How Many Hours Till You Went Solo

[Foto_Flyer]

After an extended break from flying (try 7 years) where I was originally training in GA, I have finally got back into it but in a much lighter (lighter than a C152) Tecnam.

 

I abandoned the idea of GA as it was way too expensive for the sort of flying I wanted to do. But here's the thing, yes I know it has been seven years, but I feel like I've gone back to square one. I guess in a way I have. Boy do these lighter planes need to be flowen! Anyway, the frustrating thing is that I had done a few solo circuits in GA, got to that point in around 17hrs, and was half expecting this all to be easy to pick back up. "A bit like riding a bike", I told myself. Well I was wrong! As my instructor has said, in effect I haven't done this before, everything is new and different. I just have to relax, enjoy the experience and It will eventually all click into place. I now see why so many RA/Ultrlight pilots/instructors say that these light, low inertia A/C teach you to be a better pilot. You ride the conditions (and adjust everything accordingly) rather than "drive" through them with barely a care in the world!

 

Anyway, this brings me to my question, how long did it take you to go solo? I would particularly like to hear from of those who have had a similar background/experience to me. Maybe that way I can stop fretting about whether I'm making progress or not, and just get on with it! :baldy:

 

 

[turboplanner]

Your experience is quite normal. There's quite an extensive thread covering this subject somewhere on the site.

 

Don't count the hours, it's the conditions which count. As you've already experienced the lighter aircraft moves around a whole lot more - the bigger the wing lift, the more unpredictable.

 

A lot of guys will boast about how quickly they got through, but usually they've done it in calm conditions - you'll meet most of them again in the accident reports where the undercarriage fails, props strikes, upside down in a ditch etc.

 

It took me thirty years to get my first windshear, and I was very lucky to have an instructor beside me when it happened.

 

Certainly be prepared for a lot more hours than a return to GA.

 

In fact it would be interesting to compare the net costs, even though GA hire rates are much higher.

 

 

[poteroo]

Don't have exact numbers to hand, but it's our experience that there's very little difference in hours flown between a GA student in a C150 reaching GFPT, and an RAAus student reaching PC in the J160. The J160 students reach solo in about the same or slightly more time.

 

Yes, you might have an easier time in RAAus if you picked your aircraft, (say a Gazelle), flew at a country airport with wide runways usually into wind, and then picked your conditions, ie flew in April/May over here. Not many have this opportunity.

 

happy days,

 

 

[Guest Brett Campany]

There is a post around here with a poll of the number of people and how many hours it took them to go solo, I'll have a look for it.

 

 

[Guest Brett Campany]

Found it

 

http://www.recreationalflying.com/forum/training-students/778-raaus-time-first-solo.html

 

 

[Simonflyer]

Hi Foto..

 

Dont fret mate.It is a bit tricky in the lighter planes as you say, and you aint the first to have a few early niggles.Just stick with it, and try and relax, and one day soon it will start to click..

 

Something that really helped me when i was battling the aircraft was my instructor telling me to think of the air as water, and not to over react to every single little pocket of warm air or gust, but just to relax as if i were in a boat and let it do its thing.Obviously on short final if its about to smack you into the ground it might help to do something, but in the most part it will settle down again soon enough..

 

One other thing..if you can fly regularly that will help a lot.youll get in a nice groove if you can fly a coupla times a week..

 

Cheers

 

Simon

 

 

[Foto_Flyer]

Thanks for all your replies and advice. Rest assured it was all taken on board.

 

Since I posted this question I have finally gone solo at about the 10hr mark, so I'm pretty happy with that!

 

So, to sum up -

 

Time to solo in GA = 17hrs,

 

Time to go solo again in GA (after 12 month break) = 5hrs,

 

Time to solo in RA (after 7 year break!) = 10hrs! :big_grin:

 

Basically I just needed to stop worrying about things, relax, trust and listen to my instructors and not do what I thought I should but what they said I should! Doh! Once I did that it all just started to click. I was no longer fighting the A/C, I was getting ahead of the game and actually started to enjoy flying again! The other thing that has helped is as Simonflyer mentioned, fly regularly. I have taken a couple of weeks off so that I can do this and it has definately helped!

 

So finally today, we get to do some flying above 1000ft and away from the airfield. Might even get a chance to check out the scenery. Ah, Queensland really lives up to it's motto this time of year!