As a Soarin' flight attendant, I will give you the best advice I can possibly give...
To echo what others said, you need to be IN the park gates 20-30 minutes before the park opens. You will procede to the area where "rope drop" is right behind SSE but before the fountain. Hang to the farthest right you can. The CMs from Soarin' will be out to escort the crowd to the ride. If you are in sight of a CM you will likely be one of the first to ride. Remember, the ride holds 87 people at a time and in 2 theaters that means 174 people will get on. If you are going to want to ride again, get Fastpasses BEFORE you go in for your first flight. DON'T WORRY - as long as you're in those gates before 9:30 you will have a minimal wait time. Fastpass times typically don't begin until about 9:40 anyways so you won't be jockeying with those Fastpass-using guests to get on the first few flights (and that's what keeps the standby line busy).
Fastpass always gets superbusy and thus produces really late return times when the Standby line gets packed, so if you want to ride make sure to be one of the first to arrive! And, remember, EVERYONE has the same idea as you...so just be patient.