My First Solo

In the very early stages of Pilot Training, you are routinely thrust into new experiences, a virtual sea of "Firsts". Your first takeoff, your first landing, your first "Good" landing, your first stall, etc., but few compare to your "First Solo". In actuality, your first solo, is called a "Supervised Solo", now there's an oxymoron for you. Here's how mine went.

My Instructor, Matt Mayhew, entered the cockpit and my nerves came alive because I knew today was the day of my First Solo. I went through my normal preflight, which by now, after 18 hours of training and 54 takeoffs and landings, had become routine to me. After run up and required requests from the tower we were ready to go. I taxi into position and reset the D.G.(Directional Gyro) and a few other checks, then I look up to the view out the cockpit, which I have seen many times, but today it seemed different. My home airport was Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the view before takeoff is more concrete than most people have ever seen. You see, Runway 23R at Patterson is 300 feet wide and 2 1/2 miles long ! The awe of sitting in a single engine airplane on this runway had long since worn off, but today I felt like a go-cart on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I swallowed the grapefruit sized lump in my throat and pushed the throttle of the Piper Warrior forward. Amazingly, as we began to roll, the training took over and I settled in for a nice takeoff and climb out.

Our destination, just a few miles away, was Springfield-Beckley (KSGH) which also has a very inviting runway, 150 feet wide and 9000 feet long. It also has a operational control tower. After making my intentions known, an routine landing ensued and I taxied off the runway. Matt opens his door and hops out and instructs me to make three touch-n-goes then land and pick him up again. He will be in contact with me on a handheld radio, this is the "Supervised" part ! I taxi out and am so busy checking and rechecking that it hadn't really hit me yet. I throttle up and roll down the runway for nice takeoff and as I climb through 1500 ft , I switch off the fuel pump and here is where Matt would say " Good Job" , .......... except it was quiet, THEN it hit me, Holy Crap I'm up here ALONE !!! I checked his seat, sure enough, HE WASN'T IN IT !!! But as before, the training took over and I went about my business and made 3 pretty decent Touch-n-goes. I then picked up Matt and we headed back. My first really big milestone had been conquered.

All in all, it was a very uneventful First Solo, but probably the most invigorating, stimulating, and scary, Uneventful experience of my Life !!

PilotOrNot.com

My First Solo !

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