I'd be willing to bet that a lot of flight students quit before soloing due
to a fear of being alone at the controls for the first time.

Having a hard time relating on this one, Jay . . . maybe because I was trained
in the military, I was frothing at the bit to solo in that little TH-55a . . .
those in my flight class were kinda betting on who would be first . . . I was
among the last :-(

I just couldn't wait to get that guy out of the front seat. I dreamed
about it at night. I pretended he wasn't there (pretty difficult
flying from the back seat of a J-3). I went to the airport each time
*knowing* he would solo me that day.

All I remember from the experience was the glorious feeling of being
able to see without a sheepskin flying jacket in the front seat.

Now, the *next* day, my first day going down and renting a plane and
taking off alone -- *that* was a terrifying experience. For one thing,
there was six inches of snow on the ground.



all the best -- Dan Ford
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