Solo XC Question

9

95redTA

Well-Known Member
hi i'm a new flight instructor.

I was signing my first student off for his first solo xc flight. as for the prior training he got lucky and go to do some free hops with me most over 200 miles one way. one of that distance at night with him doing everything.

so for his first solo xc i was signing him off to a airport that we had never been before that was about 60 nm from our base airport. I had my old instructor review his log book to make sure everything was right since he is my first. and the instructor said for the solo xc I have to fly the route with him according to the endorsement. Now ive read the FAR a million times since then and the only ones that say I have to fly the route is the one for the 25 and within 50 nm repeated solo endorsment not for the single solo xc all it says is that i have reviewed the flight planning.

Am I wrong or my old instructor
 
Old instructor is wrong. For the XC, you have to review the planning, and sign him off. Maybe it is a school rule or something he is referring to.

(c) Endorsements for solo cross-country flights. Except as specified
in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, a student pilot must have the
endorsements prescribed in this paragraph for each cross-country flight:
(1) Student pilot certificate endorsement. A student pilot must have
a solo cross-country endorsement from the authorized instructor who
conducted the training, and that endorsement must be placed on that
person's student pilot certificate for the specific category of aircraft
to be flown.
(2) Logbook endorsement. (i) A student pilot must have a solo cross-
country endorsement from an authorized instructor that is placed in the
student pilot's logbook for the specific make and model of aircraft to
be flown.
(ii) For each cross-country flight, the authorized instructor who
reviews the cross-country planning must make an endorsement in the
person's logbook after reviewing that person's cross-country planning,
as specified in paragraph (d) of this section. The endorsement must--
(A) Specify the make and model of aircraft to be flown;
(B) State that the student's preflight planning and preparation is
correct and that the student is prepared to make the flight safely under
the known conditions; and
(C) State that any limitations required by the student's authorized
instructor are met.
(d) Limitations on authorized instructors to permit solo cross-
country flights. An authorized instructor may not permit a student pilot
to conduct a solo cross-country flight unless that instructor has:
(1) Determined that the student's cross-country planning is correct
for the flight;
(2) Reviewed the current and forecast weather conditions and has
determined that the flight can be completed under VFR;
(3) Determined that the student is proficient to conduct the flight
safely;
(4) Determined that the student has the appropriate solo cross-
country endorsement for the make and model of aircraft to be flown; and
(5) Determined that the student's solo flight endorsement is current
for the make and model aircraft to be flown.
Click to expand...
 
In my opinion it's a good idea to fly the route of the first solo XC with the student before signing them off, but it is definitely *not* a legal requirement.

I know this advice has been given before, but I'll give it again--when a person tells you something is or is not legal, ask them to show you in the regs specifically where it addresses what they're talking about. Do this and no matter what the outcome, either you or they are guaranteed to learn something.
 
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