For those of us who have flown

[Winnie]

As with Helidriver, I did my first solo in a Helicopter, Schweizer 300CB N20059 at Rio Vista, California (probably the same school too, Helicopter Adventures Inc/Bristow Academy!)

That was on the 28th of Oct, 1998.

My second most memorable flight was taking a Bell 212 on my own, fromCarp, ON to Sudbury, On... Not a particularily long flight, but HEY! it was a Twin Huey with ONLY me onboard!!

Cheers

H.

[Slartibartfast]

Sometime in 1976, Spaceland Air Park, League City, Texas. C152. I was nervous because of power lines! Airport is now housing development. After 32 hours and one cross-country, I decided college was higher priority for my time.

[Jennings]

August 8, 1980, New Smyrna Beach, Florida. We left the Embry-Riddle ramp at like 0645 and went to NSB for some touch-n-go practice. My CFI, Roger Kenny (RIP) told me to taxi back after a full stop, then he just opened the door and got out. I must have sat there gobsmacked, because I wasn't expecting to solo that day! After I collected myself, I pulled back onto the active, made my call, and the next thing I remember was that 172 literally jumping off the runway. I weighed all of about 120 lbs at the time, and Roger was a fairly stout man. Combine the extra light weight with a sea level runway and a super low density altitude and you get some spritely performace out of the good old Chickenhawk. C-172N N128ER.

[Jennings]

...in '92 became a civilian 135 simulator instructor training 135 pilots and have been doing so to this day.

And the occasional '135 geek tourist, too! :)

[ALF18]

I have fond memories of every one of my first solos - not just my first ever, but the first in each significant type. Each was special in its own way.

Summer 1973. Age 14. Lahr Gliding Club, West Germany (near Strasbourg, next to the Black Forest). I was scheduled for 3 flights that day. After the second one, having landed the Rhonlicher Ka-4 precisely at the launch zone on the grass between the runway and taxiway, my instructor got unstrapped. "We still have one more flight, don't we?" I asked. "No - YOU have one more flight, by yourself. Just do the same as your last two, and you'll be fine."

Nervously, I did my pre-flight checks twice (CB-SIT-CB; Controls, Ballast, Straps, Instruments, Trim, Canopy, Brakes), and signaled the launch controller and wing-walker to 'take up slack' on the winch. As the glider jerked forward slightly, I gave the 'all out' signal, and zoomed into a steep climb on the cable, all alone. It wasn't until I got onto downwind that the exhilaration of being solo hit me, but shortly I was absorbed in making sure I didn't crash, given that the flights from the winch averaged only 5 minutes or so. I didn't crash - not until my second solo, but that's another story... (true)

Summer 1978. CFB Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Beechcraft Musketeer. I knew from the syllabus that this was potentially the first solo check. I nervously did everything, but was convinced that my instructor would be unhappy and fail me on the trip. Surprisingly, as we taxied back to the ramp, he casually said “don’t shut down – just let me out after we park, and take it up alone.” He briefed me on what to accomplish, tapped me on the shoulder, and said “good luck.” This was different from the glider, in that I could see the empty seat beside me (in the glider the IP was in the back). I rather liked the sensation; I could see a bunch more that way, and nobody could hear me whooping with joy as I got airborne alone in a powered military aircraft for the first time.

Fall 1980. CFB Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, CT-114 Tutor. The solo check was called Clear Hood 13. Things went well, and I was by now able to figure out that I would be cleared solo. After a stressful (but successful) solo check, we went back to the briefing room where I was debriefed by the instructor, who passed me a piece of paper to take down to Ops to get “my” airplane for my first solo. It was called a ‘solo chit’, and the signed paper was the School’s way of ensuring students could prove they were authorised to take a Tutor for a solo flight. Before going down to Ops, the instructor briefed me. He gave me the same briefing I would give numerous students after I became a Tutor instructor: “you’re an ejector.” “If anything goes wrong, you zoom for the moon, pull the handles, and eject. No heroics. No attempt to relight the engine. And don’t think about where the aircraft might land after you eject – just save your own life. If you eject too late, trying to turn away from a farm or a town, you WILL die, and you may or may not hurt anyone on the ground. If you eject on time, you WILL live, and the odds are excellent nobody will get hurt when the jet crashes.”

Armed with those encouraging words, I signed out my jet, did the walk-around, strapped into the ejection seat (and checked three times that everything was properly connected), started up, and taxied toward the runway. “Cobra 417, take-off” was greeted with a “cleared take-off” and info about winds, and I lined up, ran the throttle up to military power with the brakes on, then released brakes and zoomed down the runway. Rotation, gear up, climb into the pattern, all very mechanically, and try not to be distracted by the sight of the pitot boom bouncing around in the turbulence on the right wingtip. With the instructor in the right seat, the pitot boom was less visible; with the seat empty, its bouncing during take-off almost freaked me out. Change runways from 28R to 28L (the Outer runway), do a bunch of traffic patterns, and watch the fuel carefully. As I got down to a few hundred pounds above minimum fuel, I changed back to the Inner runway, flew to Initial, and called for a stop. All in all, about 8 landings, and I was amazed how quickly the time went. What a hoot, being in a military jet by myself!

