Bounced at my first solo, now feeling nervous

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Nearby-Tea-8328@reddit

There's a reason trainers are "bounceable." hang in there bud

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So you flew an airplane in a previously unknown condition (without instructors weight or instruction). You flew it to the best of your ability and made it back alive and the airplane came with you. That’s a win! It only gets better.

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Beautiful-Low9454@reddit

Go do 10 touch and go’s and go practice slow flight. Slow flight teaches you how to master your energy management and every landing your doing slow flight just a foot or two above the runway. If it goes bad go around. Get good at go arounds too

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Tiny_Cartographer512@reddit

I went off the runway and wound up in a field on my first solo.... keep at it.

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Melodic_Visual1595@reddit

Something nobody told me at that phase of my training is that experienced pilots have bad landings too. I think people assume you just master it once and have it down forever. Circumstances change constantly. The one technique you should have absolutely dialed is the go-around. That matters more than anything.

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Wild-west-wind@reddit

My first solo was great. No issues. It was my SECOND solo (a week later, I think) where things got ugly. It was a very hot day, tons of planes in the pattern. On my landing, the nose wheel touched first. Then mains. I didn’t know what was happening. It was a porpoise. I had never done that in my training so I didn’t know how to recognize it. Finally I realized what it was and did a go around. I came back, landed, parked the plane and was done for the day. I was so embarrassed and shaken up. Lesson learned! And now I have my PPL. You’re okay. I know it sucks. Try to not let it haunt you.

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CaptainAurelien@reddit

Good decision to go around. Don’t be nervous about bouncing if you’re on your main wheels; don’t porpoise the plane on the nose wheel; that is what matters.

You were coming in too fast is why you bounced. You want to have stable, proper airspeed on your final approach. When you’re in the flair, stay in ground effect, meaning: keep flying and only gently, continuously raise your nose once you start sinking. Try NOT to land, if you get my drift.

On a 737, being 5 knots slow or on speed is the difference between the plane falling out of the sky and being able to make a smooth landing. (-:

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

Thank you so much! i tend to over pull at my flares then unload just a tiny bit to catch ground effect i have long way to go but after many landings ill get it. Also no way im trying to land with that much airspeed again especially considering our runway is only 1000 meters.

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CaptainAurelien@reddit

The right airspeed can be the difference between 1,000 feet killing you and being more than enough to come to a stop.

With flares, when I was a student pilot, I used to do the same thing: Flaring early.

If you pull up with too much airspeed, you will just climb (especially with the help of ground effect). If you pull up too high from the ground with not enough airspeed, you’ll make the plane fall onto the runway from a big height that causes you to keep bouncing or even causes damage to the aircraft.

On a normal day without gusting winds, you can reliably pull your throttle to idle before the flare as long as your airspeed is managed correctly. You will keep flying if you have airspeed.

When you are in the ground effect at a normal height from the runway (not too high!), keep the plane straight and level. You have your flaps down by this point. Remember doing a slow flight into a stall? It’s exactly that. Keep your nose straight, look at the end of the runway, and as your airspeed bleeds, start pulling the nose up. You’ll judge the sink with your peripheral vision. There, you go—you have landed without bounce.

(-:

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

Once again thank you for the great advice, i overly focus to the end of runway and forget that i my peripheral vision exist ill train and be more conscious with it.

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CaptainAurelien@reddit

Of course. Do not be too hard on yourself with your mistakes. You will pick up the “intuitive” sense of knowing what to focus on avoiding as you fly more. My small recommendation—I will say something you will always remember in the future: A good landing starts with a good, stable approach. Keep your airspeed on target, keep your airplane stable on the glide path coming down to the runway, and you will be a lot more comfortable with landings.

If you ever bounce with the nose wheel and main wheel back and forth, pull the yoke and stabilize on the main wheel! THEN go around if you can.

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Phaas777A@reddit

You're looking at the situation the wrong way:

You botched the landing, but had the piloting skills required to recognize it, execute a go-around, and recognize exactly what went wrong in order to correct and make a normal and safe landing.

I view the event as a confirmation that you are competent enough to act as Pilot in Command while landing without a CFI next to you to take control if you make a mistake.

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

Thank you i truly appreciate it

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ltcterry@reddit

I've been flying gliders since 2010. A few weeks ago I bounced in front of about half the club. I recovered nicely, but no one commented on that part!

It's normal and you did the right thing. Don't let this minor lesson bother you!

