What Dreams Are Made Of

When we first dreamed of flying, we saw ourselves at the controls of an airplane, guiding it through the sea of heaven, majestically separated from all that remained below. We were freed from the constraints of gravity. Nowhere were there FAA examiners or flight instructors, medical certificates or airworthiness requirements, to interfere with the pure magic of flight.

Of course, we were dreaming of soloing - not performing departure stalls, soft-field takeoffs, passing an FAA practical test, or possessing federally issued pilot certification. Not only were those eventual realities too prosaic for the purity of our dream, but also we had no idea that they would ever come between us and turning our dream into reality.

Piloting an aircraft alone is the fount from which all other aviators' dreams spring. The day we convert this into reality is one of the most monumental - and memorable - in our aviation biography. We may go on to fly aircraft that are bigger, faster, and more complex, but that will be mere augmentation. We have already defied the confinement of gravity. Flight is nothing less than humankind's most ancient and ambitious dream realized.

The privilege of flying an aircraft as its sole occupant comes only after a series of knowledge, practical experience, medical, and legal hurdles have been conquered. Still, a first solo flight requires much more than just formal compliance with the federal aviation regulations (FARs) or pro forma adherence to a list of tasks. Safety and confidence forged of competence, and skill gained through solid training and practical and theoretical experience, are the true elements of the first solo.

For the final prerequisite, a student pilot and the certificated flight instructor must come together in a meeting of the minds. If a CFI believes that the student is ready to solo, and the student does not (this happens), solo flight cannot take place. If a student pilot believes he is ready to solo and his CFI does not (this happens too), again, solo flight will not come to pass. After all, in recommending a student pilot for solo flight, a CFI is making a written and signed legal declaration of his confidence that the student is prepared to take this giant step skillfully and safely.

Some people begin their flight training unaware that they will be piloting an aircraft alone before they actually earn the private pilot certificate. Once they learn that there is a solo portion of their flight training, some believe it is a one-time confidence-building formality, while others believe it will allow them to grab the key of an airplane any time, day or night, in any weather, and fly anywhere they please. Of course, neither of these extremes accurately describes pre-certification solo flying. Student pilots soon learn, however, that not only will they perform the monumental first solo flight, they will continue with supervised solos; earn solo privileges; and eventually, with additional training, knowledge, and skill, perform solo cross country flights.

All of this solo flight - a minimum of 10 hours, under the current FARs - will transpire before the private pilot practical test, the final step toward full certification as a pilot. The first solo, however, is the portal that really separates pilots from nonpilots. You are flying an airplane. The overwhelming majority of people whom you have ever met, or ever will, have not. You have joined an elite community, and no one will ever see you in the same light again.

One notion that can mar an otherwise extraordinary experience is the misconception about the number of hours required or desired before a student is ready to solo. No two student pilots are the same, and for many reasons one person may require more or fewer hours than another. In some instances a student will quickly gain the experience and skill required to make a first solo flight and be ready to move into supervised solos. In other cases, a student pilot may have the ability but lack the confidence required to solo.

Sometimes a student's training is slow to progress because of weather, aircraft scheduling, maintenance problems, or financial realities. Some people simply learn more slowly than others. Certainly, if serious training roadblocks or learning plateaus hinder progress toward soloing safely, then patient, skillful flight instructing, along with determined student participation, will make the solo a reality. You may log more hours along the way, but as long as you are safe, competent, confident, and ready, you will solo.

The issue of the first solo flight and the associated number of hours beforehand represent the kind of competitive attitude that can be detrimental to fostering the confidence that all pilots will have to draw on throughout their lives in aviation. Please do not let the number of hours before you solo stigmatize this giant accomplishment.

The FARs pertaining to solo flight are not mere formalities but building blocks, each designed to enhance different aspects of aviation skill or knowledge. FAR Part 61 lays down the presolo requirements that all student pilots encounter, so we will now catalog the FARs as the FAA presents them, followed by a more practical and usefully organized checklist of the required tasks that a CFI could utilize for his students. Your CFI can provide you with a copy of both lists, and you can refer to them during the presolo segment of your flight training. The CFI checklist also can function as a presolo stage check, with an "S" for "Satisfactory" and a "U" for "Unsatisfactory." As the solo flight becomes imminent your CFI will perform a presolo stage check (or he may ask another CFI to conduct this task) to assess your strengths and weaknesses.

Limitations on solo student pilots

A student pilot's solo flight is restricted by:

• CFI endorsement on the student pilot certificate (which is also the medical certificate) for the specific make and model of aircraft to be flown.
• Logbook endorsement for the specific make and model aircraft to be flown from the CFI who gave the training within 90 days of the flight.

