a
turning point and a confidence builder.

Now the one that DID make me nervous was soloing the helicopter. It
was about the same .. 9 or 10 hrs .. and my CFI got out and said "
why don't you just go up by yourself. I think my reply was something
like .. "what? are you nuts? don't they have to be able to use this
thing again?"
 
I didn't even Solo at my home feild. The wind was stiff out of the south and 7D2 only has a 9-27, so we went over to Romeo did a few T&G, he pulled the power on me on take off and I did what I should and pointed out a nice feild. Then he got out. I don't think I could have handled other people being there expecting me to solo.

Missa
 
HPNFlyGirl said:
Did any of you get "oh you soloed. your instructor was sitting there next to you right? i mean you were at the controls but he was sitting there?"

Uh NO..just me and the plane. Well I had 2 passengers if you count myself, and I.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've heard that one.
It's right up there with,
"Oh, you're a flight instructor -do you have to be a pilot for that?
Do you have to know how to fly?""
 
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I knew several days ahead of time, and still no one was there. The CFI did pull a trick on me though.
The plan was to have an early dual ride to make sure I was "on" though he later said it wasn't really necessary. After a couple of trips around the pattern dual he said "pull over and stop here" I'm thinking "This is it". Then he sez, "take me around again". I'm now wondering WTF???
So around we go one more time.....
Then, he signs me off for the solo.
Afterwards, I asked about the "one more time". He said he had told the FBO guys to come out and watch, and thay hadn't gathered to judge the landings yet, so he gave them a little more time to get outside. One friend, the one who got me started flying, came to the PPL checkride. After I passed I called home to tell my wife, her reaction? "That's nice, what time will you be home?". Funny, when ever I LEAVE FOR the airport now, "What time will you be home?" is her only reaction.
 
RogerT said:
Now the one that DID make me nervous was soloing the helicopter. It was about the same .. 9 or 10 hrs .. and my CFI got out and said "
why don't you just go up by yourself. I think my reply was something
like .. "what? are you nuts? don't they have to be able to use this
thing again?"
Click to expand...

Interesting. My experience was the opposite. I was nervous on my first solo in an airplane, but some years later, when I soloed in an R22, it was like a nonevent -- but it's also true that I had more hours than you did, and maybe that made a difference.
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
None. Anyone that knew I was soloing got as far away as possible, and they still often do!
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Same here. My CFI called up the guys at the fuel pit and made sure the crash truck was parked near by with the keys in it.
 
Just me and the CFI. I think an audience might have made me choke.

Since most people's eyes glaze over when I talk flying, I have to be very judicious in my choice of audiences. The day after I soloed, I was so happy to run into the husband of the woman who runs my kids' school. He's a pilot, so I had a kindred spirit who really understood my excitement. I HAD to tell SOMEONE!!!

Other than that, as Abe Lincoln might have said, the world would "little note, nor long remember" my first solo.
 
I used my Digital Camera to video a students last landing on his first solo flight this weekend in St Louis and gave my e-mail to his CFI so he could e-mail me if he wants a copy. The camera shoots great short (640x480 30fps up to 15 min or 800x600 15fps 10min) video. I hope he sends an e-mail the landing and approach was perfect.
 
No. No one. Wife knew but chose not to come. Later, at the new school (at her suggestion), and a new plane, she chose not to be there either. Oh, and the reason for the new school - She could spend time at the beach while I took lessons (which she did just once).
My PPL was attended by one of my true friends who rented a vehicle that very day JUST to be there. My wife wasn't interested.
By the way, she's now my exwife. So much for sharing my dream.
 
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