Can You Solo In A Week?

There is a program which will be done at Sun N Fun which is pretty interesting.
3 student pilots with no prior experience will be given a week of intensive flight training with the goal of having them ready to solo in One Week.
Sounds pretty intensive , but we will see. Half of the 18 hours will be in a Redbird Simulator and half in the actual planes. a rebuilt C 172.

My bet is that they can do it, barring bad weather.
AOPA is filming it so those of us not at Lakeland can see it later.
How about a pirep from someone who is there, wish I was this year.

I'd like to go, even at the last minute, but don't have any housing.

Can you solo in a week? The short answer is "yes".

If the following general factors are in your favour:

-good weather
-have the time
-have the funds now
-have the right attitude and aptitude
-have the required skills and determination
-have an instructor that's a good fit with your personality and demeanor

...then "yes", you can solo in a week, easy.

I soloed in 10.8 hours over 7 weeks. Did it on my birthday, best birthday present ever!

I know of one example back in the 1960's where a person who had already passed his written and had a third class medical got his private in one week.

His uncle was the instructor as well as a designated examiner. They had excellent weather in the summer time with long daylight hours.

Having personally flown of a 40 hour evaluation period in three weeks, with 37 of those hours in 7 days, I can attest to the fact that that is an intensive flight schedule.


BJC

When I was 18, I soloed in a week through the Flight Encampment program thru the IL wing of the CAP.

We did 1/2 day of ground school and 1/2 day of flight instruction.

Started on Monday, soloed on Friday afternoon with 10.2 hours in the logbook!!!

Eddie, where were you that summer and what airplane? I am guessing Champ or Cub?

I'd say yes. I soloed in ~ 6 hours and that was back when I could only afford an hour a week. So, I'd bet that it can be done if the weather is good.

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Originally Posted by ssmdive

I'd say yes. I soloed in ~ 6 hours and that was back when I could only afford an hour a week.

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That is very impressive. Reminded me of RFC pilots during WW1 who soloed with 4-5 hours, were given a few more hours of advanced and then sent off to France with 10 hours total flying time to battle the Hun. Most lasted less than 2 weeks. Glad that thinking is long over.

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Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood

Sounds pretty intensive , but we will see. Half of the 18 hours will be in a Redbird Simulator and half in the actual planes. a rebuilt C 172.

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Wow, I would hope someone would be able to solo with 18 hrs of training concentrated in a week. Especially if solo is the only goal.

I don't think solo in a week is all that extraordinary. Piper's "Blue Sky Solo" promotion soloed more than 3 people in a week. And it was only about $300, lol.

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Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood

Eddie, where were you that summer and what airplane? I am guessing Champ or Cub?

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1984, Charleston/Matoon (KMTO), Cessna 172

In Texas somewhere, maybe Dallas, a fella from Alaska opened what he calls a "Simcade." It's basically a flight simulator, but you are strapped inside an actual cockpit that moves just enough to give you the sensation of flight, when combined with pictures on the big screen monitors outside the cockpit. They started getting calls and visits from flight schools, and even a FAA goomer, because of the volume of Simcade patrons who were signing up for flight training and performing better maneuvers and landings than some of the CFI's they went up with were capable of performing. The local GA community and FAA suspected, and maybe even accused, the Simcade of conducting an illegal flight training center in a shopping mall. Instead of embracing the technology, they wanted it to go away.

So, if the RedBird is as good as the Simcade, yes. Heck, after a few days in a sim, you could solo in one day, if you're not required to fill your brain with extraneous stuff, like how to communicate like a seasoned ATP to ATC, proficiently operate a stack of complex avionics, and interact with flat screen software.

In the fall of 1959 I soloed at the end of the 6th hour in a Piper Tri-Pacer. I do not recall how long in days it took but I probably flew a couple of times a week. The local Piper dealer had a special guaranteed solo for $75 or guaranteed private for $350. I could not find $350.

[QUOTE=Byron J. Covey;48252]I know of one example back in the 1960's where a person who had already passed his written and had a third class medical got his private in one week.
His uncle was the instructor as well as a designated examiner. They had excellent weather in the summer time with long daylight hours. Having personally flown of a 40 hour evaluation period in three weeks, with 37 of those hours in 7 days, I can attest to the fact that that is an intensive flight schedule."


