Gliding

Bsmiller05

Bsmiller05

Well-Known Member
I've been looking into getting my glider rating and had a few questions:

- How difficult is it to pick up?
- How much would the add-on typically run?
- Should I add-on just a private glider, or commercial glider too?
- Is there a "Gleim" for it? I look on their website but didn't find anything.

I assumed that there would be a different written involved, but I could be wrong.

Thanks
 
Bsmiller05 said:
I've been looking into getting my glider rating and had a few questions:

- How difficult is it to pick up?
- How much would the add-on typically run?
- Should I add-on just a private glider, or commercial glider too?
- Is there a "Gleim" for it? I look on their website but didn't find anything.
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It's easy. Cost will depend on where you are doing it, a club will probably cost about half what a commercial operation will (but will probably take longer too). $2,000-$3,000 is probably a good guess.

If you have at least 200 hours fixed wing, might as well do the commercial. You need 20 flights PIC for the commercial, 10 for a private. Those flights will mostly be 6 minutes long, ~$15 each though (pattern tows).

No written exam if you already hold the equivalent airplane certificate.
 
Bsmiller05 said:
I've been looking into getting my glider rating and had a few questions:

- How difficult is it to pick up?
- How much would the add-on typically run?
- Should I add-on just a private glider, or commercial glider too?
- Is there a "Gleim" for it? I look on their website but didn't find anything.

I assumed that there would be a different written involved, but I could be wrong.

Thanks
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-pretty easy
- like said before, how ever much a little more than 20 tows costs at your location. (for commercial)
- Commercial is twice as many tows, I don't really see why you would get it if you were not planning on becoming a CFI-G.
- There is not written. But if you are looking for a glider book, http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/glider_handbook/media/faa-h-8083-13.pdf
this is the FAA glider publication.
 
Douglas said:
- Commercial is twice as many tows, I don't really see why you would get it if you were not planning on becoming a CFI-G.
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The cost of the 10 extra pattern tows is probably less than what an extra checkride will run you. You might as well do it, since you can also do sightseeing flights with it. If you can ever imagine needing it, might as well get it out of the way (for the extra $150-250 it is going to cost you).
 
Plus putting a private rating on a commercial ticket is just dumb. Take the extra flights and get the commercial.
 
Cool. Thanks for the tips! It doesn't seem as bad as I thought. And after spending so much on fixed wing ratings, what's another few thousands...
 
drunkenbeagle said:
The cost of the 10 extra pattern tows is probably less than what an extra checkride will run you. You might as well do it, since you can also do sightseeing flights with it. If you can ever imagine needing it, might as well get it out of the way (for the extra $150-250 it is going to cost you).
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true, I agree that it is a minimal extra for a commercial.

Though my instructor will not allow 20 pattern tows and I agree with him. I am having a blast going up and searching for lift and really try to get a feel for thermal-ing.
It is great trying to learn to read the sky. It is really adding a whole new dimension to my flying.
 
Douglas said:
Though my instructor will not allow 20 pattern tows and I agree with him. I am having a blast going up and searching for lift and really try to get a feel for thermal-ing.
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Not sure I understand the logic here, how is a tow to 2000' going to teach you more than one to 1000'?

I guess you shouldn't do ALL of the PIC flights as pattern tows, but a good chunk of them is fine. They do get kind of boring.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Not sure I understand the logic here, how is a tow to 2000' going to teach you more than one to 1000'?

I guess you shouldn't do ALL of the PIC flights as pattern tows, but a good chunk of them is fine. They do get kind of boring.
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Because it can be hard to break away into one of those low level thermals from pattern altitude.
 
tlewis95 said:
Because it can be hard to break away into one of those low level thermals from pattern altitude.
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Well, at the pace I was going, thermaling for all those flights would take forever. I had 10 hours in gliders, 4 flights PIC when I decided pattern tows would be the only way to get to 20 in a reasonable time frame.

I'd also feel more comfortable flying with an actual certificate as soon as possible, rather than a PIC endorsement.

Staying in thermals is more art and technique than something you can teach, at least from what I've seen. Other than the cardinal rule - don't leave good lift looking for better lift :)
 
10 hour is four flights? wow, that is impressive.

Nebraska isn't the best for soaring. We go up to 3 or 4 thousand.

My CFI buddy was looking through my logbook and all the remarks said "no lift".
He said, "That means you need to get an engine." :lol: I thought it was pretty funny.

I would like to get into x-c flying someday.
 
Douglas said:
10 hour is four flights? wow, that is impressive.

Nebraska isn't the best for soaring. We go up to 3 or 4 thousand.
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Florida is pretty good in spring/fall. Summer isn't bad, but it is hot, and a lot of the cu will end up being T-storms in the late afternoon.

I think it has a lot more to do with the pilot than the lift though. The better pilots around here will be up for hours in lower-performance gliders, in weak lift. Then, there are some that always seem to be up and down in 20 minutes.

I don't like getting more than 20 miles from the airport, but I'm kind of chicken. I don't want to land in a cow pasture if I can avoid it...
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Florida is pretty good in spring/fall. Summer isn't bad, but it is hot, and a lot of the cu will end up being T-storms in the late afternoon.

I think it has a lot more to do with the pilot than the lift though. The better pilots around here will be up for hours in lower-performance gliders, in weak lift. Then, there are some that always seem to be up and down in 20 minutes.

I don't like getting more than 20 miles from the airport, but I'm kind of chicken. I don't want to land in a cow pasture if I can avoid it...
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That is why you have to get up to 3000 and practice. :D

20 miles:eek: I manage about five in the blanik
 
When I did my glider rating, I decided the sport pilot ticket was enough to give me all the privileges I was after. After I trained to be able to solo, all I needed was 3 solo flights for a total of 1 hr to meet all the sport pilot requirements. Since I was already a certified pilot, I could take my check ride with a CFI who didn't train me. It was cheap and simple and exactly what I was after. Where I learned it was $30 for a 1000 ft tow, and the glider (SGS 2-33) was $40/hr.

On most days you could fly all afternoon on a tow to 1000 ft. Since I got my sport rating, I've managed to make over 20 solo flights for pleasure instead of making $35 dollar trips around the traffic pattern. I now have enough experience to take a commercial ride if I ever decide I need it, but didn't have to spend extra training and a DPE checkride.
 

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Douglas said:
My CFI buddy was looking through my logbook and all the remarks said "no lift".
He said, "That means you need to get an engine." :lol: I thought it was pretty funny.
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That's the reason I didn't go back and finish the cert this season. I joined a local club and logged all the required flights last year. But the season ended before I could get signed off for the checkride so I was going to return this year and finish it up. But when I looked back on it after it was all said and done, I realized that I had made a bunch of trips out to the airport which is an hours drive from home and I had found good lift exactly once and marginal lift only twice. All the rest of my flights were zero lift.

When I considered going back this year to finish up, I couldn't justify spending the money on another years annual dues for one day of good lift. If I ever move to a location where they have a decent number of good lift days, I'll finish up the cert. But NJ ain't that place IME.
 
Joe Gremlin said:
When I considered going back this year to finish up, I couldn't justify spending the money on another years annual dues for one day of good lift. If I ever move to a location where they have a decent number of good lift days, I'll finish up the cert. But NJ ain't that place IME.
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Guess I'm pretty lucky here, club dues are $40/month (season is year round in FL), but you can go "inactive" at any time. Glider rentals are free, $35 for a 3000' tow ($15 for 1000'). From 3000', you can stay up an hour here even in the weakest lift.

I like hanging out there anyway, and figure I'll probably instruct there for a while, so getting the commercial ride out of the way made sense, at least in my case.
 
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