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Thread: Can You Solo In A Week?

  1. #1

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    Post 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.

  2. #2
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    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!

  3. #3
    Byron J. Covey
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    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

  4. #4
    FastEddie's Avatar
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    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!!!

  5. #5

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

  6. #6

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    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.
    1996 Quad City Challenger CWS w/503 - Sold
    1974 7ECA Citabria - Sold
    1986 Pitts S1S

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by ssmdive View Post
    I'd say yes. I soloed in ~ 6 hours and that was back when I could only afford an hour a week.
    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.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood View Post
    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.
    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.

  9. #9
    FastEddie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood View Post
    Eddie, where were you that summer and what airplane? I am guessing Champ or Cub?
    1984, Charleston/Matoon (KMTO), Cessna 172

  10. #10
    crusty old aviator's Avatar
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    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.

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