A student pilot practicing landings and takeoffs was suddenly told to stop mid-taxi. The instructor opened the canopy, stepped out, and said, "You're flying solo now." His first-ever solo flight. How was your first solo flight experience back in the day? 📹: u/Fat_Argentina

My first (ever) solo was in this beast !

Great memory to have! I'll never forget.

Several years ago. Kind of similar, you get to feel how light the aircraft is. Solo Navs were the best, too.

The first things that get you are the silence and the space of the open seat next to you... the hands take over and that tinge of anxiety makes your heart beat just a little faster... but the edges of your mouth start to curl upward involuntarily-- a smile that only continues to grow throughout the flight and the rest of the day. Unless you happen to scare the sh!t out of yourself!

That is exactly my experience in the Navy flying the T-34.

I remember taxiing off the runway and the instructor said "Controls are yours, focus but have fun, you'll remember it forever" And i definitely do, pretty sure i even remember the ATIS details too

My instructor gave me no hint, he just talked to the tower and got out, walked away, and said do 3 TGs. Over and over I just repeated out loud everything he said: full throttle, call out airspeed, rotate gently …aviate,communicate

I was doing a cross country flight with my instructor. We landed at an airport on the route and he said pull up to the FBO and I'll buy us a soda. He said keep it running. I'll go in and while I'm gone perform three touch and goes and I'll be right back with our sodas.

OH Dear God mine was HORRIBLE. lol.. I solo'd with like 8 hours in '89 (FAA changed to 10 in '97). The airport was FULL of Asian students too that barely spoke english. I was on my first downwind and could not find the plane that was on final till I heard them land. I turned base but by then was WAY too low and could not see the airport. I climbed up looking for the airport but wound up back in downwind going backwards. When I saw a Cesna pass over top of me going "the correct direction" I panicked and got out of the pattern. Came back landed taxied passed my instructor watching me and he just waved his arms to go again. He had his radio but could only hear me it would not transmit. lol So my first solo I wound up in the traffic pattern 100' below it going backwards. HOLY SHIT what a horrible screwup that was.

Exactly the same, and the way I used to do it with my students. 👌

Yep! Almost exactly like this except I was in Palmer, AK with a good 7-10kt crosswind! Mostly because there was always a damn crosswind! Learned real quick how to handle those and still have trouble landing without one!😂

Same... total surprise. The plane (C172) flew different. It was lighter. Quieter. More reactive. I was focused on flying, not trying to satisfy the instructor at every move. Three beautiful landings. Bought the airplane.

That is exactly how my first solo happened. 27 years and 14000 hours later and I am still learning.

36.5 years ago. I remember the build up to it but barely remember the moment. It was exciting and terrifying! About when I turned downwind I remember thinking I needed to get back to work.

Exactly the same… 43 years ago

Mine, in one of these..👇.I remember shouting out loud and singing while flying.

I had a radio failure on the third pattern and got a light gun signal!! Sweet

Looks solid! The first landing of your first solo is usually the best one you'll ever make.

Everything was fine until I leveled off and a brief moment of panic hit when I realized I was alone if something went wrong. I reminded myself that all I had to do was think things through and it would be okay. It was an exciting time.

Next to the birth of my son it was the most exhilarating times of my life! I was a bit surprised how one less person in that little 150 made such a difference in getting off the ground!

Yep - Marine Instructor at Saufley Field in a T-34, guess it was about the 8th flight (was over 50 years ago) and I remember he was my only instructor who did not use the ICS. Guy simply yelled loud enough to be heard and if he wanted to get your attention bad enough, he carried a fish-billy and whacked you hard in the back of the helmet with the thing. ‘BAAM!’ To simply catch your attention. We had done only a couple of touch and go’s at home base and he had me do a full stop, yanked the canopy open and I figured he was simply going to get out on the wing where he could get a better swing with the fish billy and beat me like a red headed stepchild…but no, he hopped down and said, “Go do a few touch - n - gos and then meet me in ops.” And then he waved me off and I saluted back, closed the canopy and simply sat dumbfounded for a minute prior to deciding whether he meant stay at Saufley or go to an outlying field. Then I quickly realized he would not be able to judge how I was doing if I left the field, so I stayed at Saufley and did nothing stupid. He cleared me for solo as soon as I got down. Never said good job - just didn’t hit or yell at me. Next flight was a scheduled solo flight…that said enough. Never had the Marine Captain for an Instructor after that…he just took raw nuggets through solo. Glad I was lucky enough to have him - he was quite entertaining.

My instructor and I, were having a discussion about my last touch and go, all the sudden we were just halfway thru the class and he points me ro the airclub, I thought I was done for the day, he hops out of the 172 and tells me to do a pair of touch and gos. I did 4

Same experience except in a Piper Tomahawk. My best take off and landing ever!

First approach ended up in go around😏, was good fun

Pretty much just like that. I was surprised and told 3 touch and goes then full stop taxi to the ramp and shut down. An hour later someone cut off my shirt tail I was 17.

Did mine on my lunch break from ATC. I called up my colleagues on the radio to taxi & they said ‘don’t be late!’ Feb 29th 1996. Still the smoothest landing I’ve ever done - I guess self-preservation kicks in! The aeroplane, PA38 ‘Traumahawk’ has seen better days now….

I was doing touch and goes with my flight instructor. She had me taxi to a spot near the runway. She got out, and said give me two touch and goes and a landing. I was halfway on the downwind before it struck me, I was in the plane alone

It was scary, only help at that point was to talk to the instructor over the radio

One of the most exciting things I've done

Exactly like that. Mine was in a Chipmunk, so I couldn't see the empty seat, as it was behind me - I was quite grateful for that, at the time.

When I was very young I was an amateur radio operator. Owing to this I would help CAP with their radios. There were several old Piper Cubs in the hanger left over from WWII training classes. A friend and I rebuilt one and when it was time to see if it was air worthy, even though he was IFR he was afraid to check out the aircraft. I had read every book and manual on flying and even in those days - I had no fear. The next Sunday morning it was a beautiful day and while everyone was in church I got in and taxied onto the auxiliary runway and requested permission from the tower to make a test run. Because I did radio repair I knew the jargon well. I set the control surfaces and rotated mid runway. What an indescribable rush. At approximately 2100 feet the engine died stone cold. Luckily that J-3 had an impressive glide ratio and the landing was soft. In my excitement I had not checked to see if there was fuel. I made that first solo 60 years ago.

Similar, had done two or three touching goes and the instructor asked me to taxi back to the Ramp. He offered some words of encouragement, opened the door (172) and walked back to the flying club office and asked me to do three full stop TO/Landings. The feeling, though exhilarating, did not even compare not even close to my first solo cross country. That was a real sense of liberation and accomplishment.

It surely wasn’t mid way taxi ! I had a few different occasions: 1) as a glider pilot when I was a teen. 2) PPL pilot as a teen. 3) military pilot helicopter early 20’s. 4) military pilot transport fixed wing mid 20’s. Civil ATPL mid 30’s . Which one counts ? 🤔😳

That was exactly my experience. The only difference was since we were in a Cessna 152, he simply stepped out after saying "Go back and give me three more landings"

I did a 1 hour training flight with my instructor, making it my 10th hour. I parked on the apron, he stepped out and said "go and fly the circuit, this is your first solo". Once I left the ground, I was pumped. Made a perfect circle and landing. Best thing ever!