[flypath]

I thought this may be appropriate at this time of year.

I was nearly at my first solo cross country stage in my ppl training around 10 years ago, the weather had conspired against me and prevented much flying for some time. I had been told by my instructor to plan for a solo cross country flight and every time i did so the weather or other things intervened to prevent this taking place.
Eventually i arrived at the airfield on a bright morning with my planned route etc. ready to go. A quick chat with my instructor confirmed that this would be the ideal day for the planned cross country ! Filled with excitement and a degree of trepidaton I was briefed by another instructor who signed me out and found myself in a familiar steed at the holding point. Well this was it another milestone in my training about to be completed.
The take off was non eventful but I did seem a little rusty on things that should have been more second nature, nevertheless the route progressed well and I was nearing my destinaton, Lydd.
setting myself up in the circuit the checks all done I turned onto finals, too high / fast / non stabilized approach, how could it all seem so difficult ! around 100 feet the training clicked in and i executed a go around feeling somewhat stressed and relieved that the ground was now getting further away! Round we went again and this time managed whhat i considered to be a passable attempt at landing.
Having had a calming cup of tea it was time for the return trip which was great i was on a high from the satisfaction of the first leg of the trip but nearing my home airfield i again became apprehensive about the landing. Whilst not being my best ever it was however executed reasonably well. I really felt glad to get back on the ground which was not my usual reaction after flying. Oh well back for the debrief and to fill in the log book.
The reason for poor approach at Lydd soon became clear and both my instructor and myself remained silent for several minutes.,,,, I had not flown for SIX weeks until today.
Although my instructor had not picked up on this before i set out I always saw this a something i should have picked up on myself the excitement of a first cross country obviously clouded my judgement.


Well worth thinking about at this time of year.

[pilotbob]

I'm surprised that you were sent off on your own at all with six weeks out of the game! At the school where I learned they had a 7 day rule for solo students, if you had not been out for seven days you couldn't solo until you'd been checked out by the instructor again, sensible if you ask me, but then again, what do I know.

But well done for making the right decisions nonetheless.

[Flymember]

Well today is sunny and the wind is OK to take my Chipmunk up today but as I have only just completed my Tailwheel conversion and not flown since the 14 December I will not be going flying solo today in it.

I would like to think that the majority of pilots would have the same thoughts.

While I was doing my training on the club PA28 last year , before I went anywhere solo my instructor always did one circuit with me before sending me solo.

[leiafee]

[quote='pilotbob']I'm surprised that you were sent off on your own at all with six weeks out of the game! At the school where I learned they had a 7 day rule for solo students, if you had not been out for seven days you couldn't solo until you'd been checked out by the instructor again, sensible if you ask me, but then again, what do I know.[/quote]

Seven days seems a shade overcautious especially getting towards the end of solo consolidation -- one week missed for weather or finanance and that'd be you back to an instructor.

I'd *never* have gone solo without a checkout first under that system.

That first time you don't get checked out first is a bit nervewracking and (I think anyway) quite an important bit of decision making / confidence building.

I can remember the first time the instructor just said "off you go then" and didn't come with me, almost as well I as can remember the first solo itself.

[Gertie]

I'd *never* have gone solo without a checkout first under that system.

I never did. At least one circuit with an instructor the same day before students were allowed solo. Never did me any harm.

[Guest]

I used to [b]ask for[/b] a check out before I went off on my own :oops: ........but one Saturday I'd got lost on a solo Nav, and I knew my instructor wanted me to do it again the next week, before we moved on to something else.

The next day, Sunday (when he was off), I went back to the club and asked if I could do it again - so an instructor checked my route and signed me out. I'd checked out the aeroplane, gone off and done the NAV and was on final coming back in when I suddenly realised that I hadn't asked anyone to check me out first :shock: .

I have distinct memories of saying out loud to myself "Well you'd better not stuff it up then".

Been unchecked ever since.... :D

[leiafee]

I'd *never* have gone solo without a checkout first under that system.

