First Solo C42

Surprise first solo at Solent Flight Lower Upham Hampshire.
I had been a student pilot since May 5th 2015 and had been looking forward to first solo for a while. When it came it was a complete surprise and I will never be able to explain the mixture of feelings all rolled into one, but overall just brilliant ;-)
My only known mistake was to call "North abeam Bishops Waltham repositioning South abeam" this of course should have been "South abeam Bishops Waltham repositioning North abeam". Though I did call the North abeam position correctly on the down wind leg. I lost 50' late cross wind, to anticipate some thermal lift that was present on the cross wind to down wind turn. circuit height was 1300' at that time.

[@MrAlwaysBlue]

Well Done. It was very instructive to have the instruments on show during the circuit.

[@OurgateProductions]

Thanks, seems a long time ago now. Still enjoying the flying :-) Jules.

[@firefighterleetiktok85]

Great feeling doing your first solo

[@OurgateProductions]

Oh Yeh, was awesome day for sure.

[@tonyallenby7508]

so much going on there, non flyers would not understand

[@OurgateProductions]

Thank you Tony, well, anyone who engages in the NPPL M syllabus, will soon get to grips with the consistent procedures of flying the aircraft in the circuit. It really is not that difficult with quality instruction and practice.

[@OurgateProductions]

Hello, Well it's all I know really, like it or hate it, there are hundreds of pilots flying C42 using the throttle, and everyone seems to be getting on just fine. i could imagine it may be more awkward for a pilot coming from a different type, but I am sure that anyone will get iused to it after a while. I would rather focus on the positive aspects of the aircraft which by far out way any negative in my opinion. this is a very safe and easy to fly aircraft, it is very capable and enjoyable to fly in my opinion. thanks. Jules

[@DeanHeit]

Well done.

[@OurgateProductions]

+Dean Heit Thanks Dean. Jules.

[@garydavis118]

Hi mate am I right in thinking your first call of north a beam Bishops Waltham repositioning south a bean were round the wrong way?

[@OurgateProductions]

Hello Gary, yes you are correct. If you check my video description I mention this as a known error on my part. However, I was please with the circuit, and would rather have made a radio call error, than say an appraoach or landing error :-) I am now a qualified Pilot, and of course have improved since my first solo which was around a year ago. Thank you for your interest ;-) Jules.

[@garydavis118]

Sorry mate didn't read the description. The reason I asked was because I've just started learning circuits also with Stewart at Lower Upham. Only done 11 hours so far! How long did it take you to get your license? I'm doing 1 lesson a week. I'm doing all the take offs and landings but struggle with the approach on 04!

[@OurgateProductions]

Hi Gary, Sorry m8, first time I have seen this post. Not sure where you would be after 6 months, I have not flown for over two months due to weather. 11 Hours (6 months ago) to be doing all take off's and landings is pretty good I reckon, especially with just one lesson a week. I got my license beginning of June 2016. Lower Upham is a challenging Airfield, it will take more hours at LUP than some other airfields, but once you have mastered LUP, you will be capable of getting in and out of anywhere. Key to 04R is to gauge the altitude so as approach over the wires is bang on 500' QNH. It's a precision approach, fly it like a glide approach everytime when learning. always be prepared for an early go around if you end up looking long. Have a look at my you tube " Approach and land runway 04 Lower Upham "Ourgate Productions". It took me about 81 Hours in all, partly because of bad weather early on in 2015, meaning I had to re-fly exercises and lost solo hours, partly because of the challenge of LUP, and partly because they reckon I didn't listen, and maybe wasn't that good, I don't know. So took me longer, but then found others had done similar hours, and of course some less. On my test, CFI said I was a good pilot, well after 81 Hrs, one would have hoped so :-)))). How are you doing now ? I am waiting for the weather to improve before getting back in the left seat for some quality flights ;-) Happy to meet up and fly LUP if you fancy. Cheers m8, Jules.

[@garydavis118]

+OurgateProductions Hi mate no worries for the late reply! In 6 months I've only managed to fit in another 8 hours, due to weather and work commitments etc. I've now passed my air law so I'm looking at getting solos under my belt. Hopefully the weathers going to start getting better so I can get back up in the air. Thanks for the advice and reply mate. No doubt I'll see you at lower upham again one day. Cheers

[@MrAlwaysBlue]

I am currently learning on a C42. How many hours did it take you to go solo?

[@OurgateProductions]

Hello, Well our Airfield is very tight to get in and out of, you do really need to be quite advanced to get in safely, this is bound to lead to more training hours than you would need at a larger facility. However, it does mean that you are better prepared in the long run run and with out doubt end up a more advanced pilot post GST. in my case, I flew about 35 HRS before solo and around 81 Hrs before I passed my GST. seems excessive, I never felt that I had difficulty handling the aircraft, admittaably we fly in Southampton airspace, is very busy and can be a challenge for a student pilot. That said everyone is different. and some will move on faster than I did. I have been flying 2 years now, and still learning, all be it on my own. GST and licence only releases you from an instructor to go out, improve your skills, and carry on learning. Enjoy the challenge , one life, live it. Cheers, Jules.

