Pilot's First Cross-Country Solo | GONE WRONG!

Before now, we've NEVER filmed a Pilot's First Cross-Country. But this time, we finally had the opportunity. Watch as Roula takes to the sky and flies to multiple airports for her Cross-Country. She starts in Torrance (KTOA) and heads to Palomar Airport (KCRQ) then San Bernardino (SBD). The plan was to head back to KTOA afterwards, but that didn't quite happen. Watch the video to find out why not.
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[@philipmensah9528]

Sometimes we get so busy in the air we forget to have fun and knowing that we actually solo and no help and fun at that point….. she did so well proud of her

[@onebravotango]

Roula's achievement is truly commendable, as she demonstrated remarkable skills and confidence on her solo flight.

[@fikipilot]

NOT GONE WRONG. She took that diversion like a champ. I would have liked to see her recognize the IFR weather from ATIS and made that decision on her own, however that's what flight training is all about. Learning from our mistakes, applying what we've learned and always becoming better pilots because we remain teachable. She was safe. She Aviated, Navigated, and Communicated. She didn't break any regs. She didn't do anything dangerous. Most importantly, I didn't see any hazardous attitudes. She'll be a good pilot. Keep training, habibi!

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Yes! Absolutely, we are excited to see Roula grow as a pilot and learn to make those decisions on her own. As a pilot, you never stop learning 🛩

[@kurtreber9813]

Does she have to do her long xc all over again?

[@craigclarke4736]

Very well said! I agree with you analyses.

[@russellbynum2414]

Very well done handling busy and complex airspace with a diversion. And kudos for the SoCal controllers for taking such good care of a student solo.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

We love our SoCal controllers ♥

[@DarrenMiles]

I'm a student pilot now, next phase is student solo cross country, what happened to you here is exactly the kind of stuff I stress about - good job!!

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Good work preparing yourself, don't stress too much and good luck 🤞😎

[@cfairfull8030]

I would not have been this great with all the freq changes on my first cross country. Well done!!

[@melxdan]

Looks like in SoCal there are lots of towered airports so they’re more used to it.

[@mmichaeldonavon]

I thought she did a remarkable job. Pulled it all together. Probably the best 1st solo cross country I've seen. She sure demonstrated poise and confidence. Wow. N6395C (But the Piper Arrow was my favorite. :-)

[@InterestingStuffAdventures]

She talks to herself like I do when flying. That’s a good way to remember everything. Enjoyed watching the flight.

[@EJWash57]

This was a student solo cross-country? Sure didn't look/sound like it. Total command, and flew like a PIC!

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Roula is a rock star 😎🤙

[@Sebastopolmark]

Flying is much easier when things go right. This really was a confidence builder and she did very well on the radio as well. Off to a GREAT aviation career! !! !!!

[@onebravotango]

Flying is an incredible mix of preparation, skill, and adaptability. It's during those moments when things don't go according to plan that experience truly shines. You are absolutely right its much easier when things go right.

[@onebravotango]

Bravo, Roula, for embracing every moment of this unforgettable experience during your first Cross Country solo! 👏👏

[@scottlkearns]

Very well done! You handle radios and the overall situation very well.

[@GT3Marine]

This is how my first XC happened too. Home field turned IFR on the way back. Having to adjust on my own was the first time I really felt like a pilot!

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

It's hard to forget your first solo and first XC, are you still doing flight training?

[@lta0314]

Mashallah so wonderfull... Bismillah alrahman al raheem... so awesome gave me goosebumps! So proud of you, Roula.

[@NiceterCoolster]

Yes, thanks to infidel technology. I’m Arab btw lol.

[@petersmith8435]

Great job Roula!! Your poise and airmanship was commendable in such a stressful situation. My first long cross country was KSMO-KAPV-KSMO and, on the way back 20 miles out of KSMO ATC told me the same thing! After a minute or so of indecision - a divert to KVNY was chosen and a taxi ride back to KSMO! As with you, SoCal ATC were really helpful and kind knowing it was a student solo.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Next time, divert to KTOA and we can have some fun with the Slings 😎 what were you flying?

[@petersmith8435]

An old, tired C172 in 1996! But I loved it! Don't think Slings were born yet were they!? @@SlingPilotAcademy

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

@@petersmith8435 🤣 no, not quite yet.

[@schmitfam6]

Great job staying cool under pressure!!👏🏼👏🏼

[@davidkavanagh189]

Great flying. You handled the unexpected really well. Well done! Best of luck with your training.

[@ArkansaDave1]

That was awesome job handling that redirect and last minute change to a whole new airport!

