RE: Your first solo

I’ve had several memorable occasions which I consider as valid as my first solo:

First solo – Age 16 in a K13 glider on a winch launch. I soared for 22 minutes in very weak thermal lift and had the only soaring flight at the club that day!

First powered solo – Age 17 in a C152 at Shoreham. I was a silly bugger in those days and thought it would be fun trying to use the right seat controls while sitting in the left!

First flight as an instructor – In a Blanik glider at Kenley. A fraught experience when you let other people try to kill you!

First training flight in a twin-engine aeroplane – You feel like the king of the airfield when there is more than one throttle in your hand. People start taking you much more seriously, wallet empties very quickly.

Instrument rating flight test – The hardest flight anyone does in their life, ever, period. Getting a first time pass is a great thing to boast on your CV. I passed first time, I boasted!

First flight in a commercial aeroplane – For me it was a Saab 340 and suddenly you start to feel a real sense of acheivement. Mixing it with the heavy metal at big airports like Schiphol makes you feel cocky until you get a bit too close and experience some wake vortex.

First flight in a jet – My first flight in a jet was a 757 from Gatwick to Chateauroux near Poitiers before doing 6 touch and go’s. Things happen fast in a jet so at the start you are just hanging on to its coat tails.