Tarantula Posted January 14, 2011 Posted January 14, 2011 After starting my training in August of 2010, I just made my first solo this morning! I'm currently at a very reasonable 37.5 hours (39.4 after the solo). If you don't know, I fly at Colorado Heli-Ops and couldn't be happier! It is AMAZING the difference in pickups/set downs/hovering and how much that CG move really affects things. Not to mention the ability to CLIMB! On takeoff it felt like I was going to just keep on going higher and higher! What an unbeatable feeling! I can't wait till I solo again, if I wasn't hooked before, I definitely am now! 2 Quote
swisster Posted January 14, 2011 Posted January 14, 2011 After starting my training in August of 2010, I just made my first solo this morning! I'm currently at a very reasonable 37.5 hours (39.4 after the solo). If you don't know, I fly at Colorado Heli-Ops and couldn't be happier! It is AMAZING the difference in pickups/set downs/hovering and how much that CG move really affects things. Not to mention the ability to CLIMB! On takeoff it felt like I was going to just keep on going higher and higher! What an unbeatable feeling! I can't wait till I solo again, if I wasn't hooked before, I definitely am now! Congrats!!! 1 Quote
crashed_05 Posted January 14, 2011 Posted January 14, 2011 Congrats. It's a great feeling going on that first solo...a day you'll never forget. Now you really start getting into the fun stuff with cross county flights. Your first cross country solo will be even better. 1 Quote
RkyMtnHI Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 NICE JOB Duncan!! Congratulations sir.. dp 1 Quote
Guest Maximinious Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) ... Edited July 30, 2011 by Maximinious 2 Quote
Inferno Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 First of all congrats Tarantula! Next major milestone is your solo x/c. Very reasonable eh? According to who, Heli-Ops? First off, it shouldn't matter what hour mark you made your first solo. What DOES matter is if you were fully prepared to handle an emergency. It really rubs me the wrong way when newbies talk about how fast they were able to hover, or how long it took them to make their first solo. It puts pressure on instructors and students and causes undergrad pilots to beat themselves up because they weren't able to hover as quick as Jiminy Cricket did. It also creates a sense of urgency to push students into their first solo flight when they are not 100% ready. I would bet my right walnut that you wouldn't be able to land a full down auto if your life depended on it at 37.5 hours. Max, we don't expect the student to be able to make flawless full down autos when they solo. We train them so if god forbid something did happen, they know how to respond properly and could get the ship to the ground and survive. If they bend something, oh well, the student is alive. That's all that matters... To expect otherwise is ridiculous and would mean no one would solo before at least 40 hours.... Quote
CharyouTree Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) Very reasonable eh? According to who, Heli-Ops? First off, it shouldn't matter what hour mark you made your first solo. What DOES matter is if you were fully prepared to handle an emergency. It really rubs me the wrong way when newbies talk about how fast they were able to hover, or how long it took them to make their first solo. It puts pressure on instructors and students and causes undergrad pilots to beat themselves up because they weren't able to hover as quick as Jiminy Cricket did. It also creates a sense of urgency to push students into their first solo flight when they are not 100% ready. I would bet my right walnut that you wouldn't be able to land a full down auto if your life depended on it at 37.5 hours. I'm interested in when you soloed, and whether you feel YOU were "fully prepared" to handle any and all emergencies. In my opinion, it's a solo, not making you a PiC. (Personally, I soloed at 13.9 hours, and took my first checkride at 48.9, which on the civilian side, would have been enough to give me my private. No, I don't think at the time that I would have been able to handle everything in a B206 at <50, nevermind 14. But my IP had been instructing there literally since before I was born, and I trusted him to know whether his students were ready or not.(edit: I say this not to brag or anything like that, in any shape or fashion, merely in the interest of full disclosure.)) Edited January 15, 2011 by CharyouTree Quote
Snowman Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) Nice Job, it only gets better! Edited January 15, 2011 by Snowman 1 Quote
