My alarm went off on a Wednesday morning 22/1/2020. I could barely open my eyes just to realise Its my first solo check today. a major step in the journey towards becoming a cadet pilot. Quickly got into shower and got my things ready. Airport pass, pink form, pilot bag and of course my go pro to film my first take off and landing.
Reached the hangar at about 6.30. Did a full preflight check on 9M-HMR. At about 7.00am went for a briefing at the briefing room with my instructor.
At 8.00 I took off with my instructor and did about 5 circuits and landings. 2 of it were flap less. Since the wind was calm I would still prefer normal landing. At 8.45 I landed and my Instructor Capt Umair requested for bay 08 which is near the ATC tower. This means that I have been cleared for my first solo. Excited but was nervous at the same time because there will be no one prompting if you make a mistake or if there are any emergencies.
You will not be sent on your first solo flight until your instructor is confident that you are consistently able to take off, fly a circuit and land in a safe manner without his assistance,are situationally aware, would manage any emergencies if they were to occur, know.
I performed all the prechecks and received an all clear form the tower. Carefully I maneuvered the aircraft towards holding point Charlie and performed ECU. I never really had time to consider how amazing the whole experience was as I was so focused on steering, communicating on the radio, and keeping a lookout for other aircraft.
As I turned the aircraft around and looked over to the seat next to me the feeling dawned on me, I was flying by myself! It’s a feeling that’s difficult to
describe, but a mixture of pride and excitement spread through my body. I laughed and a smile” escaped my lips, compared to other first-solo-flight stories there was no cries of joy heard over the intercom, I didn’t manage to activate the radio despite my desperate hold of the joystick. Unforgettable day I would say as a cadet pilot .
Finally its was time to land, I tried my best to stay focused, maintain centreline and airspeed. Out my muscle memory it all worked out. Managed to do a smooth landing with shoutout(congrats) from my batchmate’s on company frequency Ming and Bruce Cha.
Full Video Below: