25 dual hours before solo

[Simon Mo]

I fly in moorabbin airport. I got my first solo after 25 dual hours. is it bad record for me？ usually people get the first solo after about 10-20 dual hour. Maybe I am a slow learner

 

 

[Robbo]

Everyone is different, I was solo in 7 hours from memory.

 

But you go solo when the instructor thinks you are ready, but the positive thing here is that you have gone solo.

 

I have heard of people being told to give up as they have done like 40 hours with no solo, some people are just not cut out for flying. I don't mean that in a bad way either, no point wasting money if you are not "getting it"

 

 

[red750]

Everyone is different, I was solo in 7 hours from memory.

Who is this stranger in our midst?

 

 

[Cosmick]

Maybe I am a slow learner

And maybe you will be a better prepared pilot than others. Congratulations on going Solo.

 

 

[Downunder]

My instructor told me it's generally all to do with age.

 

12 hrs for me at 36 years young....

 

Saw a father and son train together. Teenage son solo at 6hrs. Dad (late 40's or early 50's I guess) still not solo at 20 hrs....

 

 

[Simon Mo]

And maybe you will be a better prepared pilot than others. Congratulations on going Solo.

thank you for your encouragement

I will finish my license on my best:cheezy grin:

 

 

[Simon Mo]

My instructor told me it's generally all to do with age.12 hrs for me at 36 years young....

Saw a father and son train together. Teenage son solo at 6hrs. Dad (late 40's or early 50's I guess) still not solo at 20 hrs....

I am 21

so sad

 

 

[storchy neil]

Simon mo take heart young fella i started learning to drive trucks when I was 17 over bloody seventy now gave up learning and retired Neil

 

Oh bloody expert now:score 001:

 

 

[IBob]

In reality, and despite what we might wish to think, there is also huge variability in instructors, as aviators, as instructors, in what and how they think, their views and attitudes as to what is 'correct'. Add to that local variables of weather, traffic, frequency of lessons etc....and the hours to first solo become fairly meaningless.

 

Enjoy the journey, Simon: many most capable people have made what seemed to be 'slow' starts....and yours isn't even so slow!!!

 

 

[Camel]

Don't worry Simon Mo, I learnt with a very thorough and excellent instructor but what I didn't realize he expected a very, very high standard and said many times that he wanted all his students to stay alive. I also lived in a mountainous area ! The problem was I didn't go solo until 25 hours, depressing yes ! but thankful now, have been in many situations that required calm skilful handling and decisions. I'm now an instructor and I tell students I expect a high standard and I make no excuses and tell them I want them to stay alive. The time required or to say in a much better way the skills required are not all achieved in the pre licence period !

 

I would never frown on anyone for their learning time unless they were outright dangerous ! Meet a few with licences !

 

Good luck and enjoy the journey ! You will be a better pilot for it, and live !

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

Don't worry about how long it takes to reach solo, it's quite irrelevant.

 

When I was instructing it became evident that many of those that went solo quickly tended to stagnate for a while afterwards, whereas those who took longer at the beginning often ended up the best pilots because their learning was constant and they absorbed more, and forgot less.

 

Just enjoy the journey.

 

 

[Simon Mo]

Don't worry Simon Mo, I learnt with a very thorough and excellent instructor but what I didn't realize he expected a very, very high standard and said many times that he wanted all his students to stay alive. I also lived in a mountainous area ! The problem was I didn't go solo until 25 hours, depressing yes ! but thankful now, have been in many situations that required calm skilful handling and decisions. I'm now an instructor and I tell students I expect a high standard and I make no excuses and tell them I want them to stay alive. The time required or to say in a much better way the skills required are not all achieved in the pre licence period !I would never frown on anyone for their learning time unless they were outright dangerous ! Meet a few with licences !

Good luck and enjoy the journey ! You will be a better pilot for it, and live !

thank you for your encouragement

you must be a good instructor:cheers:

 

 

[Simon Mo]

Don't worry about how long it takes to reach solo, it's quite irrelevant.When I was instructing it became evident that many of those that went solo quickly tended to stagnate for a while afterwards, whereas those who took longer at the beginning often ended up the best pilots because their learning was constant and they absorbed more, and forgot less.

 

Just enjoy the journey.

after seeing your comment, I think that how many hour getting to solo is nothing. I will keep going because I really love flying

 

think you:cheers:

 

 

[Akromaster]

Why not go see another instructor to get another perspective on your progress.

 

Although Camel provided sound advice, I think you'll hear from everyone in this forum that as a pilot you are always learning so it can't possibly be perfect from the start.

 

 

[SSCBD]

My personal opinion on students going solo

 

Solo is a subjective thing, it means they can fly aircraft under very controlled conditions for a circuit and hopefully get back in one piece. They usually do half a dozen circuits with an instructor, and they are in the groove.

 

As you all know I hope, it’s not something that means the student is safe in varied conditions that change. Solo means that got the monkey off the back, and now you can really start teaching.

 

Also what aircraft are you flying, you can launch a student in a drifter for example all things being equal faster, then you can in the hot metal beasties with all the switches and flaps, why because drifters etc are just easier to fly and things do happen a lot slower.

 

Now you have the student, and the students come in a wide range of varieties.

 

Some are apprehensive initially or did they just come from a top gun school after watching a movie.

 

I know of one student that had a fear of flying and can to learn to fly to overcome it, from memory it only took him an extra three or four hours extra than usual to go solo. Then you have what I call the uncoordinated types, there are always a handful.