Trans Lift Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 I would bet my right walnut that you wouldn't be able to land a full down auto if your life depended on it at 37.5 hours. Neither can a lot new FAA Commercial pilots because they have never done them on their own as it is not part of the syllabus. They should be taught how to do them but from what I've seen, most don't even do them until their CFI training. Well done on the solo Tarantula. Onwards and upwards from here mate! 3 Quote
Snowman Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) The more I sat at work reading this, the madder I got. Tarantula was sharing a successful step in his training that he had completed, as I and many others have when we soloed. I just dont understand why anyone would try to turn this into some negative conversations and take away Tarantulas moment of glory. Maximinious you should have started a new post for your topic and left this one alone. Just my two cents on it. Edited January 15, 2011 by Snowman 3 Quote
Spike Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 Nice Job Tarant! It’s a moment you will never forget…. Someday, you’ll be have thousands of hours applying to a S92 Captain gig and you’ll come across this entry in your logbook while confirming to met all the requirements for the position. There, while dusting off the “ole” logbook, you’ll sit and recall this day with pride and glory on far you’ve come. Just so you know, the unwritten rule goes something like this… Student Pilot solo and the engine quits, and you survive, you did your job….Private pilot and the engine quits, and you ball up the machine but you and your pax walk away, you did your job….Commercial pilot, the engine quits, if you and your pax walk away from an intact airframe, you did your job…. Don’t worry about it and “be the ball”. Na-na-na-nannn…. Mostly have fun… Quote
Tarantula Posted January 15, 2011 Author Posted January 15, 2011 Very reasonable eh? According to who, Heli-Ops? First off, it shouldn't matter what hour mark you made your first solo. What DOES matter is if you were fully prepared to handle an emergency. It really rubs me the wrong way when newbies talk about how fast they were able to hover, or how long it took them to make their first solo. It puts pressure on instructors and students and causes undergrad pilots to beat themselves up because they weren't able to hover as quick as Jiminy Cricket did. It also creates a sense of urgency to push students into their first solo flight when they are not 100% ready. I would bet my right walnut that you wouldn't be able to land a full down auto if your life depended on it at 37.5 hours. I think this warrants a response. Reasonable according to myself. If I was trying to make my checkride at exactly 40 hours, I'd say I was rushing things. On the other hand, if I had spent 50 hours doing straight & level and turns, I'd probably feel like I was being held back from leaning and being milked for my cash. I think my hours are probably near the average number for heading out on a first solo flight. That is what I meant by "reasonable". As far as emergencies go, I feel utterly confident that I would make a great landing. By great I mean, I would be able to walk away. The only way to improve on that, is if the helicopter was able to fly away after whatever caused the engine to quit was repaired. I agree that some personalities can react badly to someone else learning faster or performing better than they do. This is where the instructor needs to step in. You aren't racing with other pilots to see who can do what first. Employers won't go "Well, you have 2,000 hours now, but when did you start hovering?" The instructor needs to help the student realize that everyone will progress as their skill increases. Period. If you can't make a good setdown, I will bet money your instructor isn't going to have you start working on slopes. If you can't make an approach, you probably aren't working on auto's yet. Its only once all those fundamental skills to controlling the helicopter have reached a basic proficiency, that an instructor should allow the student to solo. For me, that happened to be at 37.5 hours yesterday 1/14/2011, and its a day I won't ever forget. As far as "newbies" sharing their accomplishments, it rubs me the wrong way when someone who has been there, no longer can remember the joy they had at their first hover, or their first solo, instead only seeing it as a competition. Maybe its a good time to take a look at yourself, and see why my solo got you so angry. Everyone else: Thank you so much for the kind words and encouragement! If Max does post further in this topic, please, don't reply, lets keep it full of what it should be! Quote
