Hi Knightmagic,

The absolute thing you do not want to do is compare yourself to how others are doing. Everyone is different and learns at a different rate. Look at it this way...Would you rather solo quickly and possibly be unsafe and have everyone at your club running for cover when you fly, or would you rather take time and experience then solo and have your instructor grinning from ear to ear when he sees you fly and learning things on your own.

I beleive in the second choice. I was somewhat of the exception and soloed in a month with 7 flights total. I was just a natural at it. I have trained multiple students in the last few months and some were ready even sooner than I was and some are still in training.

My instructor grins allot when he sees me flying and training someone else. It makes him feel good to see how I have progressed and I am the same way when I see a former student or a current student do things that I have yet to show them or never did in the process.

The solo flight is a big step and I can understand the hesitation. It sounds as though they all feel you are ready but only you can make that call. One thing is for sure, you will always remember it.

Take your time and enjoy this great hobby. You will know when you are ready, the easiest way for most people to tell is if you can run through all of the required items your club calls for and can do them without a whole lot of thought, will the exception for saftey, you always want to have safety foremost in your mind. It's called second nature and it's just like driving a car, you jump in, put on your seatbelt, start the engine, put it in gear and go without even thinking about it but you still drive in a safe manner.

Good luck and by all means keep us informed on your progress and if we can be of any help, that's what RCU is here for.