Open Discussion; Creating XC pilots

On Fri, 18 Jul 2014 14:53:54 -0700, brunovassel wrote:

I am curious. How many people in this discussion were hand held every
step of the way of starting to fly XC or just went out and tried it for
themselves? I wouldn't be surprised if many if not most of us taught
ourselves by going a little further each time. For some pilots this is
a thrill, for others a fear. Is it possible that XC pilots self-select
by just going and trying it and those who wait for dual and a steady
hand to help each step of the way might not often turn into life long XC
pilots?

I don't know how this ties in with usual US experience, but its normal
practise at my club in the UK.

- shortly after soloing I got my first XC ride in the club's Grob Acro
during our Regionals. The deal was that we got back seat in a comp.
flight and formed the Grob retrieval crew for the rest of the Regionals.
Seemed like a good deal.

- after soloing and converting to an SZD Junior I worked on the UK
Bronze badge: 50 solo flights, written and flying tests including
spot landings as the last checks before it was issued. During this
I'd also done Silver C height and duration legs.

- navigation, field selection, field landing exercises in an SF-25 TMG
plus 1 and 2 hour soaring flights got me the Bronze XC endorsement.

- within a week of getting the XC endorsement I was briefed and sent off
to do Silver C distance in a Junior: navigate the 68km to Rattlesden and
land there for a first taste of landing at an airfield I'd never seen
before. This was my first solo XC.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
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