I wonder how much, if any, of the time was "Ball Point Pen" time for the one week private. That sounds like a very exhausting schedule. I guess it could be done as you say, but it is almost unbelievable.

[QUOTE=Richard Warner;48365]

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Originally Posted by Byron J. Covey

I know of one example back in the 1960's where a person who had already passed his written and had a third class medical got his private in one week.
His uncle was the instructor as well as a designated examiner. They had excellent weather in the summer time with long daylight hours. Having personally flown of a 40 hour evaluation period in three weeks, with 37 of those hours in 7 days, I can attest to the fact that that is an intensive flight schedule."


I wonder how much, if any, of the time was "Ball Point Pen" time for the one week private. That sounds like a very exhausting schedule. I guess it could be done as you say, but it is almost unbelievable.

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I worked at the airport part time back then, and I can attest to several days of flying that were 8+ hours. I pumped most of the gas for them.

I completed 35 (of the required 40) hours of flight evaluation for my airplane in 7 days in the November, with relatively few daylight hours. No ballpoint time involved.


BJC

I thought I picked up on something earlier in the week while watching video coverage, although I reserve the right to claim misinterpretation on my part. Someone associated with the project made a statement to the effect that by the end of the week 'the student will conduct a complete flight without the instructor manipulating the controls' or a similar phraseology. Anybody else see that?

We should find out today, I guess...

Jim

EDIT... http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/A...e-week-big-day .....They were "supervised solos"...aka instructor sitting quietly in the right seat with no input. Certainly not solo, but probably made sense in the SnF environment.

It would have been a good thing if the students had actually soloed at the end of a week.
They didn't do this.
Frankly, I am not sure Redbird even had any intention of the students doing a solo flight, even if they had not lost a day or so to weather problems.

When I spoke to someone at Redbird at the start of the week, I was given the phrase of "assisted solo" which meant a student flying the plane, doing all the controls and decisions and all the piloting, but with a CFI next to him in the plane, which of course is not solo.

Getting a student who has never had any flying experience or knowledge to fly the plane safely on landings and patterns and go arounds and touch and gos, in just a week is a big step, but no the bigger one of an actual solo.

And the week was titled, "Ready to solo in a week" , not soloing in a week.
So maybe they did all they claimed to be doing.
One reason given on the AOPA site for not soloing was the busy airspace near Lakeland with Sun N Fun. But it would have mostly cleared out Sun and today, Monday would have likely have been quiet and open for these students, especially at Plant City which was where the planes were.

It will be interesting to see what happens with these students now. I hope the program continues in some way, and they do solo soon and go on to get their private certificate. We will see.

We seem to live in a world today made up of 'what once was the unadulterated, unquestioned truth is no longer the case'...and all at the whimsical discretion of anyone that cares to take part in the manipulation.

"Solo" to 99.999 % of the world means something done or performed by a single person unaccompanied. Redbird and the Denizens of Sun N' Fun would have you believe differently. Well, using their early onset stupid logic, I am proposing the following new truth:

Lindberg was not the first to fly the Atlantic solo and non-stop in May, 1927. In June, 1919, Alcock and Brown were the first to complete the feat flying from St. Johns, Newfoundland to Clifton, Ireland. I have it on the most excellent of authority and information that Captain John Alcock did 100% of the flying and navigation without any input whatsoever from Lieutenant Arthur Brown who was merely along for the ride in a supervisory capacity.

+1 on the redefinition of terms. Last night I saw an ad for a shoe chain promoting a BOGO sale. To me BOGO means "buy one, get one free". The ad defined it as "buy one, get one at half off".

As to the question, I am certain that it can be done. But two years ago during my initial training (for which I took time off and arranged an intensive schedule), I discovered that at just under 4 hours of training per day (much of it landing practice), this (at the time) 57 year old was wrung out like a dishrag.

There is a short video on the AOPA website a few days ago which showed and talked about these students.