A student pilot may not fly solo at night unless he or she has received flight training at night on night flying procedures that includes:

• takeoffs at night;
• approaches and landings, at night;
• go-arounds at night, all at the airport where solo flight will be conducted; and
• navigation training at night in the vicinity of the airport where the solo flight will be conducted. The CFI endorsement requirements above also apply.

FAR 61.89 General Limitations

A student pilot may not act as pilot in command of an aircraft:

• That is carrying a passenger;
• That is carrying property for compensation or hire;
• For compensation or hire;
• In furtherance of business;
• On an international flight (with exceptions for Alaskan student pilots);
• With a flight or surface visibility of less than three statute miles during daylight hours or five statute miles at night;
• When the flight cannot be made with visual reference to the surface; or
• In a manner contrary to any limitations placed in his or her logbook by the CFI.
• A student pilot may not act as a required pilot flight crewmember on a multi-pilot aircraft.

The information on the FAR list and the sample presolo checklist pertain to solo flight in single-engine land airplanes flown during night and daylight hours. For solo flight in other categories and classes of aircraft - helicopters, airships, gliders, multiengine, seaplanes, etc. - refer to FAR 61.87's additional entries. The abbreviations "TAP" and "RP" on the checklist stand for turns around a point and rectangular patterns; these, along with "S" turns, are ground reference maneuvers.

One solo limitation that is actually included in the regulations concerning solo flight (61.93) is the limitation for solo students to remain within 25 nautical miles of the airport where the flight originated. This means that once your instructor approves your solo flight privileges, you cannot venture more than 25 miles unless you have a special endorsement and/or have received training and an additional logbook endorsement for solo cross-country flight. Your instructor should refer you to a sectional chart and note prominent landmarks that coincide with this 25-nm limit. (For more on how to get the most out of unsupervised solo sessions, see "Taste of Things to Come," October AOPA Flight Training).

It is important to understand that you must demonstrate "satisfactory proficiency and safety" in all of the above. Simply performing the maneuvers will not be sufficient. Of course, your flight instructor knows that, but you should understand why his demands for you to perform sometimes seem so unreasonable.

As your first solo becomes imminent, you will begin to imagine yourself flying alone. After your initial flying lessons you will gain confidence about the big event. Slowly you will change your assessment of your preparedness. Your instructor will recognize your growing skill and confidence and, through experience, be able to know just when to step out and let you take it around the pattern.

It's not uncommon for a CFI to tell a student he is ready, but the student isn't so sure. Sometimes a student will refuse to solo. Be assured, your instructor will be more than positive you are prepared, knowledgeable, and skilled enough to perform safely when she endorses you for solo flight.

The first solo itself is traditionally performed in the traffic pattern of either your home airport or one that you frequent during training. You may perform three full-stop landings, or two touch and goes followed by a full-stop landing - the exact nature of the first solo is at the instructor's discretion. This usually follows a regular lesson in the airport traffic pattern to make sure you are performing consistent landings.

Typically, after a number of good approaches and landings your CFI will ask you to land and taxi off the runway. He will then make sure your student pilot (medical) certificate and logbook are endorsed and signed. He'll climb out, offer some encouraging advice, and with a firm handshake send you back out alone. Remember, when your instructor is not in the airplane it will be lighter and take off a little sooner, climb at a slightly higher rate, and may float down the runway and seem a bit harder to land. You will make the proper radio calls, taxi to the runway, and when the wheels separate from the ground, you are as much a pilot as Chuck Yeager and Wilbur Wright.

Of course, even with the accomplishment of soloing and all of the skill and training that brought you that far, there is a vast amount of learning ahead. Soon you will make more supervised solos, similar to your first solo. Next, you will leave the airport traffic pattern and begin venturing out on your own when your instructor grants you solo privileges.

You must have a minimum of 10 hours of solo flying experience to qualify for a private pilot certificate. Five of those 10 hours are required to be solo cross-country flight, and many students fly more than the minimum 10 hours by the time they earn their certificate. You must also receive a renewed solo endorsement in your logbook every 90 days until you obtain your certificate. In addition, you must always carry your logbook and student pilot certificate, which is also your medical certificate, whenever you fly solo as a student pilot. Your instructor will carefully go over any limitations he has placed on your solo flying, and these are included in your logbook endorsements. Such limitations can include weather, ceiling, visibility, airports of operations, times of day, and crosswind component. These limitations carry the weight of law, and you must adhere to them.

Your first solo is the meeting of lifelong ambition with skill and safety gained through hard work and solid practical training. It is an achievement that will always remain among your proudest and happiest memories. There is a long road of learning and other milestones ahead, but none quite match the achievement this one represents. When the moment comes, trust your skill, your judgment, and the judgment of your instructor; draw on your training - and welcome to the community of flight.