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

Thank you, i guess shit just happens and i was naive to think otherwise

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imlooking4agirl@reddit

I’m almost about to take my instrument checkride in like 2 weeks and yesterday I took my wife up to go flying around the practice area. When we came back in to land I flared too high and I fell susceptible to the runway width illusion which caused me to have a not so perfect landing. It happens, I learned from it.

What I’m getting at here is that throughout your journey to get your ratings, you’ll make mistakes but it’s crucial to learn from them so they don’t happen again. Not to mention you probably have like 20 something hours. I promise you’ll feel more comfortable and you’ll be more capable the more you do this.

Just keep on truckin’

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

That is very encouraging thank you. No way im giving up! also that is true i have 18 hours only.

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10FourGudBuddy@reddit

You didn’t pilot induced oscillation (at least enough to cause damage/lose control.) you won. Keep at it friend.

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

Thank you!!

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Not_Maurice_Moss@reddit

Dude. Nothing wrong with any of it. And also, going around was great judgement. Never let a mistake turn into an accident.

It's not a problem at all. Congrats on your Solo! Keep going

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

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_Windows_95@reddit

It happens. I still mess it up sometimes. You did the right thing by going around, and you realised what went wrong. Now, you'll be better equipped to handle similar situations in the future.

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

Thank you, no way in hell im trying to land again with 70 knots again ( with stable air )

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Seatown1983@reddit

In some respects a go around is a harder maneuver than a landing, ask an airline pilot, they do 300 landings a year and maybe 1 go around that usually doesn’t go real smooth….Take solace in your good 2nd landing, decision making and go around. On to the next landing!

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

Thank you i truly appreciate it!

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Embarrassed_Income12@reddit

I’m assuming you plan on being a flight instructor as unfortunately in this industry is the only option (it’s a shame since we need more people who want to teach then doing it for time). I’m sure you’re one whose going to want to teach. Trust me when I say this, you’re going to bounce a lot 😂😂. How you handled it was amazing, you had the ADM to call the go around. Dm me I’ll send you a video of my second solo and you’re going to trip out.

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

Thank you ive sent the DM with my landing i appreciate it!

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MoreSpoiler@reddit

If you know what you did wrong, and know how to prevent it, didn’t hurt anyone, damage anything, or get a phone number, well that’s GOOD, that’s learning and that’s the point.

Go forth pilot and bounce no more lol

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AdInformal7889@reddit (OP)

Thank you so much truly appreciate it, i still go for pitch for speed power for altitude but on my next landing ill try the 3% glide with 0.5 vertical decent

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Lamathrust7891@reddit

Second training area solo check flight, forgot to call "clear prop" 1 and only time i did that. we're learning we're going to make mistakes.
At the end of the day you went around instead of trying to save the landing, your fine, the aircraft (presumably) is fine.

3rd Training area solo yesterday. Had a great time 2000-3000ft dodging Few clouds to stay VMC.
Had a go around on the check flight I was simply high and fast and with the Schools stablised approach SOP the decision was incredibly easy. second attempt was fantastic.

As for advice, talk to your instructor, they're there to help you learn, Debrief the flight and work out a plan to help your decision making.

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Ok_Truck_5092@reddit

I have over 200 hours and even I bounce that MF sometimes. Don’t worry about it.

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Otherwise-Owl-3926@reddit

Bruh

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SumOfKyle@reddit

Just keep flying

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5-2-4@reddit

dawg i bounced yesterday ur good

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RBR927@reddit

I porpoised so badly on my first solo landings that I got a cease and desist from the producers of Flipper.

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FredSchwartz@reddit

I would rather see a student make a mistake and recover than make no mistakes at all.

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Jrygonzo278@reddit

I just bounced on a 737 max. Even the pros still do it.

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TheGuAi-Giy007@reddit

I flew my first solo xc flight to KSCH..... I did something different on landing, for the first time. Nearly planted the plane square into the fence and pavement. Genuinely thought I soiled myself after recovering not only the plane, but my brain.

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pepperyrelaxation@reddit

I bounced three times at the end of my IFR checkride and passed. Just held the nose up to avoid PIO and it all worked out.

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Sharp_Experience_104@reddit

Nicely done. And now you’ll never forget to stabilize at Vref and a reasonable descent rate. Having the presence of mind to go around, and the skill to do it, is a big deal. Not to worry, you’re not likely to break the plane. Just keep learning from every flight.