 

Then you have consistency of training, do they fly once or twice a week today fly once or twice a month.

 

Weather, did you get a good run of weather or not although a good bit of crosswind or bumpy weather made them much better on the controls in circuit training.

 

Then you have instructors, you have good ones you have bad ones, just the fact.

 

My personal opinion is that I prefer a student to take slightly longer just because it’s given him more time wiggling the stick gaining muscle memory and just have a little bit of edge of experience if you could call it that.

 

In the decision to send a student solo from my point of view, was not that he had six perfect landings beforehand, but for example on finals if he was doing well I would kick in a bit of rudder or push the stick over on short final to watch him recover and unsettled aircraft and he or she still put had it down well.

 

 

[Yenn]

I got back into flying after a few years lapse. I knew the CFI well and she was the boss of her own business. Her instructor wanted me to do everything from the start and I did hours of circuits then when I did the navs, I had more idea of where I was than he did. Eventuall I thought I had poured enough money into his pocket so i talked to the boss, she found another instructor and 45 minutes later he said I was good to go. What made my day was that the instructor who took me for a ride was then out of a job. They can prolong the training just to rip you off.

 

 

[Mick]

Hearing of schools that send students solo at 6 hours makes me wonder just well prepared is that student?

 

I struggle to see how all the elements of training can be covered in so little time?

 

At 6 hours have they had time to achieve any degree of consistancy in their landings? How well have they covered EFIC's?

 

To me before going solo a student should be prepared to deal with any emergency scenarios that could possibly eventuate during that solo. What will the student do if there is an engine failure after take off on their first solo?

 

 

[facthunter]

Better to go a few hours more than you need than a few hours less than you need. You will eventually do lots of solo and generally need to do a bit of dual at times later in your flying. The plane flys better without the extra load performance wise and is a bit more fussy about speed on final with less inertia . I've never been in favour of discussing hours to solo. There's quite a few examples of a catastrophe happening when the student gets into a stressing situation at low experience levels. At busy aerodromes like Moorabbin you spend time taxiing and waiting so expect more hours required there as well as having to handle a busy traffic situation. I'm not sure the "OLD" technique of "springing" the solo on the student before they have a lot of time to think about it is wise either. Just saying occasionally "You did that all by yourself today" might be valuable in removing the sudden feeling which most recall of "this is now up to me alone". If you just stay busy you might just skip that awareness and slight fear time (usually on downwind). It's sort of a big deal but it's not really. It might be what they call a signal event. I certainly wouldn't be to upset about having a few extra hours. The RED BARON wrote off two planes during training and he flew OK eventually. Don't follow his earlier example though. Nev

 

 

[diesel]

I get upset when I watch pilots on youtube.

 

Instructors, airforce, private.

 

How can anyone they teach learn to fly properly when they fly so badly themselves.

 

I am talking stick and rudder, not procedures.

 

Even on a nice day they cannot leave the plane alone. Push, pull. Roll and back. Push some more etc. I doubt if I could even catch the pole with some of them.

 

I certainly would not fly with them by choice.

 

And getting back on the ground again. Heck thats worse.

 

I fly both with and without engines. The best training was off the wire. I enjoyed giving winch instruction for many years.

 

Heck looking over the post I look like an I specialist. Not the intended thing.

 

Fly your power plane like a glider and you will get much more safe performance.

 

Thats smooth, dont touch if you dont need. That causes drag. Apply a pressure instead of a pull or push.

 

People create there own turbulence.

 

Same on landing. If I see you pumping the pole you will get a belt under your lughole with the fire axe.

 

Smooth flight and keep safe.

 

Chas

 

 

[Romeo Juliet Whiskey]

I fly in moorabbin airport. I got my first solo after 25 dual hours. is it bad record for me？ usually people get the first solo after about 10-20 dual hour. Maybe I am a slow learner

I wouldn't worry about it to much - its not a contest. As long as your enjoying it thats the main thing. Just remember that pilots who fly solo at minimum hours usually having been flying with their dad since they were a bub or have clocked up about 1000 hours on a flight simulator prior to training. It also depends on how much effort you put into your lesson before and after each flight - and of course your instructor. Keep at it and don't stop now is my advice. It gets better and better.

 

 

[DrZoos]

So so many variables, dont read much into it.

 

 

[cooperplace]

I took about 60, don't worry about it.

 

 

[Simon Mo]

Why not go see another instructor to get another perspective on your progress.Although Camel provided sound advice, I think you'll hear from everyone in this forum that as a pilot you are always learning so it can't possibly be perfect from the start.

thank you for your advice

but I don't have the fixed instructor, the instructors in my flying school always change so I always fly with different people. sometime, I really get confused because their standard and the skill of flying are always different.

 

 

[Geoff13]

thank you for your advicebut I don't have the fixed instructor, the instructors in my flying school always change so I always fly with different people. sometime, I really get confused because their standard and the skill of flying are always different.

I believe that could be a good thing.

 

 

[Simon Mo]

I wouldn't worry about it to much - its not a contest. As long as your enjoying it thats the main thing. Just remember that pilots who fly solo at minimum hours usually having been flying with their dad since they were a bub or have clocked up about 1000 hours on a flight simulator prior to training. It also depends on how much effort you put into your lesson before and after each flight - and of course your instructor. Keep at it and don't stop now is my advice. It gets better and better.

thank you for your advice:oh yeah:

I am not going to stop my training because I really love and enjoy flying

 

I think that my main problem is landing because I always hold off too early or all the wheels touch the ground at the same time.