<p>In my last blog post I discussed my ground school experience on my journey to achieving my Integrated ATPL. Now, I’ve taken my first solo flight and am undergoing my core flight training at <a href="https://skyborne.com/">Skyborne Airline Academy</a>’s fair weather base at Castellón Airport in Spain. </p>
<p><img alt="Matt Landridge Skyborne plane" src="/getasset/09869573-b834-455f-8f6d-9a70e808d9f2/" /></p>
<p>To be honest, my first solo flight is still a bit of a blur. Before you take control of the aircraft you will have been practicing various circuits of the airport with your instructor in the build-up. This involves taking off, doing a loop and then landing back down on the same runway. So, when the time comes to finally completing your first solo flight, you pretty much have everything nailed down and are well rehearsed for every eventuality.</p>
<p>On the day itself I completed a ‘check flight’ first with my instructor, where you repeat the circuit four or five times to check you’re comfortable with the conditions on that day. Once you feel ready and composed, you land, the instructor gets out of the aircraft on the apron and before you know it, you’re taking off again and flying alone at 1,000 feet.</p>
<p>Your first solo flight is over really quickly in total you will probably only fly for five minutes or so before you’re into your landing checks and going through the procedures to bring the aircraft back down again. As there is so much to remember and the circuit is quite busy, I don’t think you fully appreciate you’re flying unaided until you complete your first solo navigational route. Only then, do you have more time to think about it and realise it’s all down to you and the training you’ve received.</p>
<p>It’s a long-standing tradition that you celebrate your first solo flight by having a bucket of water poured over your head. However, at Skyborne we wanted to celebrate our achievement a little differently. Luckily, by completing our core flight training in Castellon, Spain, we have the Mediterranean sea right on our doorstep. My fellow cadets picked me up and managed to wade into at least one foot of water before they gave up and dropped me in! Thankfully it was October, so still nice and warm in Spain, but the same couldn’t be said for one of the new cadets who recently completed his first solo in January!</p>
<p><img alt="Castellon Spain - Matt Langridge" src="/getasset/2a2c6e33-172e-480c-9106-936a3b91edbc/" /></p>
<p>When I was choosing my flight training school, it was important I picked a school that offered a good overseas programme for my core flight training. At Skyborne, we complete our training in Castellón and I would say the main benefit of learning to fly here is the good weather. It is inevitable there will be a few days that are better than others, but it does feel like you manage to completely avoid the winter months and bad weather in this location. Another advantage of training in Spain is there is a lot less air traffic in comparison to the UK, enabling you to build up your skills without being completely overloaded. It’s like learning to drive in a nice quiet carpark versus having your first lesson on the M25. Obviously, at some point you need to be able to drive on the M25, but not on day one.</p>
<p>In total, I’ve now completed about 110 hours’ worth of flying and am currently on the instrument flying stage of my Integrated ATPL course with Skyborne, learning about Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and other topics. Although it still feels like I have a long way to go until I’m a fully qualified airline pilot, it amazes me that fewer than five months ago I had never flown a plane before.</p>
<p>My advice to other cadets preparing for their first solo flight is to enjoy it as much as you can, as you only get to experience it once. It’s important to note that the instructors won’t allow you to go up alone until they are fully confident that you are ready. So, trust the training you have been given, follow the procedures and don’t forget to smile.</p>
<p><img alt="Matt Langridge selfie in cockpit" src="/getasset/5c8ad261-b9a1-4671-ac09-26255a2095fb/" /></p>
<p>To find out more about my pilot journey be sure to come back soon and check out my next blog post.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Did you miss out on the previous blogs from Matt Langridge? Please see below.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/article/matt-langridge-mbe-my-big-career-change-2-back-to-the-classroom/">Matt Langridge MBE ‘My big career change’ #2 - Back to the Classroom</a></li>