[@aviatorsyed]

Great job Rula! You did great.

[@Kris-ru5ue]

GONE WRONG? I think she did a great job correcting the problem. Kudos to her.

[@budowens6478]

Very good job with communicating and flying the airplane, keep up the good work!!!

[@onetime5640]

Great job flying , I'm proud of you ! 🙏

[@jdub7771]

Wow awesome job! I can see the stress got to you. Although you sounded a little tired, you controlled every situation remarkably. 👌🏽

[@1hornet1]

Nice job rolling with the changes! Keep up the good work.

[@Freethepeoples123]

Well done you did amazing Roula!

[@oliverracz2686]

For a first solo cross country, very impressive. Remarkably calm and collected. Nothing gone wrong, just a minor inconvenience that was dealt with appropriately. In my opinion, the main lesson to learn from this flight (and the only thing that a more experienced pilot would have done better) is that we need to recognize when to "activate plan B". When SoCal Approach said "ceiling is broken at 500", that should have been her cue to go to an alternate. She was trying a bit too hard to get back to her home base, and needed a nudge from the controller to realize that was not possible.

[@camsmeltzer9388]

Cool,calm and collected! Lots of options available and well done! With the marine layer this time of year you usually have small window before it rolls back in, plan accordingly.

[@RusscanFLY]

Nicely done! Her comms were very tight given her first cross country solo. Definitely impressive.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Agree 💯 she rocked it 🤙

[@jerseyshorescannernews]

@@SlingPilotAcademy I just randomly commented the same then saw this

[@samataragon]

Roula did such a good job!! 🎉

[@thisoldaviator]

Roula, great landing at Long Beach!

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Woohoo! 🎉

[@kevinphillips9408]

Fantastic job.

[@jerseyshorescannernews]

Perfect comms!

[@Ontheflywithben]

Awesome job by the controllers!! I chuckled when the controller said “Ready for your IFR clearance?” She’s like “😮 nope, I’m VFR! But I’m on my solo and need to go to that field where the planes are!” Alway plan an alternate airport, that is XC planning 101.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

The SoCal Controllers are great - they did a good job helping Roula. And Roula stayed calm, cool, and collected. She rocked her XC and I'm sure she'll never forget to plan for an alternate airport now!

[@shedroids]

That was fantastic, Roula! #inspired!

[@christiancattell8257]

Very well done!

[@flutetubamorg]

Should get bonus points for a real world cross country situation!

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

💯 you're right!

[@jamesherbert1249]

love how helpful atc was great to see!

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

We ♥our SoCal Controllers

[@piper0428]

Gone worng? Fantastic job under the givin situation. You demomstrated situational awareness! Kudos to your flight intructor!

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Agreed - she did a fantastic job 😎

[@robinraphaelriverapomales2184]

Good job, through all those situations. good judgment😊👩‍✈👨‍✈

[@michaeljuster67]

Awesome job Roula 👌👌

[@user-wy1xf2lu3b]

Well done and good luck🛩️😃

[@ronaldcuieii8639]

That was awesome. Very nice🤗🤗.

[@TheSithTeacher]

Mabrouk! All the best.

[@davidrivera7069]

Such an eventful solo Xc so much going on. She was a legit PIC. Also ATC was great!

[@manuelwyss101]

Great job!

[@brendanslade9198]

Great job! ATC were so nice as well 🥹

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

We love our SoCal Controllers ♥

[@AaronWbirdman]

Nice job Roula.

[@mrsaskriders]

Awesome job

[@shockwavegaming1376]

Looks like so much fun! Can't wait until next year when I hopefully start my own flight training. Awesome job Roula.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Nice! Where will you be training at? 🛩

[@shockwavegaming1376]

@@SlingPilotAcademy I'm looking at several schools, but the one I'm most interested in is Thrust Flight in Addison, TX.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

@@shockwavegaming1376 let us know if you want to take an intro flight in a Sling before making your decision - we'd love to have you!

[@shockwavegaming1376]

@@SlingPilotAcademy Thank you.

[@blususpect]

Amazing!

[@Thumper43230]

Great job on what was definitely a stressful situation. I just did my first solo cross country two days ago. I was ready for it and all went well, but it was still stressful. I can only imagine if I had to divert to another airport, I would have been OK but...just another level of stress to add on.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Congrats on your first solo cross country and thanks for watching!

[@UNIK-wood-design]

She's a PRO.... beautiful flight...

[@BMT247RHF]

watching these makes me feel at ease, I'm at 33 hours in!

[@randya9810]

Good job, through all those situations

[@markjohnson9157]

Well done. She worked through what must have been a very stressful situation. Also a good job by ATC.

