Don't Quit After Your First Solo

Keep the momentum going with these tips to continue your flight training.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 10:17 AM ET

Verified

For the private pilot candidate, the first solo roughly marks the halfway point of their training. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A high percentage (around 80%) of learner pilots drop out of training, frequently after their first solo flight.
Key reasons for attrition include running out of money, forced repetition of training by new instructors, and a lack of clear guidance or a structured syllabus post-solo.
Other factors contributing to pilots quitting are instructor changes, life events causing prolonged breaks, frightening flight experiences, and limited availability of training aircraft.

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“I took flying lessons years ago, but ….”

You’ve probably been in a few conversations that begin like this. It may even have been you who has spoken this sentence. I have lost count of how many times the conversation begins like this when someone finds out I am a flight instructor. The sentence usually ends with the person telling me they dropped out of flight training, often right after soloing. Sadly, this is very common.