First Solo, Stoke airfield Isle of Grain Kent.

By Ben Crick, 18/02/2005

Pre-amble

To go solo you have to be ready and for the last 5 hours of flying instruction I believed I had been ready. The flying instructor (FI), AKA Alan "the Hat" Cashin said " that some time real soon, when the winds drop a little and comes from the right direction to can go solo".

I had booked Thursday the 18th February off and the days before predicted very low winds and from the WSW which would be straight down runway 24. I should point out at this point that we only have two runways, 060 and 240 called 06 and 24 for short. All week I watched the forecast and come Wednesday afternoon all still looked favourable for a possible solo.

Wednesday 1500 I called "the Hat" and asked if he had anytime for me tomorrow. I was half expecting him to say "sorry Ben busy all day" but that's the cynic in me. As it went, Alan said that from 1300 to sundown was free for Mr Crick. Book me in big man!!!

Went to bed and read a chapter of Geoffrey Wellum's book called "first light". The book is the memoirs of a WW2 Spitfire pilot and by sheer coincident the chapter was about his first solo. An omen perhaps.

Slept very well, woke at 0545 and immediately took a look out the window. I found that since I started learning to fly I do this ritual every day. That day it was very calm but the visibility was not too good. Dam, there was me so worried about the wind I forgot what part the visibility plays for a microlight pilot who must comply with Visual Flight Rules VFR. Oh well perhaps it will clear and in circuit, which is at 800 feet, it may be fine.

1100 and I am into the Go-kart with 25 Litres of Fuel, spare oil and clad in plenty of layers to keep warm. While my little fixed wing plane has a closed cockpit it is still drafty. Arrived at Stoke airfield on the Isle of Grain at 1200 and the first thing I checked was the wind-sock. Oh yes, I thought, as I saw it lapping around the pole. In my own bizarre mind, I often measure the wind sock as an erection. When it has "a hard on" we can't fly, a flapping semi is fly with caution and when it is positively flaccid then things are good. And today this boy needed Viagra!!! I walked to the club hut thinking that today was the day and so long as I did plenty of good circuits and especially landings then the Hat would step out and let me go solo.

No-one was around and I could see the Thruster training plane in the air so I went straight to my plane. I took off the covers, fuelled her up and carried out a thorough check. Topped up the water and the oil (they didn't really need it) washed the windshield which did need it and checked the engine again.
The Thruster landed on the strip and the hat was not in the FI seat, it was Jeff McCall a recently qualified FI. Jeff is a good egg but could he allow me to go solo? Where is the Hat? I continued my checks of the radio and the headsets and after nearly an hour faffing about I needed to get going. Strolled up to the club hut and when I entered that Hat was in his usual position and smoking a roll up. Big smile from Alan and in my mind I wanted to say "so Alan will I be flying solo today" but I know that's not the way we play it. First I must show him that I am ready and he will then tell me. The student is a student and cannot tell the FI that the time is right. (No doubt there are plenty who think they can).

We had a chat, drunk some tea and then Alan tells me he will be up with a student for 45 minutes and then we are off. Now as it was approaching 1300 I start to have the usual frustrations I get when I am at Stoke, everything is delayed. I look out the window and the visibility is OK and I think that in 1 hour it could get worse and I will be very pissed if from 1300 to 1400 things are good and that was my slot!! Deep breath and remind myself that I should be more patient, flying should not be rushed and I need to be very cool and relaxed today. The club hut empties and I am left talking to a chap who is a student, not flying today but has turned up because he had nothing better to do. Jesus, I try to remember when was the last time I had nothing better to do? 1987 I think it was, when I joined the RAF.
Anyway this chap is at about the same stage I am in his training so we had plenty to talk about. He also tells me that Alan had mentioned to him that I may go solo today and that he would be putting me under a lot of pressure. Did he now? Bring it on Hat I tell myself as I feel a small butterfly flutter into my stomach

1345 the Hat is back. One roll up and he says "book us out Ben we are going". Very unusual, as I fully expected another 30 minutes before we started. Sure Alan has a little chat on the way but we are straight down to the end of the hangars where G-CBMA was awaiting the WinCO and Alan the Hat!!.

Quick check and we are inside. Alan has told me that he is looking for good circuits, good powered approaches and of course landings. I am gonna impress you today Monsieur Hat I say to myself. Pre-flight checks done, on the numbers 24 and we are away!!. First circuit is usually crap as I try to get into the groove but today is OK and while I am too high for a powered approach I land quite well. OK AL says and around we go again. Each time is better and the 3rd, 4th and 5th are some of the best I have done. I am landing a bit to the left and need to be lower to do the best approach but all is in the very good bracket.
After 45 minutes we stop. Hat says good lets stop, have a cup of tea and a rest. I book us in.

