It’s an experience unlike any other… soloing an airplane for the first time is a mixture of pure thrill, focus, and if we’re all being honest, a little dose of uncertainty. You know you can fly the airplane and have already demonstrated that, but there is something different about leaving your instructor behind.
Aside from actual solo flight which is a pretty huge accomplishment by itself, there is something else about the occasion that often gets quite a bit of attention… it’s pilot tradition to cut your shirt tail off after you solo for the first time. Why do they cut your shirt tail off when you solo?
Most traditional training aircraft had tandem seating (one in front of the other, with the student in front), and before headset technology improved an instructor would commonly have to tug on the back of the student’s shirt to get their attention. Cutting your shirt tail off was a right of passage showing that there was no need for the instructor to tug on their shirt anymore, as the student now knows how to fly the airplane.
Make sure to not wear your favorite shirt on the day you solo, cause part of it is comin’ off!
Other Common Solo Traditions
While getting your shirt tail cut off is probably the most common tradition after completing your first successful solo flight (at least in the US), there are other traditions as well.
In Germany, for example, it isn’t uncommon for the student to actually be slapped by all of his instructors after the flight. No, not in the face. But you can google around and find images of the student bent over the tail of the aircraft while each instructor takes their turn of playfully slapping them in the back or rear-end as kind of a tough love way of saying “welcome to the club.”
Dousing the student with a bucket of cold water is another tradition you’ll find, kind of like at the end of a football game where the coach gets a full cooler of gatorade dumped over them.
There are a few different ways to celebrate, but the most common is getting your shirt tail cut off. It’s a unique aviation tradition that is worth keeping around.
Related Questions
There are a lot of questions in regards to soloing an airplane, and pilot training in general. Let’s cover a few of them here.
Any Tips for My First Solo?
Yes! We wrote a whole post on this – see “9 Foolproof Tips for Your First Airplane Solo”. Here’s the summary:
- Use the checklist – it’s there for a reason. There are so many things to remember while flying that it’s very easy to overlook simple tasks and procedures that can be really relevant at some point in the flight. The best foolproof way to avoid missing something is to use the checklist during any phase of flight (both pre-flight, during flight, and post-flight). You might generally have it memorized, but when the pressure is high (like during your first solo) you are more liable to miss something.
- Give a solid preflight inspection. Take your time preflighting the airplane. Don’t rush it. Better to diagnose any potential issues on the ground before discovering them mid-flight.
- Tell ATC it’s your first solo. Lots of people are intimidated by air traffic control, but in reality they are there to help you as the pilot. If you are solo’ing at a towered airport (or even if you aren’t), it can be helpful to announce that it’s your first solo flight and people will generally give you more space and patience.
- Nail your airspeeds. Don’t let the nerves of your first solo make you a sloppy pilot. Focus on flying your correct airspeeds in the pattern so that you can make a great takeoff, approach, and landing.
- View it as a routine flight. In reality, the flight you are making (most likely a couple trips around the pattern) is something you’ve done many times by now. There’s nothing different other than your instructor not being in the airplane. But keeping in mind that you’ve already pretty much done this flight many times before can help calm your nerves.
- Don’t try anything new. This isn’t the flight to show off or try new flight attitudes that you haven’t practiced before. Again treat this as a routine flight, follow your checklist and procedures, and everything will go just fine.
- Video what you can. Don’t let video be a distraction, but to the extent you can film parts of the flight or after the flight, it will be a memory you’ll carry with you for a lifetime. I would recommend having a gopro or fixed camera that you can just hit “record” and let it run throughout the duration of your flight so that you aren’t having to worry about holding the camera or starting and stopping it. That’s a distraction you definitely don’t need.
- Don’t be pressured by ATC or other traffic. At the end of the day, you are responsible for you and your safety. Air traffic control does not have final authority over the actions you make as a pilot to maintain safety: you do.
- Use the checklist. It’s worth repeating!
How Many Hours Before Your First Solo?
This is a commonly asked question, and it’s because the answer really varies. While you need at least 40 hours of flight training before you are eligible for your private pilot’s license, your time before solo really depends on your personal progress and skill. I have heard of people soloing in as few as 5-10 flight hours (not common), but the average I hear from most other students is about 15-20 hours. I had nearly three times that before I soloed but it was because I started training when I was 14 years old and you can’t solo until you are 16 (I got to solo on my 16th birthday which was on a Sunday and then get my driver’s license the next morning).
How Much More Training Before Receiving Your Pilot’s License?
Once you solo you are probably about 1/3 or 1/2 way through your training towards becoming a private pilot. As mentioned above you probably have 20 or so hours at this point (likely more), and you’ll need at least 40 before you can take your check ride and get your private pilot’s license which certifies you (among other things) to carry other people in the plane.
While the requirement is 40 hours for your private, the average is probably closer to 60-70 flight hours before passing your check ride. This is really driven by the fact that most people don’t routinely train enough to stay consistent, and as a result they move slower and have to repeat lessons. The more often you fly, usually the quicker you’ll learn everything. For a fuller version of this answer check out “How Long Does It Take to Learn to Fly an Airplane?”
How Much Does It Cost to Get a Private Pilot’s License?
The average cost for your private pilot’s license is about $10,000-12,000 depending on how often you fly. There are ways to bring this price down, such as flying more often, purchasing hours in bulk, and self-studying a lot so that you don’t have to repeat lessons. But I would plan on $10,000 and try to stick to that budget in your training. For a fuller answer and more ways to save on your training, check out “How Much Does It Cost to Get a Private Pilot’s License?”
Conclusion
If and when you solo and they do cut your shirt tail off, be sure to keep that tail in a safe place. Lots of people will hang it up in their hangars later on, or frame it to put in an office. It is definitely a badge of honor in a way, and makes for a great story if it’s used as decor in a commonly viewed place.
Becoming a pilot has been one of the very most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my whole life, and so if you are on the fence or considering flight training for yourself, I highly recommend you do it and don’t look back! You’ll have the time of your life.
Blue skies!