It is obvious that the lady can fly the plane, but that they did not do a solo flight at all,the CFI is right there in the plane next to her.

It will be interesting to see what if anything happens to these students when they go back to their home airport and fly with another CFI. Will they get to do a genuine solo flight soon, or will the CFI have them repeat all the learning they have already done in Florida?

I assume the course at Sun N Fun was given to these 3 students at no cost to them. What now,will they continue their training if they have to pay for it,and will they become private pilots? I hope so. I'd sure like to meet them as Airventure.

I don't think Redbird has plans now to continue to repeat this at Oshkosh, wish they did.
And for those who say it is too busy, too many planes to do this training at EAA, they could easily do what they did at Sun N Fun where the flying was at a nearby airport. Plant City, to Lakeland.

I would say it depends on the type of aircraft one wants to solo. Something like a quicksilver, that could be done in two days maybe even one. Something like a 747, I would dare to guess, even though no one solo's a 747. But you get my point.
I soloed in 10 hours. My instructor told me I was ready at 5 hours. I wanted more seat time before going alone. I never flew before as pilot. I flew as passenger and only twice in a small airplane when I was very young. All others were heavy's that needed a ticket to ride.

Tony

Just noticed this thread. I am not sure about one week, but the CAP National Flight Academies do it in 10 days. One of the venues is at OSH the week or so after AirVenture. I used to regularly provide instruction for the encampment. The syllabus is 8 hours of flight. The cadets fly at least once per day (weather allowing) twice when we can, and ride back seat with another cadet. Ground school when not flying. Not all make it to solo in that time period. Most do.

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Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood

There is a short video on the AOPA website a few days ago which showed and talked about these students.

It is obvious that the lady can fly the plane, but that they did not do a solo flight at all,the CFI is right there in the plane next to her.

It will be interesting to see what if anything happens to these students when they go back to their home airport and fly with another CFI. Will they get to do a genuine solo flight soon, or will the CFI have them repeat all the learning they have already done in Florida?

I assume the course at Sun N Fun was given to these 3 students at no cost to them. What now,will they continue their training if they have to pay for it,and will they become private pilots? I hope so. I'd sure like to meet them as Airventure.

I don't think Redbird has plans now to continue to repeat this at Oshkosh, wish they did.
And for those who say it is too busy, too many planes to do this training at EAA, they could easily do what they did at Sun N Fun where the flying was at a nearby airport. Plant City, to Lakeland.

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As a low time student shooting for an SP license, I don't "get" you guys! I'm not quite to my solo yet but I'm getting close. Personally, an "assisted" solo may be better for me than simply tossing me into the left seat without a CFI in as little time as possible just to prove the point that it can be done. Have any of you "aviation purists," ie, "solo means SOLO" considered what that student has got going through his head when you throw him to the wolves just to prove a theory? What if the poor sap crashes on landing because, in his mind, he wasn't ready but in the mind of others, 6 to 8 hours should have been enough? Maybe it's just me but having a CFI in the cockpit with me that sits there and lets me do the flying would be no different than taking up a passenger that knows absolutely nothing about flying. The one difference here would be that the CFI in the right seat can make things right prior to a catastrophic mistake by a low time student. I keep hearing "safety first" but then some of you old timers (or high timers) suggest that we take someone with zero hours to solo in a week. Sure am glad I'm not flying with the likes of you.

My dad solo'd a Cub in 1943 after 4.6 hrs dual. A guy I worked with solo'd a TH55 in 1966 after 6.2 hrs dual. I've seen both logbooks, not self certified, cosigned by military operations officers.

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Originally Posted by Scrapper

As a low time student shooting for an SP license, I don't "get" you guys! I'm not quite to my solo yet but I'm getting close. Personally, an "assisted" solo may be better for me than simply tossing me into the left seat without a CFI in as little time as possible just to prove the point that it can be done. Have any of you "aviation purists," ie, "solo means SOLO" considered what that student has got going through his head when you throw him to the wolves just to prove a theory? What if the poor sap crashes on landing because, in his mind, he wasn't ready but in the mind of others, 6 to 8 hours should have been enough? Maybe it's just me but having a CFI in the cockpit with me that sits there and lets me do the flying would be no different than taking up a passenger that knows absolutely nothing about flying. The one difference here would be that the CFI in the right seat can make things right prior to a catastrophic mistake by a low time student. I keep hearing "safety first" but then some of you old timers (or high timers) suggest that we take someone with zero hours to solo in a week. Sure am glad I'm not flying with the likes of you.