[@acabbie]

That’s great to read, I’m learning on a skyranger nynja and have done about 32 hours so far and hopefully be going solo soon. I was beating myself up that I was taking too long to achieve it but speaking to others, not everyone is the perfect student and gets their licence in 25-30 hours! I’m sticking with it even though there’s times I think to myself I’ll never get it. The thought of one day having the freedom flying gives is good enough incentive to overcome any hurdles. Like yourself, where I’m learning is not the easiest place to land but I know it’ll prepare me for some of the trickier places out there. Keep flying and have fun.

[@OMEGOOLIEBIRD]

What would be the plan with an engine out on take off there? Looks like no option but buildings, no open space and too low to turn in that first part..must be scary!

[@OurgateProductions]

Hello, thanks for your post. Well, Lower Upham is a challenging airfield, and to be honest that's one of the reasons we like it :-) Knowledge conquers fear, if you know what your doing there is no reason to be scared. In fact, if you are ever scared as a pilot, it is pretty likely that the pilot involved requires further training. In the event of an R22 EFATO it is possible to bear to port 45 degrees and find an adequate landing site. For R04 there are options for landing with a 45 Degree starboard turn. If approaching the 440,000 volt cables at less than 450ft (QNH) with an unsound power plant, then a 45 degree (max) Port turn is recommended IMO. 500' QNH is the MSA for the overhead cables. R04 is the safest runway for take off, taking into consideration the possibility of an EFATO. So no, not scary IMO, challenging and focusing I would say, and that's why we are proud to call ourselves competent pilots. Thanks, Jules.

[@OMEGOOLIEBIRD]

What a fantastic answer! You are clearly very well trained and know best how to mitigate the situation. From the camera angle, it seems to be a few seconds of very limited choice, and only a split second to make the decision..I guess that's where the training and airfield knowledge become critical. I fly model planes via FPV and would like to progress to microlight one day... so am aware of the sudden problems that can arise and the extremely short time frame to commit to a safe decision, but I can buy another foam plane!.... Engine failure in full size is my biggest fear, even my electric planes can fail for one reason or another, but with a liquid fuelled engine, there are so many more failure points..I guess great training and constant awareness are the secret.. ;-) Thanks for the reply!

[@OurgateProductions]

Thanks for your reply. I fly models too :-) electric balsa 1.8 Mtr wing span on one of them. I like electric, not flown FPV though. Yes making the right decision quickly is paramount of course. In fact, you could say that piloting aircraft is all about constant decision making and situational awareness. You need that for models too. If you want to learn to fly microlights, your model flying will have given you a good head start. It is completely different but, you understand the fundamentals of flight, control surfaces, air speed, stalls, COG etc. I cant recommend the C42 enough, it is an excellent AC and very easy to fly. The cost of learning in a microlight is around half compared to a group A AC. Good luck with the flying ;-)

[@davecasey4341]

First thing I would have to do if i bought one of these is modify that throttle setup. Get rid of the lever between the legs and go with something like a push-pull knob on the dash or something.

[@OurgateProductions]

Hi Dave, well I learnt on C42 so don't know any different. To be fair, it probably looks more awkward than it actually is. I am very happy with the aircraft overall.

[@rinooneone3]

Hello DC I'm learning in a C42 and the throttle location was a bit to get use to but it really is a great system

[@OurgateProductions]

Hi, Well if you've already flown a different type with standard console or, quadrant mounted throttle then yes I think it would seem strange. However, I had not flown anything else prior, so I just got on with it, seems normal to me. I like the ide that you always have one hand on the power all of the time. AC is easy to fly, and very responsive IMO. Nice kite !

[@davecasey4341]

I understand all that and I'm sure I'd just get used to it. All I'm saying is that when a passenger gets out of the plane and has to say, "Hold on to that throttle" because if you don't, the engine is going to get over-revved or killed when they bump up against their throttle, it's a design flaw that needs to be looked at. Maybe it never causes a problem. I can just see the potential for a problem there. The thought just crossed my mind that this would be something like putting the switch to changed tanks on the wall behind the pilot's shoulder. It might seem like a good idea, until someone dies after losing control of the aircraft while trying to switch the tanks. Someone like John Denver.

[@OurgateProductions]

The instructor was verbally double checking that I had the throttle checked shut as he left the plane. That is a sensible precaution and one he would have undoubtedly confirmed on any A/C type with any throttle control arrangement. I can't comment on the fuel tank change over valve position in another type I am not rated on. I see the C42 throttle as a safe control, never had an issue with myself. Any control could be jammed or knocked by a pilot or passenger, that's why we double check and confirm all activities in the cockpit, passenger is briefed, stowage of any loose items etc, all part of our checks. Changing the throttle on the C42 is not an option, the plane is certified with that control, you would have to seek approval to change it, not sure it would be granted. May be look at a different type, C42 is a good aircraft, but there are other options.