After 12 hours of training and waiting on good enough weather i finally soloed. I dropped my instructor off at the tower (the tower controllers let instructors go up and nervously watch as their students progressively lower the field elevation) and taxied to the runway. My first takeoff was probably the most memorable. After getting about 200 - 300 feet in the air, the passenger door opens and starts flapping up against the fuselage. After my "oh $h!t" reaction, I reached over and slammed the door shut. After I nervously completed my first lap in the pattern with a decent landing I gained some confidence and completed the other two laps. I remember asking tower to ask my instructor if I could keep soloing in the pattern after I finished my required 3 landings. Unfortunately, my instructor told me to come back in. That was all nearly 5 years ago.