Well done sir - I know that it's a while ago now - but I can assure you that you'll remember that moment for a very long time (mine was 18 years ago & I still remember it vividly..)...
Nice flying sir! I've been watching a lot of GA videos in and out KSNA and the female controller is one of the best controllers! She's very calm, respectful, and on top of her game! Always good to have people like her in the tower. Makes flying a much more pleasant experience!
Great video Joe, thanks for sharing. Really good communication and landings for a first solo in a busy environment (you must be very proud :))))), it was a pleasure to watch...and nice to see the support from the very pleasant controller. I have enjoyed a number of your videos and look forward to the next upload :)
Hi ckieteou, thanks for the nice words. I'm happy I had the opportunity to capture the day because it revives my memories of such an amazing day. It often happens that something goes wrong with the video - batteries die, I forget to turn it on, I turn it off instead of on, etc. - but this one worked out well. Happy flying!
Simply f---king wonderful! Your confidence grew with each successive circuit, and I loved the way you communicated with ATC. I have always wanted to fly, but my blue collar salary never even got me close! My now deceased son once bought me a trial lesson in a Harvard at Shoreham airport on the south coast of the UK, The cloud base was 600 ft... so I was not allowed to touch the controls! but the experience still lives with me.!Sincere congratulations on your success!
Hi John, thanks for the comment. I remember being somewhat terrified from start to finish, so good to hear somebody thinks it looked like I gained confidence along the way. I just looked up Shoreham airport in Google Earth. You live in a beautiful part of the world. Several years ago, my work took me to the nearby village of Steyning, which is only a few miles inland from Shoreham. It's a small world, isn't it? I spent a few evenings walking around Brighton and, overall, loved my short time there. Driving on the "wrong" side of the road, however, was quite the challenge. I remember finding nearby pubs in order to get something to eat after 5pm because everything closed so early in Steyning. I think they were The Fox and The Cat and the Canary. Even if you won’t necessarily earn your license, treat yourself to another discovery flight sometime soon! Cheer! Joe
Joe Andras Believe me Joe, I know all about driving on the 'wrong side'of the road! approx 15 years ago my wife and I booked a vacation that started and ended at Denver Airport.. The 8 day driving tour consisted of a tear drop route that included included the Little Big Horn battle field (where I satisfied one of my great ambitions) Believe me when I say that one of the highlights of the vacation was handing back the keys of the hire car. I consider myself lucky that my 'driving' in the US did not earn me at least 10 years in prison.
First solo is amazing and surreal. My gopro had run out of batteries and I missed having mine filmed. Great to see yours though. (love the plastic cover on the new Zulu's ;)
Thanks Andrew. This was only my first or second flight with the new Zulu's. A freshly unwrapped student pilot with some freshly unwrapped headset; in hindsight, that seems sort of right...
and here I thought I was the only one scared on my first solo. I remember when I took off the first time now I definitely have to get this back on the ground. you know what they say, take offs are optional but landings are mandatory
Hey Joe. Thanks for making the videos. I'm training in a Cessna 172 out of SMO. I've flown the Sportstar also. The Sportstar is super sensitive compared to the 172. I almost did a barrel roll on take-off lol :-) Wasn't expecting that! It also felt like it was coming down like a stone in comparison to the 172. Just watched your mini-route video. Such a cool route flying over LAX. I flew it the other day to do touch and goes at Hawthorne. Waay cheaper than SMO.
MartinBrookesMusic Thanks Martin. I love flying over LAX on the way to SMO. And I know exactly what you mean when comparing between a Cessna 172 and a SportStar. I learned to fly in the Evektor and it's SUPER responsive. So, when I fly a 172, it feels like a Cadillac as compared to a Miata. Fun and easy to fly for sure. Are you training with Santa Monica Flyers?
MartinBrookesMusic I met one of your club members the first time I flew to SMO. He was sitting on the bench in the public area by the pilot's lounge, watching planes. Wish I could remember his name. He told me quite a lot about the club. You're very lucky to have such a robust group. Enjoy!
did you get that moment (like i did) once you were up by yourself, you thought.. im up here all alone, if i cant land it THERES NO ONE HERE TO SAVE ME! not that i thought i couldnt land, but the idea did cross my mind. and it was pretty cool.
bombud1 That's EXACTLY what I was thinking, but I began having those concerns on the takeoff roll. My first goal was to live, second was not to bend the plane, and third was to pull it all off without a hitch. Such a fun day.
Joe you made it look easy.........if you can fly in and out of SNA you can fly anywhere........very expensive and inefficient for training but on the other hand a towered field won't be intimidating after that place. Every approach in there in a GA is a wild card, you have absolutely no idea what will be thrown at you.
Vulcancruiser Thanks Vulcancruiser. I’m glad I got to train at an airport like John Wayne. It allowed me to slowly soak up the communications needed to fly in and out of a pretty busy Class C airport. But you’re right, that Hobbs meter was running and running during the time it took to taxi, and while I was being extended on upwind, or downwind, or asked to fly a right 360 for spacing or, once, to simply leave the pattern for a while. On the whole, the controllers at John Wayne are really good. That really helps. They’re nice, and they're on top of their game.
