Maybe people tend to post more about their successes then their failures.

I was flying solo after two or three instructional flights back in 1984 (before flight simulators). But I was just barely able to get my Kadet into the air, fly some big circles and get it down in one piece somewhere on the field most of the time.

People learn differently. Some learn to swim by being thrown into the pool, others want extensive training before trying.

I had one student who flew beautifully on the first flight. I guess he decided it was two easy because he lost interest in the hobby right away. Go figure.

I would say the average student pilot in our club has about a dozen assisted flights before soloing, but it varies greatly.