Going Solo: Your First Solo Flight in a Cessna 172 — Learn to Fly, Episode 20

One circuit. One landing. And nobody in the right seat. Episode 20, the Season 1 finale of Learn to Fly, is the big one: going solo. Your instructor Cindy talks you through a first solo in a Cessna 172 at Wonderboom, from the walkaround to the shutdown: who decides you're ready, what the rules ask for, what changes when the instructor's weight is gone, and the one line of the briefing that matters most. In this lesson: • Who decides you're ready, and the conditions in South African law for a first solo (check the current rules with your school) • At Wonderboom: telling the controller you're a student pilot, solo, on the first call • What changes without your instructor: about eight per cent lighter, a shorter take-off roll, a better climb, and a longer float • The most important line of the briefing: if anything doesn't feel right, go around • The ground checks, the empty seat's belt, the first call to Ground (the taxi request, with your apron, persons on board and endurance) and the run-up • The solo circuit, leg by leg: the take-off, the climb, the calls, the checks and the flap • Fly first, talk second • The stable approach, the hold-off and the landing, then the after-landing and shutdown checks • Treating the propeller as live • Four mistakes students often make, and a look back over Season 1 This series shows you what happens and why. It doesn't replace flying with a qualified instructor; always use your aircraft's own handbook and checklist and current local rules. Chapters 00:00 Nobody in the right seat 00:13 The last lesson of the season 00:39 Who decides you're ready? 00:49 The rules for a first solo 01:35 What's different: the weight 02:17 If it doesn't feel right, go around 02:27 Checks, and the first call 03:34 Taxi, run-up, and over to the tower 04:04 The take-off 04:52 Upwind 05:21 Crosswind 05:35 Downwind, and the checks 06:11 Abeam: power back, flap ten 06:53 Base 07:20 Final, and cleared to land 07:46 Stable: carry on 08:24 The landing 08:57 After landing, and the shutdown 10:06 Four common mistakes 10:39 Recap 11:31 The end of Season 1 12:02 Season 2 Season 2 goes beyond the basics, starting with short-field take-offs and landings: getting in and out of a shorter runway, safely. #LearnToFly #Cessna172 #FlightTraining