I never did. At least one circuit with an instructor the same day before students were allowed solo. Never did me any harm.

I'd have been a nervous wreck first time out alone after passing in that case!

[fishermanpaul]

[quote='leiafee']I can remember the first time the instructor just said "off you go then" and didn't come with me, almost as well I as can remember the first solo itself.[/quote]

Seconded. One of my best learning experiences was turning up for my 3rd session of solo consolidation to find FI already airbourne and a message left for me saying "Keys are in G-xx. Check the weather and if you're happy do an hour of circuits". :)

[Guest]

I felt I just had to add my 2p worth after an experience yesterday.

It was a beautiful flying day, but I hadn't flown for about 6 weeks for various reasons.

However, as I am in a syndicate, I don't need to have check rides.

To clarify a little further, I am a fairly low hours (about 200) PPL with a lapsed IMC rating.

I knew i was a little rusty, and as I fly out of a grass strip which was a bit damp, circuits are being discouraged until the strip dries out a bit.

So the plan was to fly to a nearby airfield with a tarmac runway, and do a few circuits.

Start up and departure were uneventful, and about 8 miles out I called the destination field, and got the joining information which was 26 right hand, circuits to the north at 800 feet AGL.

At this point I should tell you that the destination field was to the south west of our departure field.

However, for whatever reason I got it into my head that because it was a right hand circuit, I had to arrive with the field on my right.

I called 'descending dead side' and then noticed another aircraft on the same heading as me but about 500 feet below us.

After initially thinking "what the **** is he doing?" it then dawned on me that I was in fact descending on the live side straight into the downwind leg!

Our aircraft is a low wing, so our downward visibility is limited.

The implications are very scary, but as it happened there was no harm done, the arrival field was relatively quiet, and a lesson learned.

Somehow, my mental picture of my arrival had got turned around by 180 degrees.

When I thought about it afterwards, I couldn't believe I had been so stupid.

I put this experience entirely down to non currency.

As I said, lesson learned, the easy way this time...... another time it may have been the hard way.

[Guest]

At this point I should tell you that the destination field was to the south west of our departure field.

Oops.......! For anyone scratching their heads........ the destination field was to the South EAST of our departure field

[jaycee58]

On Friday I flew for the first time in 10 weeks due an enforced lay-off because of work. I was 15 hours into my training. I was astonished at how much my skills had apparently deteriorated! Ok, I was in a Cessna 172 (rather than a 150) for the first time, I'd never done a right-hand circuit and I was overloaded trying to remember everything in the circuit with a faster aeroplane (my first circuit base leg lasted all of 30 seconds as I'd not accounted for the wind up my backside!!) but these are just excuses and it really brought home to me how important currency is, even as a student.

After a couple of hours in the circuit and one navex I feel I'm almost up to my previous standard of flying but my landings aren't quite up to solo standard yet. All right then, they're cr@p but that is probably due to the change of aircraft as much as my rusty flying!

[Guest]

i always asked an instructor to do at least one circuit with me first prior to any solo time, even if id been up a few days before i never felt confident to just jump in and go, most of the checks invloved me flying without any problems and just chatting with my instructor with no issues, now ive passed if i have a long time between flights (which is pretty much all the time due to weather and lack of funds) i still get someone to come with me,

[Guest]

This kind of thing is scary to say the least. I`ve help my PPL now for just over 12 months and managed 60 hours in that year and I feel rusty after 3 weeks as a qualified PPL let alone as a student.

The original poster obviously handled this quite well but somebody less confident may have ended up the way that poor student did in 2006.

There should be CAA enforced guidelines on this kind of thing.

[Shunter]

I think the general assumption is that if you're responsible enough to hold a pilot's license, you're responsible enough to know when it would be beneficial to have a suitably qualified person sat in with you.

Rules for the sake of rules are not helpful in the bigger picture. You can't legislate against stupid mistakes or a lack of common sense.

[Adam]

I get an FI to fly with me