Dux, just thinkin' here - I'd always thought that you could ony "solo" once?
best, randy
At the little strip where I soloed, they had a first solo, second supervised solo and third supervised solo.... After that you could sign out a plane and fly in the pattern for another 7 hours, on to dual x-country next.
Other solos, even in different aircraft, are just solo flight.
Oh, how right you are, Terry. Each pilot could probably talk for an hour about the emotions he encountered the FIRST time he flew ALONE in an airplane.
During a lifetime, we'll encounter a lot of First's: first sex, first time in Dad's car without Dad, first time speaking before a group of hundreds, first military command, first day in high school, and on and on. But none of them will be as exciting, as thrilling, as awesome, as lasting, as the first time we actually fly an airplane, with no one else on board! That is a First only a very small percentage of humans will ever encounter and a First they will never forget.
Oh, how right you are, Terry. Each pilot could probably talk for an hour about the emotions he encountered the FIRST time he flew ALONE in an airplane.
During a lifetime, we'll encounter a lot of First's: first sex, first time in Dad's car without Dad, first time speaking before a group of hundreds, first military command, first day in high school, and on and on. But none of them will be as exciting, as thrilling, as awesome, as lasting, as the first time we actually fly an airplane, with no one else on board! That is a First only a very small percentage of humans will ever encounter and a First they will never forget.
Ward -- I'm pretty sure that I'm off the charts of normal on this, but I don't have any firm or thrilling memory of my first solo. I remember going around on one approach to landing, the runway in use, and how well the 150 climbed, but nothing of any rush of emotion or any overwhelming feeling of accomplishment (although I'm sure I did feel accomplished but doing it). Maybe it's just that I was so scared for most of my primary training that this wasn't any different? ;-) Now some of the other things you mention as firsts .....
Ward -- I'm pretty sure that I'm off the charts of normal on this, but I don't have any firm or thrilling memory of my first solo. I remember going around on one approach to landing, the runway in use, and how well the 150 climbed, but nothing of any rush of emotion or any overwhelming feeling of accomplishment (although I'm sure I did feel accomplished but doing it). Maybe it's just that I was so scared for most of my primary training that this wasn't any different? ;-) Now some of the other things you mention as firsts .....
Same here. I remember it, but it was a bit anticlimactic. But I was ready to solo several flights before I actually did. My instructor just would not solo me. He left and a new guy came in, and soloed me immediately.
I remember my first solo in helicopters at Ft. Wolters. I was first to solo in my class. I land, my IP and stick buddy get in. My stick buddy immediately wrecks the helicopter by overpowering the IP. My stick buddy is sent directly back to the Infantry and my IP didn't instruct any more. From that moment on I never had a stick buddy and never flew with the same IP for the next 9 months in flight school.
I didn't have Bill's issues, but distinctly recall the instructor getting out of my military helo and me doing a solo pattern around the field. Looked really funny to see the controls moving on his side of the cockpit without him there. I had a great instructor. Former AF that flew F84s, mayor of a near-by small town and just a great fella. As we went out to the plane around dawn, one could envision him wrapping his silk scarf around his neck as he seated himself back in the day :-)
Funny, I only have a vague memory of my first solo, but I can recall my first solo cross-country with great deal of detail and vividly recall the pride and relief when I departed the last turnpoint with the absolute certainty that I would find my way home.
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