pilotman46

So I've been a CFI for about a year and a half now and I solo'ed one of my students the other day. Afterwards, the owner of the flight school got onto me for my student doing touch and go's for their first solo. He said it was in the FARs that a student's first solo landings must be made to a full stop (and taxi back of course). I asked him to show me said regulation and he has yet to get back to me. Can anyone verify this? So far I've scoured 61 subpart C and haven't been able to find anything. If he is right then I will gladly follow the regs and have my future solo students do full stop landings as part of their first solo.

Also, I've been told by a few fellow pilots that the FAA is now requiring that while on the ground at non towered airports transponders must be in the ALT position. Again, can anyone verify this? Am I missing a new reg or AC?

JamesNoBrakes

There is no such regulation for student takeoffs and landings. Most schools want to be careful with solo student pilot operations due to the risk and more than a few have been known to take off with full flaps, so it's usually the school's policy to do full-stops, nothing to do with the regulations. There are quite a few things that most schools do regarding student solos that are not regulatory, but they are "best practices" for safety.

To answer the 2nd question, if you don't find it in the regulations, then it's not required. Unless ATIS says to keep it on alt mode, I'd say that's just some pilots making up stuff.

pilotman46

Thanks for the insight. While the reasoning makes sense, I just wish he wouldn't have passed it as a regulation. As far as the transponder thing goes, I first heard it from a fellow CFI at the flight school and since he left and his students are now mine, I have been trying to debunk this "new regulation". Just want to make sure I'm not giving them wrong info.

JamesNoBrakes

Never ever let anything pass because "so and so said so", always make em show you where it says that!

Yoda2

Do touch and goes, unless the boss insists otherwise and get things in writing whenever you can. If at a tower controlled field, tell the tower you are sending a student on their first solo, and that you have a hand held to monitor and stop them if you feel it prudent. Have them do the traditional three landings. The first one is to show the student they can really do it, the second is to show them that the first was not a fluke, Etc. that its success was based on their training/procedures, Etc. The third is to show them what happens when they get cocky...

As far as the second question, I have seen several airports that want you to leave the transponder on, even at towered. I always figured it would just be extra clutter but some want it...

JamesNoBrakes

True, but it's in the ATIS, it's not something to worry about. Can definitely be worse for other people if you leave it on at a place that doesn't require it.

To pilotman: Where those pilots likely got the impression to run a transponder all the time on "alt" was an airport with ASDE-X, which is quite neat if you've ever been in the tower of such an airport when visibility is low. This would be a totally awesome field trip to plan with a student. It's essentially "ground-radar". It's getting more common at busy class B type airports as well as ones that encounter frequent low visibility.

Love the last bit about the landings though.

Twin Wasp

The AIM says to turn your transponder on to mode C before you move. While not a reg, you can consider it FAA policy. It says nothing about after landing but I wouldn't be in a hurry to go to standby.

4–1–20 Transponder Operation
a. General

3. Civil and military transponders should be turned to the “on” or normal altitude reporting position prior to moving on the airport surface to ensure the aircraft is visible to ATC surveillance systems.

JamesNoBrakes

Important to note, that's not regulatory. It would be the recommended way to go though! I stand corrected.