After that, the next big solo was on the CF-5 fighter lead-in training course. What was Über cool was the fact the solo was flown in a single-seat version of the jet! After only a few flights in the Dual, I walked out on a frigid December afternoon in 1985 at Cold Lake, to fly 116710, my own single-seat fighter. The flight itself was fun; climb-out in the cold winter air to the training area, do some stall sequences, aerobatics, and finally just a few minutes of looking at myself in the mirror, all alone, with the sexy fighter fuselage and sharp wings/tip tanks, even pulling down my oxygen mask to see my big poop-eating grin. The pride and satisfaction I felt was somewhat dampened by my first landing, though… You see, the F-5A/B two-seater’s front seat is installed ahead of the single-seater’s cockpit position. That means that the nose angle and sight picture on landing is quite different (i.e. the nose doesn't stick out quite as high in landing attitudes in the Dual). So on my first landing, I flared to set the nose about the right height for the Dual, and promptly smacked HARD onto the runway. Ouch! Luckily, no tires blew, so I pushed the throttles forward, cycled the gear up, and called for a Closed Pattern to try it again. On downwind, I thought about what had happened (and why), and realized the nose had to be considerably higher up. The second landing was much better, salvaging some of my pride.

Strangely, I don’t remember my first solo in the T-33. I flew these for 6 months in 1986, but I only remember a couple solo flights (not my first one).

The ultimate – the CF-18 Hornet. After only about 6 flights in the Dual (and several simulator sorties), I strapped into a single-seat Hornet in August of 1987 at Cold Lake. I made sure to set the mirrors so I could glance at myself whenever I had a chance, not being able to believe that I was solo in this front-line fighter. The flight itself was great, and the landings were superb. Not because of my skill; because it’s virtually impossible to have a bad landing on a runway with a Hornet; it’s like sinking into a soft pillow with that huge travel on the main gear oleos.

I realize that I was very lucky to have experienced all those first solos. Even now, with my students at the Aviation College where I teach, I see the excited faces as they tell their friends about their first solos, and it takes me back to my very first ones (glider and Musketeer).

Sorry to ramble on so long – the stories have stoked my memories!

ALF

Edited June 1, 2013 by ALF18

[Flyboyf18]

Well we are a modelling site so........

Here's a visual memory for you ALF, the 'Yellow Peril'!

Of all the a/c types I have flown (13 IIRC) this is the only model of one that I have completed!?! My solo bird as described above.

The basic kit is the Airfix Piper Cherokee with mods to make as close a possible a Musketeer!!

Enjoy

[ALF18]

Nice Musketeer, Flyboy! I have been tossing around the idea of doing that one day.

ALF

[04yellowjeep]

I first soloed in a glider at RAF Cosford in 75 we had tandem seating so I couldn't see my missing instructor, but it was quite the rush ! All I really remember was seeing an Avro Lincoln parked outside the hangar that belonged to the museum.

My first powered solo in a 150 in 76 was much like everyone else's experience.

I don't fly solo these days as usually I have a First Officer and another 170-230 people riding with me depending on which machine I'm on.

[Jay Chladek]

I did my first solo twice. The first time was back in 1990 when I was doing PPL training. I don't feel like digging out the logbook to see what the Cessna 152s tail number was, but it was a lot of fun and pretty much textbook flying out of Omaha Eppley airfield. My "second" first solo was when I went back to try and finally get the PPL in 2004. I never quite got around to taking the written exam the first time around, but some life experiences taught me that if I didn't try and go back to fly, I likely never would and probably would be kicking myself for not doing so. It was also a Stearman ride in Titusville, FL where I got some sticktime at the controls of an open cockpit biplane with KSC sitting to the north and Cocoa Beach under the wings. I was hooked and amazed at how well I took to it once again. The plane I soloed in the second time was a new build Cessna 172S with all the bells and whistles. It was a powerful machine and a fun ride. Again I soloed at Omaha Eppley airfield.

My cross country solo was probably more memorable as I chose a somewhat long route to fly, from Omaha to Hastings, Hastings to Topeka, Topeka back to Omaha. I remember having lunch in Topeka and flying home, almost rear ending an Eagle at 5,500 feet. I was coming up on it fast when it nose dived to get out of my way about 30 feet in front of my nose. I started my return to pilot training in June and got my PPL in November of that year, just before my birthday.

I bought a plane soon after that, a 1975 Grumman AA5 Traveler (N1328R). I used it to fly to model contests in other cities and owned it for two years before the loss of my full time job forced me to give it up. Unfortunately, I haven't been back in the cockpit since I delivered the plane to its new owner in Townsend Lake, Montana in April 2007. But, at least this time I still have the license. I hope to eventually be back in the cockpit someday soon when my income allows it (I may even take up glider flying).

[Barneydhc82]

My first was 08 July 1952..before most of you were born..in a Fleet 80 Canuck, Windsor Flying Club. Jim Pelkie had me cutting grass for about 6 hours in the old bird and on that particular day ran out of smokes while we were in the circuit. He had me do a full stop and taxi back to the club, got out while the engine was running and went into the office. I sat there for about 5 minutes when he leaned out the window and waved me away..so off I went for three circuits..no briefing..just GO. What a feeling.

Many thousands of hours later and 90 different aircraft..including dual in the Tutor and CF-104, I can still remember that "First"

Here is my 1:32 scale scratch-built Canuck CF-EAO.

[bradebaugh]

And the occasional '135 geek tourist, too! :)/>

yes Jennings...I'm glad I could give you that -135 simulator ride. I've always enjoyed giving tours to people. I'm just sorry that they closed the unit at Robins AFB and moved "my" simulator

Bruce