My First Solo

[Mike M]

Today's flight started out like any other flight with my local Aero club.
Just a few touch and go circuits on grass 25. After about 4 circuits
my instructor told me to make a full stop this time. I thought this was pretty standard as we had been up there for quite a while. As I taxied back to the club house my instructor told me that he was going to get out and let me do a few circuits by myself, his final words were "If anything goes sideways go around".

I taxied over to hold cone Echo 1 and called ready. The Tower cleared me to backtrack to the marker boards and hold. I seemed take forever to get my takeoff clearance. "Echo Juliet Zulu. Remain in the circuit, Cleared for takeoff". 1-2-3 full power. I began to speed down the runway at 45 Knots I began to rotate. 400ft flaps up and land light off. At 700ft I began my turn to the crosswind leg. At 1200ft I turned on to my downwind leg. The controller cleared me to land after a Katana on Short Finals. I began to slow my bird down and put 10 degrees flap down and turn on to the base leg. I was looking pretty good so chucked down another 10 degrees of flap and began my turn on to finals. At 65kt I put down another 10 degrees of flap. Everything was looking good resulting in one of my better landings.

[Alex]

Congrats on your first solo Mike .

Alex

[ZK-Brock]

Well done Mike, what were you flying?

[brownbox]

congratulations. If it was me, I wouldve stuffed up so bad because Im no good at life and death situations when Im under pressure
i too wonder what you were flying

[Mike M]

what were you flying?

I was flying a cessna A152, Rego ZK-EJZ. Its a nice little plane but its due for retirement.

The FS version below:

[brownbox]

very nice mate

[ZK-Brock]

Well done dude, I'm looking forward to my first solo too!

[ardypilot]

Congratulations Mike on your first solo- I aim to be in your position in about 8 month's time!

The co-founder of NZFF, Jarred (aka NZ1) also took a few flights in EJZ. Where you at Hamilton International doing your circuits or Ardmore?



If you where at NZHN, then you might recall a male voice on the ATC. That would have been Mike Slack, the guy who took me up in the Pitts on Wednesday. Small world innit?

[gokanru]

Congrats Mike,Well done I can still remember the feeling when I first went solo over 40 years ago,heck it may have been 45 years,also like you it was a 150,great little training aircraft.Are you going for your ppl or cpl.best of luck which ever it is.

[Mike M]

Hi Guy's

Thanks for all the supportive comments.

Where you at Hamilton International doing your circuits or Ardmore?

I was at NZHN. Mike Slack wasn't my controller on that flight, but I meet on a field trip to the Tower with my Air Law night class.

Are you going for your ppl or cpl.

Hopefully all the way to CPL

[ZK-Brock]

Trolly, are you gonna get started flying too?

[HardCorePawn]

congrats...

i can guarantee, that you will be able to tell that story (word for word) anytime in the future... its something you never forget...

Its quite a cool (and scary as hell) feeling the first time you look over to the right and dont have to try and look around an instructor

MBG (Massey Aviation, PA-28) was my first... way back in May 2000... i was reading in the last Vector mag that some Massey student put it down in a paddock and through a fence sometime in 2003 i think

good work, and hope you make it all the way to the CPL... I would love to, but think that at 30+ I am a little old to make a career in aviation...

[ardypilot]

Trolly, are you gonna get started flying too?

Hopefully I will get my PPL when I finish High School next year

[squirrel350]

I remember my first trial flight at mystery creek just over the road from NZHN it was in a Robbie R22 pilot tried to scare me by playing chicken with a tree lol nearly cr@pped myself when he yelled "pull the collective NOW" and the whole take the controls I have sun screen on my hands and cant keep control of the chopper lol I have never looked back since that flight I wouldnt wanna do anything other than flying.

Good on ya Mike also what day was your solo was it during the week or on a weekend I was chopper/plane spotting out at NZHN about a week ago maybe a bit more and heard ZK-EJZ flying over doing circuits around 2 in the afternoon.