This really got me interested so I went back and looked at what the military gave for the same numbers pre-solo. The only difference that I would denote in these numbers are the variety of training associated during those flight - to include some flight like aerobatics and AoA landings - that would be more than one would expect from PPL training obviously:

127 Landings, 30.4 hours, 17 flights.
Landings per lesson:

0
0
9
8
8
12
10
12
7
9
8
9
5
10
6
6
8
---------
4 of those rides were in the PA (Precision Aerobatics stage) and not the FAM stage - but we did do them before the solo and those were the flights where I got the most landings on any single flights (12, 10, 12, 7)

 

I dug out my original log, and found 14 flights leading to solo, 9.9 hours, and 32 landings.

1
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
3
3
2
6
3
4

My original instructor was a Delta check airman and former military aviator; primary instructing wasn't his full time job. The training was Part 61, and I was in high school at the time; training was spread over 9 months to get to solo (due to my finances, schedules, etc).

The point is that the nature of the training environment, student, circumstance, frequency of training, your own experience level as an instructor, and your background, all make a difference in the numbers.

My feeling is that a student should be soloed early, as long as the student is safe (and the requirements have been met). The basic requirements must be met, but a student who can be doing solo and training concurrently develops confidence and progresses better than a student who goes extended periods without a payoff. The solo is one of the biggest events in one's flying career, to say nothing of the early student experience, so getting the student to the point where a trip around the pattern can safely be conducted as early in the training as possible is beneficial.

 

nm.................

 

Average number of landings?

Equal to the takeoffs....

 

Didn't look, but probably had about a 150 landings before solo!

 

I don't. 1 CFII, 2 students (me). After I took-off and did my training, I swapped seats with the other student in the back - he got the landing.

 

I've had quite a few flights in which I was in the aircraft when it took off, but not when it landed.

I logged the landings, but not the takeoffs.

 

I'd say 50-100 landings.

I think it depends on the airport (runway length, one piece of pavement vs multiple for crosswinds, etc, towered vs non towered), weather, how oftenthe student is flying. Also, when I was a new CFI it took me longer to know when a student was ready and I tended error on the side of caution, and presumably I teach better now lol.

Interestingly, last summer I soloed my first and only glider student in 18 flights... So only 18 Landings. And he had perfected landings a bit sooner than I felt he was safe with the tow.

 

Forgot to account time: in 4 months. Obviously if I had to spread the lessons out, it would have taken longer (retention, muscle memory, etc)

 

That was helpful.