thank you, no fortunately it is not an issue of safety. I do venture out on my own every now and then, but not as often as I'd like to, hence the feeling of guilt. In fact, I am planning on a solo XC flight this weekend, hope to have some fun. The primary reason to take an instructor along is to log some hood time, and cross country time at the same time. Although, this is a good way to save money, I am afraid that I might be missing out on making real PIC decisions etc. So thank you again, and before I know it, I hope to have those 50 hours of XC logged.