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JustAnotherDude1990@reddit

It happens, and go arounds are good. First bounces free, after that, you try it again and go around.

A little tip, though. Once you pull the power to idle, keep slowly raising the nose, trying to not let the plane land. Keep the wheels off the ground as long as possible, and eventually you simply won’t have the airspeed to stay up, and it will nicely sit down on the main wheels.

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BLKHWKS@reddit

This is excellent advice…. Every single landing this is the thought. Crazy how “in control” you start to feel once you lock this in.

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JustAnotherDude1990@reddit

It’s what I tell me students when I’m with themy

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BluProfessor@reddit

I'm a CFI and bounced a landing last week. Bounced another one a couple weeks before that. The goal is consistency and improvement, not perfection. You'll bounce many more landings, don't sweat it.

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sassinator13@reddit

The next (first) time I go 10 landings without a bounce or hard landing, I’ll let you know.

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Rainebowraine123@reddit

Just wait until you bounce and have to go around wtih 180 people in the back

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VirvekRBX@reddit

I’m a CFI and I bounce my landings sometimes, more rare now but still happens

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Future-Project-6074@reddit

lol I was on final for my last landing at one of the busiest deltas in the us and about 10-15 planes were lined up waiting for me to land. It wasn’t not a good landing and everyone saw. Then I realized I’m a student on a solo this I supposed to give me confidence and a chance to learn from my own flying and I learned that regardless of my surroundings fly the plane. At the end of the day i was safe and and so was the plane and a bad landing just shows that there’s more to learn. Everyone has them

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BigFlyingDog@reddit

Don’t be embarrassed. Between excitement/nerves and an airplane that performs differently without the weight of a second person, you did fine. Hopefully your instructor briefed you on what to expect before solo. You’ve demonstrated your capability.

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ThatGuyInASkirt91124@reddit

The fact that you did a go around is a great sign. I feel like a lot of inexperienced pilots feel like a go around is embarrassing or means they didn't do a good job

Once I got comfortable doing go arounds, landings became easier. If I wasn't set up, I'd do a go around. Takes the stress off of you and lets you focus on your different keys.

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CantConfirmOrDeny@reddit

I bounced my first landing on my PPL checkride. Did the go around, figured I’d failed for sure, but no! DPE was happy to sign me off- said I screwed up but handled it correctly, and he was quite satisfied with that.

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Mayhem-Echoes@reddit

500 hours and recently bounced my DA40 so hard the gps reset. My wife in the passenger seat actually called it even before I did. Was an upslope runway and had a bunch of terrain sink just before the numbers.

It happens. Just go around and get it the second or third time, debrief it to yourself on the ground, then forget about it.

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IM_REFUELING@reddit

Sometimes you'll ass up a landing, no matter how experienced you are. You'll do it less frequently with time, but it'll still happen eventually.

Be the guy with the humility to go around instead of pretending you're superhuman, even 10-20 years from now.

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kytulu@reddit

Hell, I've gone on MX flights with experienced (1000hr+) CFIs who landed so hard that I thought they were auditioning for RyanAir. It happens. You took the proper action, learned from it, and greased the next attempt.

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imblegen@reddit

You know what you did wrong and fixed it on your own for the second landing. You’ll be fine.

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Valuable-Shelter-863@reddit

As long as you know good decision making and when to go around then you’re all good. Just takes practice like any other maneuver

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Jake6401@reddit

I’ve never bounced a landing before. In fact, nobody in this sub has other than you. Seriously, it’s not that big of a deal lol. It was your first time flying an airplane by yourself and you made it back to the earth with the airplane intact. Be proud of that. Smooth landings will come with repetition

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Merican1973@reddit

Been flying for 34 years. Still dick up a landing now and then. You did a GA showing good decision making. You will scare yourself again someday, and learn from it like all the other pilots have/will.

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Think_Flatworm_9390@reddit

You did the right thing, you weren’t confident and it wasn’t a stable approach, so you completed a go around. Then, you fixed your mistakes and did your landing. Your instructor should be proud! Besides, that was your first solo!! Of course there’s going to be some room for improvement! Not to mention, you might have done everything exactly as you have been practicing with your instructor the first time, but remember that the plane will act differently without the weight of your instructor in the right seat. Clearly you know how to land of your second landing was better. Not to mention, there was no damage to the plane, no laws broken, and you walked away safely. That’s all you can really ask for. Anything better than that is just brownie points 😉 I’ve heard DPE’s say that almost word for word.

side note- I also work at an airport and have a PPL, and the amount of terrible landings I’ve seen from licensed pilots (and my own bad landings) show that not every landing will be butter. You’re going to make mistakes from time to time, no matter how many hours you have. No one is perfect. Your instructor knows that, and they clearly thought that you could do it because they wouldn’t have signed off for you to solo otherwise. Keep up the good work!!

