First Solo - August 1990

This was written by me in August of 1990

On the morning my instructor, Bob, and I were scheduled for another round of touch and goes, I noticed that the air was very calm. The forecast did not show much change for the rest of the day.

Believing that my first solo would happen on this day, I prepared myself by wearing a sacrificial shirt.

Bob and I took off. The air was as smooth as glass! Just a slight bump or two at 500 feet AGL. This would be my first lesson in two weeks that did not have convective air currents feeding cumulus clouds overhead.

Making the turn to crosswind, I became convinced that the solo flight would happen at the end of this flight. My confidence was soaring at the thought of it.

I turned downwind, got clearance to touch and go, and went through the landing checklist. Bob wasn't saying anything, which I took as a good sign.

Turning to base leg and then final, I lined up with the runway centerline. Absolutely no wind correction needed! I was thrilled! What a perfect day for a first solo flight!

I greased my first landing and went around the pattern again to grease my second landing, all the while glancing expectantly at Bob. As I climbed through the little bump at 500 feet for the third time, Bob turned to me and said, "Do you feel ready?"

"Sure!"

"OK, then make the next one full stop."

Finally!

I don't know if it was overconfidence or too much excitement, but I managed to bounce a bit on the third landing.

Bob gave me final words of encouragement along with the advice to go around if I had any doubts about a landing. After endorsing my medical for solo flight, he wished me well and unplugged his headset. He left it on the seat next to me. I suppose that's how he was with me in spirit.

I called clearance and told them I would be doing two touch and goes followed by a full stop, and that this would be a first solo.

"Understand request. Contact ground when you're ready," he said.

I went through the checklist, started the engine, and contacted ground for taxi.

All the way to the runway, my exhilaration was interrupted by occasional moments of, "What the hell am I doing here?" It's something I had often asked myself when climbing into an airplane, but this morning just talking out loud seemed to have a soothing effect. I had this weird image of the microphone switch being stuck open and that everyone could hear my comments.

I stopped short of the runway to do the run-up, again reading the checklist out loud. When I finished the run-up, I glanced at the headset in the seat beside me and then scanned outside around the airfield.

Talk about feeling lonely! Rochester airport usually had something going on but I could detect no movement other than my own. Even the radio was quiet.

I broke the silence and got permission to take off. I taxied out to the runway centerline and advanced the throttle to full power. I let out a war whoop! Now I really hoped that the microphone wasn't stuck open!

At 56 knots, I gently tugged at the yoke and the Beech Skipper lifted off the ground. Without Bob on board, the plane leaped for the sky. Amazing what this Skipper could do! At 500 feet AGL, there it was again: Bump!

I turned crosswind, then downwind. The tower game me clearance for the first touch and go and I went through the landing checklist. I turned base, then final. There in front of me, not moving left or right, was the familiar sight of runway 25. I thought, "This ought to be a piece of cake!"

It was! I set the plane down on the runway as if I had set a glass on the table. With the flaps up and the carb heat on cold again, I throttled to full power for round number two. At 56 knots, I lifted the plane up again and let out another war whoop.

My old visions of ending up on the 6:00 news had vanished and I felt the utmost confidence in my ability to complete this first solo flight and continue my flight training successfully.

I wasn't feeling so lonely anymore. Tower advised me to watch for another aircraft that was on final. And were they watching this poor soul making his first solo flight? I thought I could make out three figures in the tower that seemed to be leaning towards the window in my direction.

I knew Bob was watching and listening with his hand-held radio, but how many other instructors from the flight school were also watching? Maybe it was stage fright or self-conciousness, but my second and third landings were progressively worse. They weren't bad; just not as good as the first one.

I was only being critical of myself. The whole solo flight was over in 15 minutes.

I taxied back to the flight school and saw Bob waiting by the tie-down spot. I pulled up next to him and before I had the plane completely shut down, he had the door open and was offering his congratulations with a handshake.

Yes, there had been other instructors watching with him, and they all offered congratulations. Asked by several how it was, I could only grin and say, "Too short!"

Bob took out the ceremonial scissors and snipped the tail from my T-shirt. There wasn't much to review about this lesson. All I had left to do was pay for it and schedule my next lesson. After calling my wife and my mother, I headed out.

Having soared like a lone eagle for the first time, it seemed rather anti-climactic to walk out to my car with a hole in my shift and drive to work that day.