[@madaven818]

Excellent work, I hope my solo is that smooth

[@MACF75]

This Pilot is amazing. She is good I liked it. Well done.

[@drmichaelshea]

Good job!!

[@Michaelkaerager]

She did a great job, handling all the stress and detours, thats a PASS in my book!

[@RWBHere]

Roula handled that beautifully. Certainly stressful on her first cross country solo flight, but nothing really went wrong. Inconvenient, of course, but it was a happy outcome. Well done, Roula!

[@Kingovcali8667]

You was up the same time I was over KCRQ. That was cool. Keep doing a great job.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Nice! What were you flying?

[@Kingovcali8667]

@@SlingPilotAcademy Cessna 172S

[@Cherokee140Pilot]

Congratulations 🎊🎉

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

🥳🎉

[@laurentsamson8927]

Very cool video to watch

[@michaelscordo256]

Great Video!

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Thanks for watching!

[@lonsobel2580]

Excellent job! You said it was stressful, and there was a reason it was. But you didn't look or sound like your were stressed even a bit. The video title said "Gone Wrong." Your flight didn't go as planned, but there was nothing at all wrong about it.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Very true! She did very well with the challenges thrown her way

[@frankgogo8759]

Good job Roula!

[@oldguysrule5895]

Lessons learned when xcntry goes to plan -10 points. Lessons learned when “stuff” happens- 10,000. Good work.

[@apennameandthata2017]

Well done keeping the nose up on landing.

[@flyod26]

Amazing job! Very well done. You handled the stress very good! I'm a low time private pilot, that learn to fly in central Florida, in about 1/2 as difficult as the airspace you were in; and I would have probably not done as well as you did! And good on ATC also, they were great, and were way more friendly than the controllers where I fly. Great job all around!

[@OrangebarsInc]

so you're saying it's easier in florida than in Socal?, what would be the reason?

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

She did great and we love our local controllers, you should come fly around in SoCal one day to get the experience!

[@flyod26]

@@OrangebarsInc Flying in Florida and in SOCAL are similar in airspace and quickly changing weather but would say that while flying in Florida is difficult than most areas, its not nearly as difficult as SOCAL. The airspace is more congested where she was flying, than where I fly in Central Florida. Also ATC is generally not as nice, as I observed in the video. She did great!

[@flyod26]

@@SlingPilotAcademy 100% Definitely will! Thanks for the invite!

[@OrangebarsInc]

@@flyod26 Gotcha! i was just wondering cuz i'm based in california and very interested in flying thanks :)

[@AVIATOR-by4kk]

Very cool pilot, well done.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

We agree - she's great!

[@patriciodelsacramento]

Awesome content

[@davidrosa5283]

Really awesome video.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Glad you liked it!

[@michaelm2441]

Good job.... It was stressful for me just watching :)

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

She handled it well...very stressful!

[@flysport_tedder]

3:20 "my trainer always talks so much" 😆 5:20 what's "box box box"? turning base/final? 8:52 "palomar tower", eh, easy to get the name wrong. loved the progressive taxi! 13:00 loved this conversation with approach. He really helped Roula, and she did great explaining what she knew and starting the problemsolving. flew into TOA recently just because of the Sling vids. Busy place!

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Did you come say hi? We'd love to show you our slings, maybe get you flying in one?

[@flysport_tedder]

@@SlingPilotAcademy I didn't! I should have.

[@peterfarkas7450]

Well done Roula, Congratulation! 🛩Also thank you for sharing the video, btw... anyone else noticed the tic tak high speed zoom at 9:41 right above the tail numbers, (only visible for 2 frames).

[@adamd5013]

Wow she did a great job

[@d.b.cooper6112]

You did great. The radios will get easier

[@AM-tf7sd]

She did a good job 👏 cool head warm heart

[@Spec62]

She was so nonchalant at the 12:16 mark. Happy to hear the "welcome back, " HELLO!!!!! VFR into IFR conditions!!! Ceiling 500 broken? Brain freeze.

[@alk672]

Talking to the camera on a first solo cross-country... Some people are just built differently than me.

[@badgerfishinski6857]

Good learning experience for her

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

That's right!

[@utactiveuser]

The first cross-country solo never goes right :D my autopilot with brand new G1000 wasn't disengaging and going down with 800ft/m :D supper fun if you know what I mean ;)

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

😮😮😮 an unforgettable experience!

[@drameousmane1230]

bravo good job

[@lifesajourneyclub]

Well done dealing with that on your first solo.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

She handled it like a pro 😎

[@lifesajourneyclub]

A testament to your instructors and training. Well done.

