Solo X-country question

[UnAnswerd]

When the time comes for a solo X-country, does the student typically get to choose his/her own destinations, or does the instructor mandate exactly where the student will go???

 

[Kream926]

both i think

for my private xc i decided to go to an airport that ive never been to before to get the full experience of pilotage and dead wreckoning and such. its alot of fun dude youll remember it forever, and all the other ones wont feel the same, untill your long commercial solo xc, but thats for a difrent thread.

have fun,

kream

 

[minitour]

untill your long commercial solo xc

never again THANK GOD!!!



I don't think I'd have a problem letting my student pick the xc destinations. There are some places I'd like them to try going to, but I'm not sure I'm going to dictate to them. I do want to give them instruction over the route for at least the first two...if they do more after that, I'm sure they will be juuuuust fine.

-mini

 

[Kream926]

mini

nice to see you back

where did ya go on long xc? i went to AMA
you gotta admitt it was fun, for the first hour or so
on the way back about 10mi outside OKC i started to see tulsa so i ditched the navlog aside and pointed the nose right at it, i looked down and realized that i was still like 90 or so out, ground speed like 74 in fitee-duece. good times

 

[minitour]

Some cow field in Texas...I took the lazy way out and followed airways. Chewed up more gas than I planned and took on 21 Gal when I landed...coming back the GS was considerably faster (in the 30kts faster range) but I forgot the "landings at 3 points" thing. Had to beg OKC to let me in the C w/o a mode-c read out since I didn't feel like popping in to David J. or CHK. Approach was nice but the tower guy aparently didn't get the memo that I was coming in w/o Mode-C...he was decent but..."one touch and go, then make a right turn to 090 and get out of my airspace" "yes sir" haha.

Geez what is that town in Texas...oh yeah, Dalhart! Decent restaurant on the field. Good hamburger at a good price, but all my "checkpoints" were oil rigs...and that was confusing...thank God for the airways.

Lost comms twice going there...good times.

I wanted to go down to G.Bush, but the 141 syllabus wouldn't allow it...that woulda been hella fun. Oh well.

The private solo xcs were fun tho...

-mini

 

[mnixon]

When the time comes for a solo X-country, does the student typically get to choose his/her own destinations, or does the instructor mandate exactly where the student will go???

I could care less just as long as the student is not a complete tard. Otherwise, they are going someplace we have already been together.

 

[nosehair]

does the student typically get to choose his/her own destinations, or does the instructor mandate exactly where the student will go???

Usually the instructor tells the student where to go at first. The instructor is responsible to provide the training and experience that will prepare the student pilot for Private Pilot priveleges in the real world. If the instructor allows the student to pick his own destinations, the student may only go to small but easy to find country airports and not gain traffic experience. Or only go to Tower controlled airports and not gain non-towered make-your-own-decisions kinds of airports. The list goes on, but in any case the instructor should see that you are gaining as much varied experience as is posible in the short amount of required solo x/c flying that you will do. If your instructor does not demonstrate a concern for your solo experience, I would advise you to find one who cares.

 

[moxiepilot]

mini & kream - you fellas out of RVS or TUL

 

[Kream926]

rvsssss

 

[minitour]

mini & kream - you fellas out of RVS or TUL

neither...but I was out of OUN...

-mini

 

[JonJohn82]

mini, where did you fly at OUN?

 

[Fly_Chick]

I usually give my students options for their first solo xcrty. We have already flown together to at least one of the airports. Then I usually give them three airport options, and have them analyze weather, distance, aispace and let them choose based on their knowledge.

I have them pick their second airport landing. I am looking more for what they come up with, how they make their decisions, then I will commet or guide their decision making (airspace, remarks in the AFD).

 

[wiggsfly]

Depends on where. When I instructed for a university the students didn't have a choice, in fact nearly all cross-countries through commercial were to about the same 3 airports. As for part 61, I make my students choose where they want to go (within reason) and we'll typically fly it dual before hand for the first time.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I think that most CFIs probably pick that first flight. Typically, it's the same route that they did dual. That way, there is a level of familiarity that may make the student a bit more comfortable.

After that, selection is usually a joint effort.

There are exceptions. I managed to talk my CFI into letting me go in a completely different direction than our dual. It was an adventure including getting lost, having a radio failure, and diverting to an unplanned airport. Some day I'll have to write that one for my website, probably after I have a chance to refly the route sometime and get photos.

 

[Tater Salad]

We were given a list of about 15 airports that we were approved to fly to by our flight school. Wasn't a bad list at all. The instructor had to give the final approval for the flight once the student had shown that all flight planning preparations were carried out, and are correct. A little limiting, but it's what has to be done when you're sending student pilots out on there first solo x-countries.

 

[sqwkvfr]

Thats how I plan to roll as a CFI...

I think that the CFI should choose the destinations...I know that if I was given a choice, I'd have picked the easiest destinations and routes possible.

Instead, I was told where to go, it forced me to figure out how to get there and deal with the comms, etc.

The trip had three legs...one was perfect for airway navigation, one was perfect for dead reckoning, and the other was perfect for pilotage.

I learned a lot more than I would have had I chosen the destinations.

 

[minitour]

mini, where did you fly at OUN?

I was out at Airman Flight School.

and out there, we had approved airports per the 141 syllabus...the short ones were okay, but the long one I wanted to do a trip into some Bravo (or at least through it/over it) and go somewhere busy...it sucked having to go out to DHT...good food, but not busy at all

-mini

 

[check6]

I agree with midlife. In my professional opinion, flying with them over the route gives them confidence to see it is no big deal.

 

[PC12Cowboy]

Mini,
have you gotten to penetrate your classBravo yet??lol

 

[darkvw]

the first one I did was the route we flew dual , then I got to pick them as I wanted, he just wanted to see all of the planning done first. He also made sure I knew the emergency proceedures too.