Primary Students @ Lewis University

[Metro752]

Warning: The following consists of a great deal of new pilot dorkyness, which I am, but yet I still find things such as the below shocking. (no I don't go to Lewis)

Soooooooooo, I go to this "function" at Lewis U last Saturday, and I see these guys looking at the Huey in the MX training hangar they have, and two of them proudly announce they are flight students, they ask me what my major is is, History, wooop de doo. Anywho, so I ask em how far they are in their training, what's it like flying.

The one has 17 hours, and the other had 15 hours, all in C152s, it's a 141 program, and NEITHER

NEITHER KNEW WHAT THE HELL FLYING "SOLO" meant. One said he thought he had to have 40 hours to fly solo.

I doubt these guys were lying, they were student pilots, one offered to show me his certificate, because I just could NOT believe they had not soloed within 15 hours, or even knew what it was.

I go, three take offs and landings, without anyone on the plane but you, is normally what a first solo consists of. They looked at me like I was talking Chinese. They've been in class 4-5 weeks, and fly about 1-1.5 hours a day, MWF. So I don't know what to say, they haven't soloed yet, 15 hours, and have not even been told by their instructors what soloing is.

One of the dorks thought the Huey was a Cobra..................and well I don't know what to say, I asked if they even owned a FAR/AIM....NO, their instructors told them they didn't need that book yet.

Anyway, I'm still in shock over them not even knowing what "soloing" is respects to your first solo take offs and landings by 15 hours, and 4-5 weeks into the flying program.

What's my point, is this normal for 141 flying schools, and universities?

I soloed with 7 hours.

 

[aucfi]

I wonder if they have the same instructor?

The 141 school I work at uses the Jepp syllabus along with a course syllabus (AV113) for begenning primary students. Both syllabi are reviewed on the first day to give the student a "heads up" of whats to come and what is expected of them.

Not all schools are the same though...

au

 

[Almerick07]

8 hour solo at a 141 cessna program

 

[BoilerUP]

These people are not representative of the high quality of pilots that I know from Lewis. Don't judge the entire program off of these two dolts.

As far as the Huey being a Cobra, "The Kid" would not be amused...

 

[Illini Pilot]

you would be suprised at the idiots that come through pretty much any program...especially collegiate programs that some kids look at a shiny brochure and say "crap! i need a major...uhhh...cool, i'll fly airplanes!"

i'm pretty familiar with lewis' program, their private syllabus, pre-solo written, etc. and these two are certainly in the CLEAR minority. the syllabus is designed to get students to solo in about 10 hrs, but that obviously is going to depend on how fast they pick up all the skills

 

[flydrummer]

Maybe they thought you meant Han Solo.

 

[Metro752]

Well what I was trying get across, these guys didn't even know about soloing, besides the fact they are already 15 hours in.

 

[siucavflight]

That is on par with Lewis, it has to be one of the worst aviation schools around. Even worse than where I went(see name). Lewis produces some of the worst, most dangerous pilots I have ever run across, how you can have a 141 school at an uncontrolled field blows my mind.

 

[Metro752]

Well I'm finding out these clowns I talked to are most likely the dumbest of the 75 flight students they have over there.

Suprising how tied into aviation flightinfo.com is, everywhere

In general I've never heard anything but good stuff about Lewis, regular University flying program.

 

[BoilerUP]

how you can have a 141 school at an uncontrolled field blows my mind.

You don't have to have a control tower or TRACON to be Part 141, especially when Chicago is less than 30 miles up the road. How far are they away from DPA or ARR again?