FlyingSafely.Com Your First Solo: Taking Off the Pressure

Our approach is a way to enhance safety, without it costing more or wasting time. This is accomplished by a reordering of the training schedule to maximize student pilot experience before solo. Students love it. Pictured Below is Andy Polley standing beside the 152 he  flew solo, March 31, 2003, with 32 hours of flight experience (including dual required). He has 9.5 hours of solo flight remaining and will soon be ready to take his check ride.

UPDATE:  On June 16, 2003, Andy met the practical test standards and received his private pilot certificate. He had 52 hours of flight time logged, proof positive that our approach does not require additional time or expense. If you would like to talk to Andy about his training experience, his email is:   gsusda1@yahoo.com.

Right: Private Pilot, Andy Polley

You are a student pilot now, and, as soon as another pilot finds out that you are taking flying lessons, what's the first question out of their mouth?  "Have you soloed yet?"

This seems to be a universal question around the airports of America and one worth considering.If the student hasn't soloed yet, she must hang her head just ever so slightly and say, "Not yet." Then, the next question, hard on the heels of the first question is: "How much time do you have?"

The questioner doesn't intend it, but these questions can form the basis for a criticism. Let's call the inquisitive pilot "Salty" to protect him. He will remind you that, back when he was taking his lessons, he soloed after only 6 hours of instruction. The obvious question follows....What's the problem? Surely, by now, you should be able to fly an airplane by yourself.  He doesn't mean to be mean or rude. He may actually want to encourage you, but this series of questions can make a student feel that he isn't living up to expectations. You think, "Six hours? Gosh, I must be terrible." This is pressure a student pilot doesn't need.

We don't want to pick on Salty.  He loves to fly and is happy to see others joining the ranks of aviation. He lives at every airport in America. He has a different face, and a different name, but he's the same Salty. His belief is sincere. "You need to solo early." He feels this way because the mentality has permeated the aviation ranks from top to bottom. It's what he learned when he learned to fly. No one has ever questioned it. His position is universal. Nearly everyone agrees with Salty. We have always done it this way. 

We acknowledge every flight instructor and flight school cares about the students they teach to fly.  They have been doing business for years urging early solo flights. We, too, care about the students who come to us for training. We care about what is in their best interest and what will best ensure their safety when learning to fly. For us, we think students will be better prepared for solo flight and for potential problems if they have all their required dual training before they solo. Flyingsafely is not just a name, it is a commitment.  We are serious about safety and this is one of the ways we show it. We seek to avoid unnecessary risks and take advantage of the most optimum situation to ensure safety. This is why we don't solo students early. It just makes no sense to us.

We make a simple request of Salty. Don't prejudge a student based on when she solos. Judge her on what kind of pilot she becomes.  We make this request in the interest of our students. Students who don't solo until they have 30-35 hours will never feel bad unless Salty tells them they should. They will just enjoy their training and work through the process with joy and enthusiasm without ever knowing they should have been discouraged because they didn't solo in 15 hours.

In order to get your private pilot license there are a prescribed number of hours of dual instruction required.  We believe every student should have all those hours of required dual before we release them to fly alone.  The hours are required anyway, so what's the hurry to solo?  The required dual includes, 3 hours of cross country, 3 hours of simulated instrument flying, and 3 hours of night flying.  That's a total of nine hours that must be done.   Most flight schools and instructors do not begin these training hours until after the student has soloed. Why create this artificial barrier?

Here's our logic. Let's say you are a new student who knows nothing about flying an airplane and you come to us for flight instruction. Here's what we want to know from you.  Would you prefer to fly the airplane all by yourself after 10 hours of training or after 30 hours?  Do you think you will be a better pilot after 10 hours or after 30 hours? If something goes wrong, would you rather have 10 hours of training or 30 hours of training?  Will you have greater confidence in flying by yourself after 10 hours or 30 hours?  What do you think? If the spouse or parent or child of the student is present, we ask them if they would rather have their loved one fly all by themselves after only 10 hours of training or if they would prefer 30 hours? 

To flight instructors and flight schools I ask these questions:  Is your student more proficient and skilled after 10 hours of flying with you or after 30 hours of flying with you?  Can you do a better job of teaching stall spin awareness in 10 or 30? Can you do a better job of teaching emergency procedures in 10 or 30?  If your student has an accident would you rather have trained them for 10 hours or 30 hours? 

We have tossed this idea to one of the nation's leaders in flight training. He,  in turn, has posed the question to other of the nations leaders in flight instruction.  We have been honored to receive their replies and concerns. (If I get permission from them to share their responses, I will make them available here for you to read.) The response is generally positive with the only objection being that a student may become "discouraged and lose confidence" if they have not soloed within 10-15 hours. We have thought about why anyone would be discouraged at this point in their training. The only reason would be if someone gave them an unrealistic and unnecessary expectation. Without the expectation and the artificial pressure, there is no discouragement.  Lose confidence?  After only 15 hours of logged flight  how much confidence could you possibly have to lose?

We think this concern is a mis-identification of another feeling.  Embarrassment comes only when you feel you have failed to live up to an expectation. Where in the regulations does it say that a student should solo in less than 10 hours, 20 hours or 30 hours?  Nowhere. We do not put pressure on new students to solo early. The expectation to solo early is unnecessary and irrelevant. 

We believe the "rush to solo" is not in the best interest of student pilots, even though the approach is widespread-- nearly universal.  We suggest a different set of questions for the aspiring aviator.... Are you enjoying your training? Is it fun? Are you learning a lot? Do you feel safe? Do you feel you are making progress?  When do you hope to get your pilot's certificate?

Susan, did a great job in learning to become a pilot.  She achieved her goal of being a private pilot well under the time of the national average, yet she was made to feel that she was slow and incompetent by some of the local aviation "experts."  She didn't solo in 10 hours. Horror of horrors!  Looking back, she realizes now that it didn't matter (at all) when she soloed.  What mattered was that she was awarded her pilot's license, and she did it in less time than the national average. 

So, at flyingsafely it is not about soloing early in flight training, it is about becoming a safe, proficient and confident certified pilot. 

              Larry Collins, CFI, Editor FlyingSafely.Com

P.S.  In the coming weeks we plan to let you hear from some real people (in the Realaudio section; we will announce it) who are taking flying lessons with us. We have asked them to share their perceptions and opinions about the pilot training they are receiving with this new concept. When you will hear from them, we think you will hear the enthusiasm and excitement they are feeling about their progress toward reaching their aviation dreams.

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