First Solo

[Andy Souter 0]

I recall some time ago Don's write up on his first real life solo. It was quite a read and deserves another airing!

My Gliding Club sent our treasurer solo recently. He has now put pen to paper and I think he has caught the emotions we have all experienced:

http://www.nvgc.org.uk/S_Else_Solo.html

[B21 19]

ah what a great story. I haven't forgotten my first solo and I guess the knowledge that the experience can never be repeated makes it particularly special. We're all different - in my case I couldn't wait to get the instructor out of the cockpit so I could fly on my own. Simple as it sounds, I remember the excitement of first being able to fly in any direction I wanted. Having now flown for 20 years I should admit my attention to detail was probably the best when I first soloed...

[Lancman 0]

In the good old days your first flight was solo, remember the Dagling?

[Brad_merged 0]

Well I am new to here, but not new to gliding.

I remember my first solo... it was just after a recap of emergency procedures including a couple of practice cable breaks at low height (land in front as it was a long runway) and some modified circuits. However I was not expecting it.

On the flight before my solo, we had a very near disaster. The normal tow plane (a pawnee) was in for maintenance so we were using a Cessna 182. Now a 182 does not have the same power as a Pawnee.

The young man who hooked us up that day was not new to gliding but he did not pay too much attention to the little things, such as putting the tow hook in the release mechanism correctly.

We were in a low tow after take off and almost at the end of the runway at just over 100feet. BANG! Tow rope released. No where in front to go. All I heard from behind was "MY AIRPLANE!" and the instructor was was an ex-RAAF (Royal Australian Airforce) pilot put us into a dive and hooked us around to land downwind. Needless to say when we landed we were both quite white.

We pretty much stopped where we had taken off from. So a couple of the ground guys turned us around and said don't worry about getting out. Meanwhile the instructor and I discussed what happened. I didn't pull the release and he didn't either and the rope had not broken.

Anyway the canopy was open while we waited for the tow plane which was taking another glider up...

Next thing I knew was the canopy was being shut but it was by the instructor who was standing to the side of me...OUTSIDE the glider!

I was told to start to think about a nice 2000' climb, no thermalling, and then a nice circuit and landing. A rough 20min flight.

It all went so well...

The very same week my Father gained his Captaincy as a commercial airline pilot. The same man who taught my father to fly, taught me too

I still think I was more stoked to see those 4 bars on dad's shoulders than me going Solo, but for both to happen in the same week, at the same club with the same instructor... it was a bit of history.

I have a family now and haven't had the money to continue gliding for a number of years now, however Dad retires in a couple of years and his dream is to own a nice two seat glider. Then we can fly together.

Brad

[David_merged 1]

In the good old days your first flight was solo, remember the Dagling?

Having taken up hang gliding last year my first solo (in a hang glider at least) was solo :winks:

[Lancman 0]

I wrote my reply before I read Don's very evocative description of his great day and I may have appeared to be less than gracious. It's a beautiful description of a very special milestone. I well remember the first feeling of joy that the sudden feeling of smooth flight gave me after the thud and bump of ground slides in that seat on a skid with wings that was the Dagling.

[Don Hamilton 0]

Someday I will pen my experience of my first off field landing in a 1-26. :embaressed: And then there is the day I tore the wings off a TG-3 in flight! :embaressed: :embaressed: :confused2:

Don