Approaching 10 hours, where were you?

[UnAnswerd]

I have 9.4 hours of dual in the Cherokee 140. To date, only about 2 of those hours have been continuous pattern work. Subsequently, I have a good idea about how to put the airplane back down, but don't feel very confident about it. In fact, I think I'll need many more hours in the pattern before I can really start to land the airplane without continuous assistance...

I can make the airplane turn, but often times I get away from the desired altitude by as much as 200' during a 360...

My instructor said that he typically likes to see students solo at about 14 or 16 hours. If I were to solo right now, at 9.4 hours, I would estimate that the chances of killing myself would be about 40%. So, I feel I'm "getting it", but think I'll need many more hours of dual before that day ever comes. I'm doubtful I'll solo at 16 hours, but maybe I will.

Just wondering where some of you guys might have been around 10 hours, and if you think I'm behind. I did in fact ask my instructor what he thought, and he says I'm doing okay...

Any comments/advise would be greatly appreciated....

 

[chrisdahut24]

Don't get hung up on how many hours you have or will have before solo. Everyone solos when they're ready. Avoid comparing yourself to others (I know, it's easier said then done) and rely on your instructor's advice and comments. I had students who were good sticks, but so obsessed with hitting some imaginary "acceptable time" to solo that they stopped focusing in what was important- learning to be safe and competent!


As for the altitude loss in turns, that seems normal for a 9 hour pilot. Think of it this way....if you can half that to 100 feet within the next 5 hours of experience (which is reasonable), then you'll be holding altitude to PTS and you haven't even got through half the minimum FAA hours! Then you'd be well ahead of the game. Always think glass half full



Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Kream926]

i solo'd at 9.2. went allright untill the last one when i could have logged up to 4 landings. my mom has it on tape i still get a kick outta watching it. Good luck and you'll know when you're ready

 

[JB74]

Just thumbed through my logbook and I solo'd at 9.1 hrs.

I didn't feel confident before I solo'd either. Don't worry too much about hours in a logbook, doesn't really mean much.

 

[DrewBlows]

My instructor said that he typically likes to see students solo at about 14 or 16 hours. If I were to solo right now, at 9.4 hours, I would estimate that the chances of killing myself would be about 40%. So, I feel I'm "getting it", but think I'll need many more hours of dual before that day ever comes. I'm doubtful I'll solo at 16 hours, but maybe I will.

I hope you realize how funny this statement is. Yeah, I think 40% is about right for 9 hours. Relax you are progressing fine. You have to learn basic aircraft control (straight and level, climbs, descents, and turns) before progressing to pattern work. That's why it seems like you haven't spent much time in the pattern. It's normal and it sounds like your instructor is doing a fine job with you. Ask him about the building blocks of learning.

By the way, a very big part of leaning to fly is recognizing and being able to reproduce a certain "attitude" (eg. when climbing set the cowling on the horizon) for a certain situations. There is no situation where the "attitude" in you avitar is appropriate.

 

[UnAnswerd]

Thank you all for the positive feedback. Again, my instructor claims I'm doing okay. I trust his judgment, but just wanted some other thoughts/opinions...

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

DON'T SWEAT IT!! Best to think of solo coming up at about 30 hours of flight time. It'll keep your mind off of it since you'll probably solo before that. And don't get caught up in people saying they solo'd with less than 10 hours or 15 hours of whatever. You may not realize it but there are 15 required maneuvers and topics your instructor must review with you per the FAR's. If these are followed I'd be very surprised if you would solo before 12 hours or so. Just takes time to review them and get your basic skills in line before get signed off.

I don't know why your instructor wants people solo at 14-16 hours. Everyone is different. I had a guy take about 30 hours. Almost every time he flew the winds would be off 40 degrees at 15 gust 25. Just a bit tough for a student pilot in a C152. This went on for months(winter time). First day the winds calmed down, he practically greased them all.

Just have fun.

Mr. I.

 

[troy]

Sounds like you are on the way to me. Keep up the practice and it will all come about perfect. I don't have my logbook, but I think my solo was about 16 hours. My current student solo'd at 14.

 

[labbats]

I've soloed people from 8 - 28. I soloed at 16 and thought the instructor was nuts to leave me alone in the plane. That is until I got downwind and couldn't stop giggling to be by myself. Look forward to that.

 

[bobbysamd]

Solo

Students worry too much about not soloing by X amount of hours. You'll solo when you're ready.

A lot depends on your training schedule. I've had students solo at about twelve hours after a week of training every day. I've had others who soloed after twenty hours primarily because of interrupted training and need for remedial. I had one student at MAPD who, despite regular training, soloed at about twenty hours. His problem was his attitude. Then, I knew an instructor who claimed that he soloed at five hours. The guy also had a fat ego, so believe what you want.

It only matters that you solo. When you solo is far less important.

Good luck with your training.

 

[Kaman]

Hello,
Don't sweat the hours thing. Everyone learns at their own pace and style. A shrewd flight instructor will cater his own instructional style to match your way of learning and you'll be successful. Just remember from astronauts on down, pilots aren't born they are trained.

Regards,

ex-Navy Rotorhead

 

[2yrs2go]

Students worry too much about not soloing by X amount of hours. You'll solo when you're ready.

A lot depends on your training schedule. I've had students solo at about twelve hours after a week of training every day. I've had others who soloed after twenty hours primarily because of interrupted training and need for remedial. I had one student at MAPD who, despite regular training, soloed at about twenty hours. His problem was his attitude. Then, I knew an instructor who claimed that he soloed at five hours. The guy also had a fat ego, so believe what you want.

It only matters that you solo. When you solo is far less important.

Good luck with your training.

And worry too much about how many hours that they have when they take their check ride.



I took nearly 90 hours to get my private due to the aforementioned "interrupted training and need for remedial." I was ready at about 50 hours, but with a long string of really bad weather on my days off, my work schedule, my instructor’s schedule and a host of other things, it was pushed back. Believe it or not, I was standing outside the FBO grabbing a smoke, with the examiner and my CFI, chatting and this guy walks up. The only thing I could say nice about how he looked was that he still had most of his teeth. He went on for a good five minutes about how he soloed at ten hours and got his private at 45. He then went on to tell all three of us that he could not imagine how it could take anybody 90 hours.



Everybody does it at their own pace. You will find yours.

 

[DirtyBeech]

these guys are right. solo when you're ready, not when your ego is. i had students who soloed at 10 hours, and students who soloed at 25 hours. generally, if my students weren't quite ready at the end of the pre-solo training syllabus we'd move on and start their cross country dual training. it gave them more time to master the aircraft, and helped them develop an eye for a traffic pattern where they hadn't memorized where to turn base and final ( i never taught that, but students inevitably did it as a crutch early on). then when they were ready we'd maybe do 2 review flights on pre-solo stuff and i'd sign them off. their cross country sign off followed shortly thereafter. it only added 1 to 2 hours to the training syllabus, and everyone felt a lot better about the solo.

as for your altitude loss in turns you might try this. increase wherever your nose is in reference to the horizon to maintain level flight by roughly half. that position will vary based on aircraft, your height, and seat placement, but it worked well for my students. for example, in the old 172, level flight generally placed the nose about two inches below the horizon. i had my students raise it to one inch below the horizon for starters, and then play with it to get it right. that really helps you to learn to look outside the aircraft to control it's performance while backing up your desired outcome with the instruments in the plane.