Joe Andras Joe I actually soloed in 1969 out at PSP with 7,000ft runways, but every solo is the same magical moment when its just you and the plane. I was in a like new Cessna 150 for which I was paying $12 an hour wet!...........lol..........and like everybody else was just astounded at the takeoff boost without instructor..........
Vulcancruiser Yeah, it's gotten just a bit more expensive. Ha. I haven't flown to PSP yet, but would like to do that. We flew to Banning once during training, but it was for night training so no wind issues. Someday! And, you're right on the takeoff boost. The little LSA I trained in is probably comparable to a Cessna 150 when it comes to gaining power by shedding weight! Those initial takeoffs without the instructor were amazing.
I'm not sure I can give much of a comparative answer since virtually all of my time has been in a SportStar. That said... they're very responsive, and the visibility seems incredible because of the bubble canopy. I like the electronic flight screens, but for steep turns in my favorite IFR-equipped SportStar used on my checkride, really liked using the round-gauge altimeter and attitude indicator. Now that I"m licensed, I'm preparing to get checked out in a Cessna 172R. Can't wait to see the difference.
About 29 hours. Training at a Class C airport adds a lot of taxi-related inefficiency to the mix, and my "Part 141" school required me to prepare for and pass a stage check with a senior instructor before I could solo, but I had some "issues" with landings, often flaring too early and too high.
Great video! I know this is an older video, but congrats anyway on the solo. The controller was awesome. I'm actually listening to her right now on liveatc.com.
Hi Ken - That's awesome! She is definitely one of the nicest controllers around. She knows her stuff, and she's really nice, and almost soothing in her delivery.
Thank you Controller Lori!
The controller was amazing! I really want to learn how to fly and have been watching videos! Super excited! Plan to book a discovery flight!
Well done sir - I know that it's a while ago now - but I can assure you that you'll remember that moment for a very long time (mine was 18 years ago & I still remember it vividly..)...
Wooo Hooo....Awesome video! Thanks for the controller kudos, but you made it easy, you'd never know that was your first solo! Conrats! Lori
Nicely done! Dang wish the controllers during my first solo were that nice. They yelled at me haha
Colin Prenger why did they yell at you? What state did you solo in?
Just amazing. Great video. To bad I can only click like once! I wish I had video with cockpit audio for my first solo. Takes me back...
Nice flying sir!
I've been watching a lot of GA videos in and out KSNA and the female controller is one of the best controllers! She's very calm, respectful, and on top of her game! Always good to have people like her in the tower. Makes flying a much more pleasant experience!
Agreed! In general, ATC folks are great, but she's a cut above.
Great video Joe, thanks for sharing. Really good communication and landings for a first solo in a busy environment (you must be very proud :))))), it was a pleasure to watch...and nice to see the support from the very pleasant controller. I have enjoyed a number of your videos and look forward to the next upload :)
Hi ckieteou, thanks for the nice words. I'm happy I had the opportunity to capture the day because it revives my memories of such an amazing day. It often happens that something goes wrong with the video - batteries die, I forget to turn it on, I turn it off instead of on, etc. - but this one worked out well.
Happy flying!
Simply f---king wonderful! Your confidence grew with each successive circuit, and I loved the way you communicated with ATC. I have always wanted to fly, but my blue collar salary never even got me close! My now deceased son once bought me a trial lesson in a Harvard at Shoreham airport on the south coast of the UK, The cloud base was 600 ft... so I was not allowed to touch the controls! but the experience still lives with me.!Sincere congratulations on your success!
Hi John, thanks for the comment. I remember being somewhat terrified from start to finish, so good to hear somebody thinks it looked like I gained confidence along the way.
I just looked up Shoreham airport in Google Earth. You live in a beautiful part of the world. Several years ago, my work took me to the nearby village of Steyning, which is only a few miles inland from Shoreham. It's a small world, isn't it?
I spent a few evenings walking around Brighton and, overall, loved my short time there. Driving on the "wrong" side of the road, however, was quite the challenge. I remember finding nearby pubs in order to get something to eat after 5pm because everything closed so early in Steyning. I think they were The Fox and The Cat and the Canary.
Even if you won’t necessarily earn your license, treat yourself to another discovery flight sometime soon!
Cheer! Joe
Joe Andras
Believe me Joe, I know all about driving on the 'wrong side'of the road! approx 15 years ago my wife and I booked a vacation that started and ended at Denver Airport.. The 8 day driving tour consisted of a tear drop route that included included the Little Big Horn battle field (where I satisfied one of my great ambitions) Believe me when I say that one of the highlights of the vacation was handing back the keys of the hire car. I consider myself lucky that my 'driving' in the US did not earn me at least 10 years in prison.
Good stuff Joe. I'm on my third hour of pattern work in a cherokee. Got bumped around a bit today by a 737 sitting between the runways.
First solo is amazing and surreal. My gopro had run out of batteries and I missed having mine filmed. Great to see yours though. (love the plastic cover on the new Zulu's ;)
Thanks Andrew. This was only my first or second flight with the new Zulu's. A freshly unwrapped student pilot with some freshly unwrapped headset; in hindsight, that seems sort of right...
