On Wednesday, December 2, 2015 at 1:31:57 AM UTC-6, Teacher wrote:
Wondering if other CFIs would offer insight here.

My solo student was in the pattern at an uncontrolled field. Second solo flight ever, calm day, no pattern traffic. Insurance requires a CFI to monitor solo students. The lookie-loos on the ramp notice a powered ram-air parachute approaching the field.


I'll add a couple of cents here. You can bear in mind that I passed my private checkride less than a month ago, so your experience is considerably more than mine.

I remember the feeling of insecurity on my first solo. From what I hear, that's a very common thing. You are correct in that the FBO shouldn't be making radio calls for things that are not going to be a factor.

I trained at an airport that could be dead quiet, and other times could be busy with multiple planes in the pattern training, helicopters, people practicing IFR approaches, etc. Sometimes people would say they're southeast when they're really southwest, and on my checkride I had a person training with a malfunctioning radio (I helped them address that, actually).

You're not expecting someone to be competent to fly 200 miles and handle everything from an uncontrolled airstrip to a Bravo with VOR navigation on their first solo. But they should be able to handle common and reasonably uncommon local conditions. At an untowered field, an unexpected aircraft and a couple of radio calls should be expected and hopefully you've seen your student in that situation. At towered field, I'd assume they'd be comfortable talking to ATC.

So I guess I would say that if you sign off the student to solo, you should expect them to be able to handle an overzealous unicom making a couple of extra calls.

Do I make sense?