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An "assisted solo" is what I've always done with students prior to the real thing, meaning they must do it all with no help from me, though I'm sitting there. They even have to do it with the panel covered with my coat. You need to keep in mind that a true solo isn't just solo strictly for confidence, though that's a major part of it. It's also a legal (regulatory) term and procedure that is required for a license. If you can't turn a student loose for a true solo then you have a dual only student who will never solo and can never get a license.

As to knowing what's in the student's head when soloing, it's hard to know exactly for any given person, but I still remember (over 45 years later) what it was like for me, and I also have commentary from various students over the years. And some students aren't ready nearly as quickly as some others -- I've even, on a couple of occasions, refused to solo someone, EVER, recommending they give up flying completely, since they never seemed able to handle it on their own (bad stuff, even after lots of instruction and practice). Thankfully those are rare.

Also, I don't think you'll find any CFIs "throwing someone to the wolves." As to soloing a student in a week, the intense immersion in flying needed for that to occur makes it a different experience than it is for someone flying two or three times a week. Keep in mind, too, that no one will FORCE you to solo (some CFIs might push a little, but not FORCE), but they'll certainly make sure you have the opportunity if you are able.

As to 6 to 8 hours? There are rare individuals who can do that with no problem. There are also those who take 30 plus hours to solo. Most are in between.

Perhaps after you've actually soloed and gained a bit of additional experience, you might ' "get" you guys.'

Scrapper, if you don't feel ready to solo after a certain number of hours, then don't go. You can just keep on flying dual, the CFI will likely be glad for the income. Bu I would tend to trust the CFI when they say you are ready. I am pretty sure that the safety record for first solo is very good. And learning to fly is and should be fun, not something you see as a worry.
I have never heard of the term assisted solo until recently. If you are solo then you are the only one in the plane and obviously doing the flying all of it. By the way, nothing in the Sun N Fun instruction said they only had 6 hours or 8 dual. I seem to recall they may have had 18. The point was to see if they could get competent in a weeks time, not limited to a certain number of hours. Each student had their own top CFI and probably a half day or more inst. Say 3 hours a day for 6 days,certain enough time for many to be ready to solo. Now Redbird never had any intention of actual solos but it is obvious that the students were proficient at weeks end to have soloed. They could fly and land they plane.
Otherwise it is dual. Now before a student solos he will normally have flown the pattern and made landings dozens of times, maybe hundreds with a CFI ,but should realize that at some point the student is doing all the flying, the CFI is there just to supervise. So on the solo flight the student just does what he has already been doing. Mormally you go around for 3 takeoff and landings and the CFI is there either on unicom or in the tower if needed on the radio.
Solo is a step to a pliot rating and you go on to learn x country, instrument or night flying and the other parts after solo until ready for the flight test. You will both be practicing on your own and also having dual for new parts.

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Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood

There is a program which will be done at Sun N Fun which is pretty interesting.
3 student pilots with no prior experience will be given a week of intensive flight training with the goal of having them ready to solo in One Week.
Sounds pretty intensive , but we will see. Half of the 18 hours will be in a Redbird Simulator and half in the actual planes. a rebuilt C 172.

My bet is that they can do it, barring bad weather.
AOPA is filming it so those of us not at Lakeland can see it later.
How about a pirep from someone who is there, wish I was this year.

I'd like to go, even at the last minute, but don't have any housing.

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I am stuck in Seattle and therefore missing Sun n Fun, outherwise I would not be commenting here. Not only is a one week to solo possible, one day to solo is possible. It is not for everyone but has been done. I was at OSH for this one week to solo experiment and interviewed one of the students. It was a good program and not a stunt. Learning to fly does not need to be expensive and time consuming.

See my new post on free flight lessons and please help the cause.

Jedi,
What is your post link?