Solo Cross Country

TBlake22

TBlake22

Well-Known Member
Hey guys I have my first solo cross country coming up next week and I'm kinda nervous about it.

Tuesday I fly from Murfreesboro (MBT) to Smyrna (MQY) which is a really short flight and I expect it to go smooth, but Thursday I'm flying back home from MBT to Beech River Regional (PVE) to see my family, which is about 90 nm..and that's the one I'm kinda nervous about.

Any stories you guys wanna share about your first solo xc or any advice about how I should prepare for it?
 
Have you been to PVE before on a XC with your instructor? If you're not comfortable going alone, take an instructor or second pilot along if you can and build the solo hours up once your farther along in your training.

If you do decide to go, pick good, well defined, obvious checkpoints. I picked a few bad ones early in my training, and it made me a bit anxious on my XC's. Get flight following. File and activate a flight plan.
 
And after landing be sure to close your flight plan. I forgot once because I was filling out paperwork and paying. Luckily they had my cell and called.
 
TBlake22 said:
Hey guys I have my first solo cross country coming up next week and I'm kinda nervous about it.

Thursday I'm flying back home from MBT to Beech River Regional (PVE) to see my family, which is about 90 nm..and that's the one I'm kinda nervous about.

Any stories you guys wanna share about your first solo xc or any advice about how I should prepare for it?
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Dont allow the pressure of going to see your family influence you to make safe flight decisions
 
Try finding things to make the time pass. I would make a game out of finding as many landmarks from the sectional as I could. It's good practice and also helps significantly with situational awareness. Always know how close the nearest airport is. If you have an engine failure, you should be able to make a quick estimate as to whether you can glide to a certain airport. If you're flying the da-20, you'll get about 1.8 miles per 1,000 feet altitude while maintaining proper glide speed. Don't let weather make you nervous, but you want to be wary of it. Check your TAF's and get a good overall picture of what's going on before you go. It's normal to be nervous before x-countries when you are a student. Once you are in the air, you will forget about your nerves and you will have a great time.
 
I did mine last weekend and one thing that helped was picking landmarks that led from one point to another, like a road or power lines. If you can find some of those it will make things much easier. I also had an instructor look at my flight plan prior to leaving. He was able to show me a few things that made my flight much easier. Have fun, don't stress.
 
Shiner said:
Have you been to PVE before on a XC with your instructor? If you're not comfortable going alone, take an instructor or second pilot along if you can and build the solo hours up once your farther along in your training.

If you do decide to go, pick good, well defined, obvious checkpoints. I picked a few bad ones early in my training, and it made me a bit anxious on my XC's. Get flight following. File and activate a flight plan.
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We're doing the dual XC Wednesday so I can get familiar with the route.

I-40 runs from Nashville straight to where I'm going..would it be good to kinda follow that all the way?
 
TBlake22 said:
We're doing the dual XC Wednesday so I can get familiar with the route.

I-40 runs from Nashville straight to where I'm going..would it be good to kinda follow that all the way?
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I'm sure it doesn't go in a straight line though, keep it in mind for sure, but practice all the pilotage and nav that your CFI taught you. Use your cross radials, identify towns by the lakes and RR tracks near them, don't just do the easiest thing possible, take these solo xcs to develop yourself as a pilot. The most important thing that will carry you through, is for you have some confidence! Have fun, you'll be fine, if your CFI didn't think so he wouldn't be endorsing you, trust me on that one.
 
my advice: forget filing a flight plan. It's just one more thing to have to remember and in lieu of that....get flight following! I'd let them know your a student though. Think I've actually used that a couple times even after i got my private hahaha....are you gonna do it in that da40? if so, i dont know how the hell youd get lost....
 
Pachong said:
my advice: forget filing a flight plan. It's just one more thing to have to remember and in lieu of that....get flight following!
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I know some schools require their students to file a flight plan. The school I trained at was very critical of students filing a flight plan. It's not too bad to remember. Maybe set an alarm in your phone around your ETA or leave a note for yourself. IIRC the urinals in the bathrooms at the airport I trained at had signs all over to help pilots remember. It can be a life saver. And remember to have fun.
 
Honestly it was the greatest experience of my life so far. It was way more of an accomplishment to me than my first solo for sure, it was the first time I actually felt like a pilot. Enjoy it cause it's a blast!
 
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