Going Solo

[Bennyboy320]

I really dont think it matters how may hours - everyone has a different learning rate.

This is a great comment, don't get into a p#ssing competition with others at the flying school etc about when you went solo, the first word in our association is recreational, we fly for fun & have to remember that, so it doesn't matter how long it takes to progress as long as you're enjoying the challenges of flying, you are a self funded aviator, on the other hand if you are sponsored by the tax payer or an airline that's a cut throat & completely different world.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

My good friend Mike is now well over 40 hours and has not yet gone solo. ( EV97 Eurostar )

 

He is, however, philosophical about this, and until he can demonstrate consistently reasonable landings, . . . the instructor and aircraft owner is NOT going to take any risks. He is a bit inconsistent, to the extent that, following two virtually perfect arrivals,. . .the following one is all over the place like a starving dog's breakfast . . . Yet he REALLY WANTS to continue until he has it conquered. I'll be watching him again tomorrow morning. . . . .

 

The instructor says that . . ."apart from the bit at the end. . . his flying is exemplary"

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Whilst we are on this most thought provoking thread, I had ( IMHO ) a VERY GOOD instructor in the very early 1970s, by the name of Alan Basket.

 

The only thing I ever noticed that he did worong, was on my first solo (at Berwick Vic. in a Cessna - I had been uponmeown before in the UK ) he forgot to secure the right hand seat belt and left the buckle dangling outside the door when he shut it.

 

This was exciting, as it made a lot of noise dingle dangling on the fuselage just after rotation. . with not enough room ( I thought ) to abort. I fixed it on landing and then took off again and did another 2 circuits, Alan said later that he had only meant me to do ONE ! . . .

 

This instructor had already "alerted" me that he was happy with my flying and that he would be sending me solo if I was "Happy" to do this, following three perfect circuits. . . . ( I don't remember them being anywhere near "perfect" but he must've thought so ) I was taking a bit of a personal risk here, as neither my work nor Life insurance would cover me should I be killed whilst personally in command of a flying machine of any sort. . .I'm glad that SOME insurance companies have changed their risk perspective on this subject.

 

A member of our Club once took a 5 year old lass up for a flight,. . . he was newly licensed, and during the 45 minutes or so that they were whizzing around the county taking pictures,. . . ( Trike BTW ) the wind had increased markedly, and the end result was that matey stalled his trike on very short final, the aircraft dropped flat onto the runway from around 30 feet, ( 10 m ? ) and the little girl suffered a broken leg, wrist and ankle, + multiple contusions. . .. The aircraft was completely destroyed. There was NO lawsuit and no bad press,. . . ! Lucky as passenger insurance was not mandatory, and he had not got it anyway. Only Third party property liability insurance was required, at a minimum of £150K. The man is VERY lucky he didn't lose his empire over that one. Following this the club had a strict rule that every pilot / owner had to show insurance annually to retain flying membership.. . .good rule that. . .

 

That was in 1994. . . imagine what would have happened in today's litigous society ?

 

As to taking up "Kids" . . . I, and many of my friends have been doing this for many years; as passenger insurance improved a long time ago in the UK, and I never flew with less than £2.5 million cover, even when you could get policies much cheaper for less than £1Mill. Nowadays this wouldn't do a lot of good if you happened to create a paraplegic out of a young professional person, and policies can cost a heck of a lot more now, and even then, it's never enough,. . they take your house away as well usually.

 

We no longer fly ATC cadets, the RAF stopped us doing that, unless they removed their uniforms. . . . and what with all the child protection, anti pedalo legislation which abounds nowadays,. . . .if a young boy or girl ever asks me for directions in the street,. . . I scream and run away immediately. . .

 

Happy days. . . ..

 

 

[billwoodmason]

Who are you DrZoos ? I'm intrigued by your read on issues related to RAA etc. Do you have a vested interest ?.