I completed my first solo a few months ago, and am working towards my first cross country solo. I know as a student pilot, while soloing, I can only takeoff and land at the airport I’ve been training at, and can also fly to the practice area. However, is it OK to fly into the pattern at another airport? I ask as I need work on my non-towered communication skills. Seems easy enough, but for some reason, during my last cross country training, and the first one where I was to do all the talking, I had major brain freeze, and just couldn’t get the words out. Part was due to the lack of knowing what to say ahead of time, and part was just having the pressure of the instructor sitting next to me. Got to thinking that flying alone and into the pattern of a non-towered airport would be good practice, but am not sure it’s “legal”.
Please help.
Thanks!
I didn’t find the right solution from the Internet.
The person to best answer this would be your instructor as he is the one who signs your flight order detailing what you are expected to do but let’s be clear, eventually it will be expected of you. However if your instructor hasn’t practiced it with you / signed you off to do it, then you should not be doing it.
On a personal level, when studying for my PPL, first I practised solos at one airfield. Then flew to another with an instructor and practised solos there. Then we flew back to the first airfield where I then flew solo to the second field and landed there, returned.
In case of a brain freeze, don’t worry, it happened to all of us as students. Don’t let it get to you. Perhaps what you should consider is using the time on cross country, when you’re looking out, to think about what your next call(s) will be and jot down what you believe you will say next. Then when you come to say it, the words are in front of you. With more experience it will all come together more naturally.
The above quote seems to be your byline and often is not the best place to look for answers anyway. Your question is one you should have asked of your instructor. Since that person may not be available, I will give you the answer here.
A solo is a very important part of your PPL training. Only your primary instructor can authorize you to sole and you must have a specific endorsement in your logbook to do so. That endorsement will authorize you to perform a solo at ONE airport in ONE type of airplane (your trainer plane) under a set of written weather conditions. If any of those features is not present (higher crosswinds etc. or different model airplane) you cannot legally solo at all.
To be able to solo at another airport, that designation must specifically be written as another endorsement in your logbook. When comfortable, and before you are deep into the navigation phase of your training, your instructor may endorse you to perform solo’s at any airport within 25 nm of your primary base. But, again, you need an endorsement to do so and that endorsement carries restrictions all outlined by your instructor.
All of the above is instructor based so you should be having this conversation with your personal instructor.