Inside the club hut Karen and Jeff are getting ready to go out and Karen compliments me on my landings - thanks. Alan asks to see my pilot record book which must mean he is checking again to see whether I have completed the correct exercises to enable me to do the first solo.

OK he says. OK I think. OK what? Hat master :-) We have to wait 15 minutes as it has started to rain a little and I have a terrible feeling that I will not get up. I start to think "if we were not 1 hour late I would not be looking at rain in the sky. Book us out Hat says and we are straight back in GCBMA. Winds low, but vis is not the best. The hat says we will go up and see what it's like so we do. 3 good circuits, approach is lower, better and I land fine. Still a little bit left but correcting OK. We come to a full stop and on the numbers 24.

Alan and I exchange a quick look and I sense he is appraising whether the WingCo is ready but he has made his mind up already as the little fella is out of the plane, buckles the straps up and says to me "OK Ben do the same again, remember she will climb out a lot faster and glide a lot longer when you land. When you finish do a full stop and I will see you inside, and he's gone.

First Solo

So are you ready Ben? Yep, easy I say. I want it and I can do this. Yes I am confident and why shouldn't I be At this moment at time the last thing I need is self doubt. I have 25 hours of good instruction under my belt and about 100 Landings so yes I bloody well am up for it. Come on WingCo!!!
I do my last checks, pick the abort point, and roll in the power. Within 75 metres and well before the abort point I am in the air. Deep breath in and out. Stick slightly forward, asses the drift, now at 200ft so I could land in field ahead if the engine failed. I decide to go for best rate of climb which at full power in G-CBMA is about 48MPH. Solo I say out loud ,this is great. Small left turn to keep away from the power lines which seem less scary these days. Get to 700 feet before the crosswind turn which I never do 2 UP. I say the words out loud "clear right to turn left crosswind" and she goes round fine with the ball staying in the middle. "Clear right to turn left downwind" nice! get her straight and level and do my downwind checks. I am a little high so I nose down throttle off and lose 150 feet. I take a quick glance at the clubhouse and wonder if Al is watching. Of course he is watching you prat!. Turn into the base leg and my height is 750 so I decide to "go in" now and make sure I am not too high. "Stoke radio this is GMA, finals 24" in my best radio voice. Into finals and this is it. Going solo is really about the solo landing. The rest happens so quick and your are so focussed you have no time or desire to enjoy the thrill. You just experience it.
The final leg is no more than 1000m so I will be down very soon. Steadily losing height , maintain a good speed near 60 and get in line. Ball is in the middle, very little cross wind and speed is good. I get ready for the all important left turn at the end which will bring me in line and stop me hitting the pylons. Stoke airfield is quite tricky to land at. Firstly its shaped like a banana , you have the large electrical pylons next to the railway track on one side and the sea wall on other. Oh and I forgot about the line of hangers on the railway side. All the experienced pilots at the club say that if you can land at Stoke you can land anywhere. Well I was just about to find out!

Little turn left and I am now over the hanger that sits in front of 24 runway. Speed OK, all the power off, get it straight and I can almost hear the hat saying "start the round-out" so I do and it’s a good one. The ground comes up to me and I glide a little before touch down about a third of the way down the runway and while I am a little to the left a little right rudder sorts it out. Steer straight and apply some brakes gently. You have done it WingCo without killing yourself and damaging the plane. Fabulous. Solo - Greeeeaattt!

I taxi back up to the airfield and spot Alan dashing off the airfield towards the factory? I thought he would hang about to say well done before he ran to the loo to vomit following the horrendous experience of watching me fly solo. I park GMA up and switch off the engine. Karen appears and tells me not to get out yet as Alan has gone to get his camera. Aha that's where the hat was off to. She congratulates me as does Jeff Mcall. Lovely people. Jeff tells me that's it for the day and while I think I could do it again I notice for the first time that my legs feel a little like Jelly. Yep, that really is it for the day and Jeff clearly knows something I don't.
I smile and the Hat takes some cheesy pics of me with my thumb up but I actually feel proud of myself which is a very rare feeling for me!

Back in the club hut I have a small drink of beer and Chris Draper reminds me that I now owe the club a slab of beer. Oh and well done Ben!

Last thought.

One thing I have learnt about flying is that it should not be rushed. The relaxed and almost laissez faire atmosphere in the clubhouse is there to make sure people stay relaxed pre and post flight. In flight is when you must be on top of your game.