Students First Solo

Planedriver28

Planedriver28

Well-Known Member
I know that is traditional for a student to do three takeoffs and landings to a full stop on their first solo. I can't find anything in the FAR/AIM that mandates this. Is there a minimum? I soloed my first student this evening, and it was barely 'VFR day' after the second landing. I waved him in before it became 'VFR night' :D. Did great, debriefed, called it a night. Anything wrong with this?

GJB
 
It has been said that you can see everything in a pilot in their ability to fly the landing pattern. You see straight and level, climbing, descending, turning, scan techniques, radios, SA, and ADM. All of these are things you are signing the student off for that day.

Now as I am sure you have noticed, one day a student may perform great and another day they might stink. Me personally, I don't want to put a student on my ticket without knowing for that day and for those conditions, that they can perform the tasks of PIC safely.

There is no regulation for this that I am aware of.
 
nothiing wrong with it, and I've done it after 2,3,4 and more landings by the SP. I observe the first solo by the runway so that I can communicate via handheld if the pilot needs it, and cheer them on each landing if they're doing well. If the wind picks up or something like that I wave em in.
 
moxiepilot said:
nothiing wrong with it, and I've done it after 2,3,4 and more landings by the SP. I observe the first solo by the runway so that I can communicate via handheld if the pilot needs it, and cheer them on each landing if they're doing well. If the wind picks up or something like that I wave em in.
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I agree. I've soloed with only 2 on the first solo, then waved them in because of wind, sunset, etc. My reasoning is 3 is a good "first mission" that is not too overwhelming. After they complete that, they still realize there's a lot to learn but they are confident to move ahead. There's always a story or two they have about each time around the pattern, since their senses are really concentrated for that moment (listen to what they have to say; these 'first solo stories' are one of the best things I enjoy from instructing primary students! there's always some 'new' thing they're excited to tell you about). This takes rarely more than 0.5 Hobbs. The second solo is a little more--building upon and solidifying what they did the first time. The third time, typically, I send them out of the pattern to go fly around for a short while and come back, again gradually increasing what they are handling each subsequent mission.

-A.S.
 
My first solo my instructor only had me go around the pattern once. I sure hope this is legal because I don't want to have to go back through all my flight training.
 
N18040 said:
My first solo my instructor only had me go around the pattern once. I sure hope this is legal because I don't want to have to go back through all my flight training.
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Was the second landing perhaps prevented by the destruction depicted in your avatar?
 
When I solo people, I tell them that a lot of pilots traditionally do three touch and goes for their first solo, but if I thought they were going to crash on the fourth time around, I wouldn't be sending them out. If they want to do one and call it a day, fine. If they want to do ten, fine. They're PIC now.

Then I ask them how much fuel they have. After they tell me, I say, "Ok, good. Make sure to come back in before you run dry. Have fun!"

The shortest I've ever had somebody do was two times around and the longest was eight I believe.
 
jrh said:
The shortest I've ever had somebody do was two times around and the longest was eight I believe.
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Eight! I limit to 3 cause I get tired of standing out in the cold watching them go in circles. Our school requires supervised and you have to stand out and watch.

Just thought of an interesting story on this though...a combo tail strike prop strike that bent the tips of the prop. Student got to the hold short line after taxiing off and requested a taxi back to go again. Needless to say, tower wasn't to keen on this and didn't allow it.
 
I limited my student a couple of days ago to 1 touch and go and then a full stop, because I knew a lot of traffic was inbound. Sure enough, some yahoo calls the tower 3 miles southeast, enters the left downwind for runway 16, with my student in the right downwind for 34. The yahoo continues to disregard tower instructions and fly the opposite pattern, all the way to final approach, when he finally listens to the tower, understands what is going on and then complies. All of this was going on while my student was trying to navigate the pattern with two other airplanes.

Good times.
 
jrh said:
When I solo people, I tell them that a lot of pilots traditionally do three touch and goes for their first solo, but if I thought they were going to crash on the fourth time around, I wouldn't be sending them out. If they want to do one and call it a day, fine. If they want to do ten, fine. They're PIC now.

Then I ask them how much fuel they have. After they tell me, I say, "Ok, good. Make sure to come back in before you run dry. Have fun!"

The shortest I've ever had somebody do was two times around and the longest was eight I believe.
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This is the some thing I do, My longest was 5 though.
 
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