CFImike Posted January 16, 2011 Posted January 16, 2011 After starting my training in August of 2010, I just made my first solo this morning! I'm currently at a very reasonable 37.5 hours (39.4 after the solo). If you don't know, I fly at Colorado Heli-Ops and couldn't be happier! It is AMAZING the difference in pickups/set downs/hovering and how much that CG move really affects things. Not to mention the ability to CLIMB! On takeoff it felt like I was going to just keep on going higher and higher! What an unbeatable feeling! I can't wait till I solo again, if I wasn't hooked before, I definitely am now! CONGRATS!!! Very few people can fly a helicopter, be proud. Quote
StanFoster Posted January 16, 2011 Posted January 16, 2011 Tarantula- Congratulations. I won't forget my first solo in an R22 back in 2008. Nobody can take that experience away from you, nor should it be diminished in anyway. Enjoy your future flights as you leave that big milestone behind. Stan Quote
Guest Richm Posted January 16, 2011 Posted January 16, 2011 Congratulations from all of us...and a nice moment/opportunity for all of us to relive that solo experience through your excitement! Welcome to the very few who've reached this pinnacle of aviation...there's no cooler feeling of a solo hover for the very first time! The best part is that, even for a brief second, you'll get to revisit that moment of exhiliaration everytime you lift to a hover...even long after you have your PPL. And will get the chance to introduce others to that same excitement. As in all new endeavors, we all grow in our mental capacity for handling emergencies, including the Autos, as we gain more flight hours. I have 500 hours of Robinson time and fly as many as three times a week, even if just for an hour or so...and I fly often with a veteran instructor to practice Auto's and emerg procedures every chance I get. Even after 500 hours, I am constantly thinking "what if this happened, where would I land, which direction is the wind?, etc." Congrats from all of your fellow pilots! On to solo cross-country and getting ready for the checkride ahead. Quote
CREETO Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 way to go tarantula!!! nothing like the first time lifting those skids up knowing you've got no CFI this trip... this is a huge first step for you and for anyone else to come on your post and leave these ridiculous comments about how you could have crashed and died is utterly ignorant. what kind of a pilot is he anyway, offering members a bet on whether someone with 37.5 hours can successfully full-down auto??? i think everyone here understands the risks of helicopter flight = death. if i were asked if i were %100 ready pre-solo, i would have never done it... great job!!! Quote
Guest roundwing Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 Congratulations Tarantula. I too did my fist solo last week (on the 11th). As mentioned in another post it is something you will remember for the rest of your life. I know it is the second time that I have soloed. The first was in a fixed wing many years ago.I have wanted to fly helicopters longer than airplanes but with the cost involved could not afford it until now. It is whole new sensation with the helicopter and different sense of gratification. Having been through both I know how much harder it is to fly a helicopter. If you started on helis you had it a little easier because you did not have to unlearn airplane habits. Flying helicopters is a ton more fun. Never give up. Good luck with the rest of your training. Rick Quote
SBuzzkill Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 Sweet!! I've never solod a helicopter but I remember my first solo in an airplane like it was yesterday! Quote
csw1000 Posted January 18, 2011 Posted January 18, 2011 Way to go man, congratulations. I am at 14.5 hours and am perfectly comfortable sitting beside my CFI, for now. It is always great to see someone a few steps ahead of me making successful steps toward their dreams. I don't feel any competition, in fact, the opposite is true. I feel more of a camaraderie, like we're all in it together. It is great to see you reach that next milestone and it reminds me that it can be done. I am headed for Ft. Lauderdale this week and hope to log about 20 hours, that should put me pretty close to where you are now. Needless to say, I am very excited just to get one step closer to my solo. I agree that Max was a little heavy, but he did raise some points worth considering. Maybe it would make for an interesting, separate, topic; no need to rain on your parade anymore. Congrats again. Quote
Tenacious T Posted January 18, 2011 Posted January 18, 2011 Great job, it's a big step. Should be a huge boost to your confidence as you continue training. Quote
helikriewall Posted January 18, 2011 Posted January 18, 2011 Congrats! That's awesome. It only gets better. Quote
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