Training Tip: The sole occupant
A holiday break makes a good time to nail down one of the flight training requirements that calls for study and focus that, if postponed too many times, can slow your training program to a crawl.
As you close in on the time when you have met the training requirements to be sent off to fly as “the sole occupant of the aircraft,” as the definition of solo is worded, it will be necessary to accomplish the prerequisite of completing a knowledge test administered by your instructor and spelled out in the solo requirements for student pilots seeking private pilot privileges.
- Regulations specified in 14 CFR 61.87 Solo requirements for student pilots;
- Airspace rules and procedures for the airport where the solo flight will be performed; and
- Flight characteristics and operational limitations for the make and model of aircraft to be flown.
Note from the regulatory language that completing the test means more than just finishing it and handing it back to your flight instructor. Completion also means that you undergo a review of all incorrect answers before being authorized to solo.
Also notice the test’s specific focus on “airspace rules and procedures for the airport where the solo flight will be performed,” and “flight characteristics and operational limitations for the make and model of aircraft to be flown.” For example, if your solo will take place at a nontowered airport, you would be expected to know its traffic pattern procedures, the type of airspace in which the airport is located (is it an airport in Class G airspace with overlying Class E airspace?), and communications frequencies, among other airport features.
Reviewing the pilot’s operating handbook for the aircraft you will solo will reinforce your ability to understand and describe its flight characteristics and operational limitations. If you have been flying more than one make and model, this requirement applies to any of them that you might solo.
It may seem unnecessary to restate the following passage from the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, but misinterpretations and even stretching of the meaning still occasionally happen, so here goes: “A student pilot may not carry passengers, fly in furtherance of a business, or operate an aircraft outside of the various endorsements provided by the flight instructor.”
Sail through this test and make your solo memorable for all the right reasons.
