Instructor with spikes

Kevin's first solo made me think of my first solo in the heli back in 1997

I have been flying fix wing aircraft since 1980 and to go solo was not
unknown to me.

I was doing training on an Enstrom at the time and was doing quite well at
the time.

All the instruction was done by one instructor so I was not used to fly with
any other

instructors at the time.

My instructor decided I was ready for my first solo and made arrangements
with the

CFI of the school to evaluate me and send me solo. This guy was the owner of
the school

and was not very friendly this particular day. Me being a bit nervous lost
it completely when

he shouted at me for not being precise on the manifold pressure on the climb
out. After

that I could not do a thing right. He ordered me to go back and told me in
no uncertain terms

that I could not fly at all. I later found out that he really wanted to get
to my instructor so he

did this on purpose.

With me about 150 miles away from the school I did my training by driving to
the school every

week and spend two days there. This happened on my first day that week. I
still had one

more day left to get it right. That night I drowned my sorrows and did not
feel well at all the next

morning. I was trying my very best to invisible at the school the next
morning but at about

eleven the CFI spotted me and told me to go and do a pre-flight and to be
ready in ten minutes

to fly. This time I could not do a thing wrong. The rotor and engine rpm
gauges seemed to be

glued to the dial. The CFI then instructed me to land close to a concrete
square in the middle

of the airport grounds. With a last word of advice he told me to do one solo
circuit and to come

and pick him up again. The circuit went very well. It took a minute to get
used to the extra power

and change in CG.

When I got back into the hover after doing the circuit I saw the CFI
standing about 50 yards

to my right. Because he was an older guy I thought that I would hover taxi a
but closer to him

to pick him up. However the moment I started towards him he turned around a
ran away from

me. I eventually landed and waited for him to come closer but I had one hell
of a time to keep

a straight face. I am still sure that my circuit and air taxi was not so bad
to cause him to run for

his life.

Regards

Hennie