<li><a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/article/matt-langridge-mbe-my-big-career-change-from-olympic-rower-to-cadet-at-skyborne-airline-academy/">Matt Langridge MBE: ‘My big career change’ #1 From Olympic rower to cadet at Skyborne Airline Academy</a></li>
</ul>
<p><img alt="Matt Landridge Skyborne plane" src="/getasset/09869573-b834-455f-8f6d-9a70e808d9f2/" /></p>
<p>To be honest, my first solo flight is still a bit of a blur. Before you take control of the aircraft you will have been practicing various circuits of the airport with your instructor in the build-up. This involves taking off, doing a loop and then landing back down on the same runway. So, when the time comes to finally completing your first solo flight, you pretty much have everything nailed down and are well rehearsed for every eventuality.</p>
<p>On the day itself I completed a ‘check flight’ first with my instructor, where you repeat the circuit four or five times to check you’re comfortable with the conditions on that day. Once you feel ready and composed, you land, the instructor gets out of the aircraft on the apron and before you know it, you’re taking off again and flying alone at 1,000 feet.</p>
<p>Your first solo flight is over really quickly in total you will probably only fly for five minutes or so before you’re into your landing checks and going through the procedures to bring the aircraft back down again. As there is so much to remember and the circuit is quite busy, I don’t think you fully appreciate you’re flying unaided until you complete your first solo navigational route. Only then, do you have more time to think about it and realise it’s all down to you and the training you’ve received.</p>
<p>It’s a long-standing tradition that you celebrate your first solo flight by having a bucket of water poured over your head. However, at Skyborne we wanted to celebrate our achievement a little differently. Luckily, by completing our core flight training in Castellon, Spain, we have the Mediterranean sea right on our doorstep. My fellow cadets picked me up and managed to wade into at least one foot of water before they gave up and dropped me in! Thankfully it was October, so still nice and warm in Spain, but the same couldn’t be said for one of the new cadets who recently completed his first solo in January!</p>
<p><img alt="Castellon Spain - Matt Langridge" src="/getasset/2a2c6e33-172e-480c-9106-936a3b91edbc/" /></p>
<p>When I was choosing my flight training school, it was important I picked a school that offered a good overseas programme for my core flight training. At Skyborne, we complete our training in Castellón and I would say the main benefit of learning to fly here is the good weather. It is inevitable there will be a few days that are better than others, but it does feel like you manage to completely avoid the winter months and bad weather in this location. Another advantage of training in Spain is there is a lot less air traffic in comparison to the UK, enabling you to build up your skills without being completely overloaded. It’s like learning to drive in a nice quiet carpark versus having your first lesson on the M25. Obviously, at some point you need to be able to drive on the M25, but not on day one.</p>
<p>In total, I’ve now completed about 110 hours’ worth of flying and am currently on the instrument flying stage of my Integrated ATPL course with Skyborne, learning about Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and other topics. Although it still feels like I have a long way to go until I’m a fully qualified airline pilot, it amazes me that fewer than five months ago I had never flown a plane before.</p>
<p>My advice to other cadets preparing for their first solo flight is to enjoy it as much as you can, as you only get to experience it once. It’s important to note that the instructors won’t allow you to go up alone until they are fully confident that you are ready. So, trust the training you have been given, follow the procedures and don’t forget to smile.</p>
<p><img alt="Matt Langridge selfie in cockpit" src="/getasset/5c8ad261-b9a1-4671-ac09-26255a2095fb/" /></p>
<p>To find out more about my pilot journey be sure to come back soon and check out my next blog post.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Did you miss out on the previous blogs from Matt Langridge? Please see below.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/article/matt-langridge-mbe-my-big-career-change-2-back-to-the-classroom/">Matt Langridge MBE ‘My big career change’ #2 - Back to the Classroom</a></li>
<li><a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/article/matt-langridge-mbe-my-big-career-change-from-olympic-rower-to-cadet-at-skyborne-airline-academy/">Matt Langridge MBE: ‘My big career change’ #1 From Olympic rower to cadet at Skyborne Airline Academy</a></li>
</ul>