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MajMedic@reddit

I have close to 500 hours, I still bounce from time to time. It’s all good. Keep learning!!

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FlareBourbon@reddit

Won't be your last! Your instructor will be impressed that you added power, recovered and went around. Congratulations on your first solo, that's a huge day! As your skills improve, you'll 'Finish Every Flight with a Flare....' if you get what we're saying...!

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Grand_Raccoon0923@reddit

I work with pilots that have thousands of hours. Sometimes they bounce also.

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Rickenbacker69@reddit

You know what? Most students don't have the situational awareness to go around if they screw up their first landing. Sounds like you're ahead of the curve.

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Living_Guess_2845@reddit

First solo is also the first time you've flown the plane 200 pounds lighter because your CFI stayed in the ground. Your climb rate was a lot better too, right? Don't worry about the bounce.

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Little_Function3346@reddit

My first solo I bounced twice and almost went off the runway, went full power and did a go around. My legs were jelly for the rest of the day and my nerves were shot. Now I have almost 200 hours, 800+ landings, and I still get a little nervous on some of them, but I’m a lot more confident now. It takes time, you got this!

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K9pilot@reddit

I bounced one this weekend. New airport, crosswind and I’ve had plenty of practice in the last few weeks but it happens. Everyone has a bad landing occasionally. Just remember a good landing is a stall a a foot off the ground so as previous poster said keep flying with nose up pressure unless you run out of energy. It’s easy to rush to get it on the ground because of a taxiway or traffic but it’s better to bleed off energy while your still flying vs force onto the ground and get squirrelly on the runway. Never feel bad about going around if it’s not feeling setup properly. Good luck.

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z0mbeh8r@reddit

You bounced a landing and made the correct decision to go around. That’s good ADM and sounds like you actually have the ability to correctly handle the airplane. At the ATP level during recurrent sims we routinely train bounced landings in transport category aircraft because it is 1.) something that happens to aircraft and pilots at all levels and 2.) something that can be easy to mess up if you are unprepared.

So yes, take an honest assessment of the mistakes you made that led to the bounce. Though give yourself credit for the fact that you made the correct decision after the bounce and the fact that you clearly fixed the errors on the 2nd approach and landing.

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fly-guy@reddit

I recently bounced a landing while.8ve been doing this for 20+ years, it happens and will keep happening.

The fact you solved as you should, shows you got good judgement and decision making, two skill far more valuable than raw technique. Plus you seem to learn from your mistakes, or at least see the error.

You'll be fine....

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Spacechase1@reddit

You already demonstrated good judgement and decision making in your decision to go-around when not everything was right for a stable landing, and you executed that maneuver without incident. In a way, you got a chance to demonstrate skills and training far beyond what's needed when everything goes "perfectly right" with a buttery landing.

So, have confidence in your training thus far, discuss any concerns with your instructor, and treat every single flight as another opportunity to learn some more (because conditions will always be different). Even super-experienced pilots will bounce a landing every so often - and even when you get consistently buttery landings in a certain set of conditions like calm wind, as you experience new conditions, you might get some bounces again as you expand your personal minimums -- and you are still early in the process, so you have a lot of room to grow.

The fact that you are thinking of potential concerns (i.e. damage, risk, etc.) means your mind is already geared towards safety and how to mitigate any risks. So, be confident in that and just forge ahead with the mindset of learning all you can and communicating openly with your instructor.

Congrats on the solo!!

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dummyinstructor@reddit

The go around showed good ADM. You recognized an issue and fixed it. Now go fly solo more, it'll make you less nervous the more you do it

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

I took my first solo 2 days ago. On my very first landing the plane bounced, almost pogoed, so I decided to go around. My second landing was smooth as butter.

Now I’m feeling embarrassed and a bit scared for my next flight, which will be with an instructor and then another solo the same day. I’m sure I’ll land fine, but I keep worrying I’ll do something wrong, damage the plane, or somehow mess up my license with an accident.

Has anyone else had the same concerns? How did you deal with it?

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