I couldn't agree more. Great videos by the way, the comms captioning is a really tidy idea, along with the "internal thoughts". Keep them coming.
Thanks Alan. You have some beautiful videos.
she does have a nice voice
Talk about nice controller.
and here I thought I was the only one scared on my first solo. I remember when I took off the first time now I definitely have to get this back on the ground. you know what they say, take offs are optional but landings are mandatory
This is amazing!
Hey Joe. Thanks for making the videos. I'm training in a Cessna 172 out of SMO. I've flown the Sportstar also. The Sportstar is super sensitive compared to the 172. I almost did a barrel roll on take-off lol :-) Wasn't expecting that! It also felt like it was coming down like a stone in comparison to the 172. Just watched your mini-route video. Such a cool route flying over LAX. I flew it the other day to do touch and goes at Hawthorne. Waay cheaper than SMO.
MartinBrookesMusic Thanks Martin. I love flying over LAX on the way to SMO. And I know exactly what you mean when comparing between a Cessna 172 and a SportStar. I learned to fly in the Evektor and it's SUPER responsive. So, when I fly a 172, it feels like a Cadillac as compared to a Miata. Fun and easy to fly for sure.
Are you training with Santa Monica Flyers?
I belong to a flying club based at Santa Monica called Airspacers. They have two 172's, a 182 and a 210. Very reasonable rates.
MartinBrookesMusic I met one of your club members the first time I flew to SMO. He was sitting on the bench in the public area by the pilot's lounge, watching planes. Wish I could remember his name. He told me quite a lot about the club. You're very lucky to have such a robust group. Enjoy!
Nice work Joe and congratulations!
Awesome video man. Really enjoyed it. Atc had a thing for first timers. lol
Great job!
Congrats
did you get that moment (like i did) once you were up by yourself, you thought.. im up here all alone, if i cant land it THERES NO ONE HERE TO SAVE ME! not that i thought i couldnt land, but the idea did cross my mind. and it was pretty cool.
bombud1 That's EXACTLY what I was thinking, but I began having those concerns on the takeoff roll. My first goal was to live, second was not to bend the plane, and third was to pull it all off without a hitch. Such a fun day.
Joe you made it look easy.........if you can fly in and out of SNA you can fly anywhere........very expensive and inefficient for training but on the other hand a towered field won't be intimidating after that place. Every approach in there in a GA is a wild card, you have absolutely no idea what will be thrown at you.
Vulcancruiser
Thanks Vulcancruiser. I’m glad I got to train at an airport like John Wayne. It allowed me to slowly soak up the communications needed to fly in and out of a pretty busy Class C airport. But you’re right, that Hobbs meter was running and running during the time it took to taxi, and while I was being extended on upwind, or downwind, or asked to fly a right 360 for spacing or, once, to simply leave the pattern for a while.
On the whole, the controllers at John Wayne are really good. That really helps. They’re nice, and they're on top of their game.
Joe Andras Joe I actually soloed in 1969 out at PSP with 7,000ft runways, but every solo is the same magical moment when its just you and the plane. I was in a like new Cessna 150 for which I was paying $12 an hour wet!...........lol..........and like everybody else was just astounded at the takeoff boost without instructor..........
Vulcancruiser Yeah, it's gotten just a bit more expensive. Ha.
I haven't flown to PSP yet, but would like to do that. We flew to Banning once during training, but it was for night training so no wind issues. Someday!
And, you're right on the takeoff boost. The little LSA I trained in is probably comparable to a Cessna 150 when it comes to gaining power by shedding weight! Those initial takeoffs without the instructor were amazing.
VERY NICE
It ALWAYS being my dream. To LEARN how to be a pilot. 😢 unfortunately i just can't. I dont have the money to learn....
whats it like flying a sportstar? the dash looks very weird with the electronics.
I'm not sure I can give much of a comparative answer since virtually all of my time has been in a SportStar. That said... they're very responsive, and the visibility seems incredible because of the bubble canopy. I like the electronic flight screens, but for steep turns in my favorite IFR-equipped SportStar used on my checkride, really liked using the round-gauge altimeter and attitude indicator. Now that I"m licensed, I'm preparing to get checked out in a Cessna 172R. Can't wait to see the difference.
Joe Andras 172's are fun, it will be very different with top wings instead of bottom. the sportstar looks very fun to fly, good luck!
Awesomeness!!!! Yeah I know I'm late...lol
How many hours did you have when you soloed?
About 29 hours. Training at a Class C airport adds a lot of taxi-related inefficiency to the mix, and my "Part 141" school required me to prepare for and pass a stage check with a senior instructor before I could solo, but I had some "issues" with landings, often flaring too early and too high.
Thanks keep up the awesome videos. I really enjoy watching them
Great video! I know this is an older video, but congrats anyway on the solo. The controller was awesome. I'm actually listening to her right now on liveatc.com.
Hi Ken - That's awesome! She is definitely one of the nicest controllers around. She knows her stuff, and she's really nice, and almost soothing in her delivery.
Sorry, don't follow. "runway towell"? Autocorrect?