First Solo!!!
 

It took a bit longer than I had hoped it would, but I finally did my first solo today!

http://www.subguru.com/solo.jpg

:()1:

Congratulations on your new adventure,
 

:salute:

Uh oh, a bubblehead in the skies!:o

J/k, congratulations!:salute:

Congratulations!!! You are on your way to the most exciting and scary time you can ever imagine.

Take your stall practice to the horn and recover if you don't have the instructor with you.

Is it still +/-10° on the heading and +/- 50' for private pilot in the stall?

Tower to GoldenRivet..........
Tower to GoldenRivet.........

Return to base immediately....
I say again, return to base immediately.....
Inadvertent hostile aircraft detected...
I say agai...........
SSSSHhhhhhhhhhhhhssssSTTCHhCHHCH........
.................................................. .........
......................<click>

Congratulations!

Try not to crash or anything. :O:

Well done Bill, congratulations.:woot:

You will never for get your first solo. :yeah::salute:

Congratulations Bill http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...s/thumbsup.gif

http://imgcash5.imageshack.us/img502...ngdowlyvz1.gif

Nice one Bill! Next up, a P-51 :salute:

Nice ... congradulations are in order.

I assume your talking about a flying solo :haha:

But I am curious if you dont mind telling us how long it took and approximatly how much money did you expend on it?

Ive been thinking about trying out for a ticket but alas my age, vision, and health are obsticles :oops:

It took five months from my first flying lesson (see http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...ghlight=lesson ) and just over 30-hours instruction before I was able to solo. Consider the plane rental is $95/hr (includes gas) and instructor time is $50/hr and you get a feel for how much I've invested so far.

One of the hangups for me was getting the necessary 3rd class medical certificate. My age and health history required I get letters from my physicians (3 of them) ... you can probably guess how long it took to get those and have them reviewed by the FAA bureaucracy. Once that was out of the way and I fulfilled the necessary paperwork steps (FAA knowledge test, pre-solo written exam, special training for the Washington DC airspace that I fly in), it was a matter of proving to my instructor (and the airplane's owner) that I was ready to solo.

Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous at all with the solo. After a few times around the pattern with my instructor on board, he got out of the plane and let me do three takeoffs and landings on my own. It was just like all the other takeoffs & landings I've done, except that I didn't need to worry about my instructor telling me during the downwind that my engine had quit, or the flaps weren't working :D

My suggestion if you're really thinking about taking lessons: checkout the flying schools in your area. If you find one that looks good to you, sign up for a demo flight and see how you like it. Be candid with the instructor about your concerns, listen to what he has to say, and then make a decision.

:sunny:

Well done Bill. Glad that your flying lessons have come along so well and you have now gone solo. Does that mean we will see you flying an old warbird at an air show in the future? Congrats again and good luck. :salute:

You don't know solo flight until you can do steep turns at +/- 5° at 55° of bank. It really teaches lift vectors and the efficacy of top rudder.

Congrats again.

Congratulations Bill!