My First Solo Flight Experience

Just 20 days after my first flight, having flown just 13 hours, my instructor handed me over for my solo check, which if I passed, I’d immediately go solo. The date was 11 November 2015 when I was booked for an afternoon slot and I really wanted to go solo on this day because it was my dad’s birthday and I thought, “What better gift to give him than this?”

My slot time came and instead of going to do the flight, I had a very talkative instructor who chose to speak for a whole hour before going for our flight. By the time we started up and got to the runway, the weather had deteriorated and it had started to drizzle. “What a waste of my time,” I thought, but everything happens for a reason. Perhaps, he would not have passed me.

I was rebooked the following morning 12 November, to go up with a different instructor who wasted no time at all. We just met up and he said “let’s go fly!” It was like music to my ears. We flew four circuits together and when he was satisfied he called for a full stop landing. He disembarked the aircraft and said, “Fly safe young man. Now go.” I had made it; I was finally going to fly my maiden solo flight.

I taxied to the runway, nervous as hell. I remember singing to keep myself calm, “Makanaka Jeso” which translates to “You are beautiful oh Lord.” Once I was done with my engine checks, I pressed the PTT and called “Zulu Sierra-Echo Bravo Lima is ready for take-off runway 28 left.” Without further delay, tower cleared me for takeoff and I applied full power.

Words can only diminish the inexplicable feeling of realizing it’s just you and the aircraft, all power has been handed over to you. I kept imagining my instructor was next to me, so in my head I heard a voice, “75mph rotate,” and I gently pulled back on the control column. Ladies and gentlemen, we were airborne! It wasn’t until downwind that I realized that there was no one to talk me through the landing.

When it comes to flying, taking off is actually the easy part, it’s the landing that’s tricky and it requires needle precision. I kept my cool and continued onto final approach. A smooth landing followed by a congratulatory message on the radio got me feeling like I was on top of the world. I had done it, first solo was out of the way and I felt like I had walked on water.

As part of the 43 Air School rituals, a pilot who has flown their first solo does not set foot on the ground until they have taken a dive in the pool. Upon parking the aircraft my instructor and some friends carried me some 200 metres or so to the pool and threw me into the pool. It was at that moment that it sunk in that "I am a pilot now.