![In ground school, student pilots learn important skills such as how to access and interpret weather, calculate aircraft performance, and use a checklist. [Credit: Adobe Stock]](https://flyingmag1.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AdobeStock_497266420_rs1.jpg?width=1200&height=800)
The student pilot was looking for a new instructor. He said he had been flying with the same one for a few months and had logged about 10 hours of dual instruction given, but his CFI wouldn’t let him solo.
The learner produced his logbook showing he had performed all the tasks under cFAR 61.87, solo requirements for student pilots. The learner suggested his CFI was intentionally holding him back to pad the bill and get more hours.
I was skeptical. I’m not saying that doesn’t happen sometimes. But it was also likely that this was a classic case of miscommunication between the learner and CFI, as the tasks required for the first solo are not “one and done.” They must be practiced until a certain level of proficiency is attained. This is why repetition and drill are an integral part of learning.
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For this particular learner, there was a pattern of two or three lessons a week, then a two- or three-week break. Breaks in training, especially in the pre-solo phase, are detrimental, as proficiency is lost.
Repetition Builds Skill
One of the benefits of providing flight instruction to someone who plays or has played organized sports is that they recognize the connection between practice and drill and proficiency.
Think about it: How many times did you run that play in practice because that situation was going to show up in a game? And you continue to practice that play throughout the season for best results.
Once you learn the skills and how to act and react when the situation is encountered in the real world (the game) on the pitch or the court, you gain proficiency. Flying is the same way. You will spend hours in the practice area and airport traffic pattern learning and practicing skills such as steep turns, slow flight, and radio calls, and when you demonstrate proficiency, you will be ready for solo.
Structure of Pre-Solo Training
There is no metric as to how many hours of dual instruction you need to log before you can be soloed, but cFAR 61.87 lists the 15 tasks that must be performed before you are granted solo privileges. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make sure you receive this training before you are cut loose for solo.
Instructors are not infallible. There are times when an instructor misses something. As a commercial pilot candidate, I encountered a CFI who stated she never taught emergency procedures until after she had soloed the student. I was confused, as emergency procedures are No. 11 on the experience list of cFAR 61.87. As it happened, the chief CFI overheard the remark and had a correctional discussion with the CFI.
One of the challenges of 61.87 is that there isn’t a performance metric on the required tasks, unlike the Airman Certification Standards (ACS), which are the minimums for the pilot certificate or rating. A savvy instructor introduces the ACS early in the applicant’s training and uses these metrics for solo flight.
Pro tip: It is also easier to teach to the standards right away than attempt to clean up the applicant later.
Solo Knowledge Required
In addition to the physical skills required for solo flight, there is a demonstrated level of knowledge required. The learner needs to know about weather, airspace, aircraft systems, performance, communications procedures, and emergency procedures.
It can be disheartening when the learner flies well but lacks the knowledge. Sometimes this gap is not discovered until the learner does a ground session with another instructor whose job is to assess the learner’s pre-solo knowledge. I have been that instructor and walked away with several pages of “soft spots” when the learner had no idea how the engine or aircraft electrical system worked, or the rules regarding the local airspace.
One learner, when asked to access and interpret a weather report, insisted that was the job of the CFI. He was right, as the CFI is technically the PIC, and they should be familiar with all available information before flight, which includes the weather. However, by the fourth flight, the learner should at least know how to access a weather briefing and be able to interpret it.
One learner insisted his CFI told him it was “too early” for ground lessons, so he hadn’t been studying. The CFI’s version was that the learner said he did not have the time to study, therefore, he had not been doing the assigned reading. However, he was a “really good pilot.”
To quote a former CFI of mine, “We can teach a chimpanzee to fly, but unless they learn how to read and study, they can’t be pilots.” Knowledge is a critical part of the equation.
If you don’t have time to study, it can be a signal that perhaps this is not the time for you to be in flight training. That doesn’t mean you won’t ever be a pilot, but you need to have the time to commit to the task to be successful. Not having the time to study or the money and time for consistent lessons is getting in your own way.
Ask Me Again
Repetition and drill are also useful to acquire and retain knowledge. As a learner, you may find reading and rereading a chapter of the Private Pilot Oral Exam Guide every week (or more) starting from day one will prepare you well for your flying and check ride. Or you may be one of those pilots who learns well with flash cards or needs to have some movement tied to learning—the tennis ball thrown back and forth as questions are asked is a good teaching tool for some.
Pre-Solo Plateau
If the learner has made five consecutive flights in a two-week period with no discernible improvement, it could be a learning plateau. This is particularly true if all the flights took place in the pattern.
The best course of action can be a change-up. Take the learner out to the practice area and fly the maneuvers, or head to another airport to fly the pattern. Giving the learner a chance to perform outside the familiar often leads to improvement and is often a boost to their confidence—and the first solo quickly follows.
