On Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 5:30:12 PM UTC+10, Chris Rowland wrote:
Is there a contest to see who can send someone solo the fastest?

In the UK the ATC used to send cadets solo in a tiny number of launches,
something like 20 winch launches. They achieved this by cutting out
everything that wasn't essential, including circuit planning and most
emergencies. Thy were solo but that was all.

The civilian clubs took many more launches, it took me 44 which was pretty
average for a teenager, but had been taught stalling and spinning, launch
failures, circuit planning and soaring. As a result my 4th solo was 20
minutes off the wire for my C certificate.

With the current pre solo syllabus it would be a challenge to get
everything covered in 20 aerotows.

What I tend to tell people after I send them solo is "Now you can learn to
fly". That's how it felt to me, and it still does.

Chris

I soloed in November 1972 with the Air Training Corp at RAF No. 1 Gliding School (I think it was called) at RAF Spitalgate, near Grantham in Lincolnshire (home town of one Margaret Thatcher).

I was the slowest of a group of four, all aged around 17. I can't remember the exact number of flights, and I have long lost the logbook, but I seem to recall that we were scheduled for 30 flights and the others made three solos within that; I took an extra half dozen or so to be cleared.

The training was in a Slingsby T-31 (open cockpit, high wing, tandem). It was all done off 1200 ft winch launches and sleigh rides - no lift in the English flatlands at that time of year. The airfield was so large that we never crossed the boundaries.

We definitely did premature launch terminations and stalls, but to this day I still have the image in my mind of what spin training looked like from the front seat. Being young and fearless I knew no better, but I shudder now at the thought of intentionally spinning from circuit height. Granted, a T-31 doesn't lose a lot, but recovering at 600 ft is bit close to the bone....

The winch signalling was done with an Aldis lamp!

My other great memory, apart from the first solo of course, was my third. I did two solos one afternoon and then the day ended. We awoke the next morning to a blanket of snow. It was the end of the course and I thought I'd had it. The instructors said "What's the problem, there's not a breath of wind". So off I went for a check ride followed by a solo circuit and a smooth landing with the skid swishing in the snow. Never done that since.

-tnd

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