[@da20eclipse]

Was that a nasty marine layer over KTOA? Great pilotage! 👏👍

[@jetnihal]

I was unable to leave this comment on your first solo, hope it allows me to send out here. BTW you did great on this detour flight info Long Beach. Congratulations and Celebrations soon to be a professional pilot Roula on your very first solo flight in March last year. I'm a retired United Airlines Captain. I still recall my very first solo 54 years ago at TMB Airport. Since you said sky when you soloed, I'll add that I'm sure the friendly skies will welcome you, if you decide to become an airline pilot. United Aviate Academy.

[@JB_Hobbies]

Nice. I am curious, how did she and the plane get home? Did someone come out to endorse for the flight back, or was she close enough to home to call a car to drive home and someone else came to get the plane? Or something else? I am sure many student solos have this exact scenario in mind when they head out on their solo XCs.

[@reineie]

Go go go Roula ❤🇪🇬

[@effinator]

Such an inspiration ! ! !

[@jimmydulin928]

Rather than just anticipate P factor as the nose gear comes off, try dynamic proactive rudder to bracket tightly the centerline between your feet. That will take care of any longitudinal alignment issues. We are better when we are ahead of whatever happens. Good takeoff. Instead of dynamically moving the stick to keep the wing level, again try using rudder only. This will make the nose yaw correctly initially rather than adverse yaw. Not a real issue here, fist leg, but becomes an issue in gusty air and especially on short final where we do not want to turn and therefore do not want to bank. Good job on first landing. The wing wagging, the nose yawing wrong on short final, was adverse yaw from using aileron at all. We don't want to turn. We want to bracket the centerline between our slightly dynamically moving feet. That will keep the wing level. Good job but stay off the stick for bank on short final. Rudder yaw will do the trick to stay aligned and staying aligned will keep the wing level. Yes, good rudder on second landing. Good job. Good third landing. Good diversion. Aviate, navigate, communicate in that order. You can go anywhere you have fuel and good weather to go. Don't let getting the plane back worry you. Good job all around. Study up on marine weather in your area. I enjoyed your trip. You don't wing wag (too much aileron) as much when stressed a bit. Notice in normal turns that the nose yaws a bit the wrong way at first unless you lead rudder. Rudder pulls aileron, not the other way.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Great analysis, thank you!

[@nicktalavera9659]

Nobody gonna acknowledge jp in the back when she was taxing 1:45

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

Good catch 👀

[@michaelrivera6989]

I usually file a flight plan even if I use flight following because they once sent me a text with a weather prediction update for just this exact situation. Torrance weather prediction changed and I had to leave San Diego early before an earlier than predicted marine layer set in.

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

That's a great idea, it's always better to be prepared than not.

[@alk672]

Keep in mind - relying on flight following for search and rescue (rather than filing a VFR flight plan) is a dangerous misunderstanding of how the system works. A lot of things can go wrong with flight following leaving you without an alert to the search and rescue. You may not get flight following. Your radio may not be transmitting without you knowing. You may forget to click the PTT in panic. Remember - aircraft disappear off the radar every day on the controller's screen for various reasons, they may not necessarily pay attention or assume you have crashed. If you believe you may need search and rescue capabilities within a reasonable timeline - always file. That they can not ignore.

[@MuscleJoy]

BEAUTIFUL, I LOVE YOU NOW😄😄😄😄😄😄

[@user-ww2lc1yo9c]

What a beautiful creation of God.

[@watashiandroid8314]

Why the rudder tail wag on final for SBD?

[@jasons5915]

She’s better than a lot of PPLs that I’ve seen. I’m curious how many hours this was?

[@earlskie78castillo77]

I love her

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

We do too!

[@timhogg7814]

Great job, confused though, is it two zero Charlie or zero two Charlie?

[@SlingPilotAcademy]

It's "Two Sierra Charlie" because the plane is 802SC - thanks for asking!

[@NereaWolfit]

Que bonito se ve todo desde arriba, de pequeña yo queria ser piloto de avion

[@ricardo-sf]

.. she handled the deviation great .. and she flew great ..and .. just from seeing the layers on the first leg, weather should have been a concern .. and when taking off from the 2nd airpor it was predictable that weather could/would be a factor. The big question is why was she signed off for this flight by her CFI when weather could be a factor? ..

[@user-fu4ci1xh3g]

ما شاء الله نتمنى لكم التوفيق والنجاح الدائم في الدنيا والآخرة الأخت الكريمة إستمتعنا معكم في رحلة جوية جميلة ،أتمنى أن تقرئي رسالتي وأنتي بخير ،good flight ✈️