Trying something new - Gliders

drunkenbeagle

Gang Member
After about 9 years of careful preparation, I finally have my IR checkride scheduled next week. With this finally over, I'm looking forward to some nice, quiet, simple VFR flight for a while. I thought I might give gliders a shot.

Good idea? Is it a bad idea to get my Commercial-Glider/CFI-Glider before doing it in airplanes? At the very least, I figure I can pickup tailwheel and towplane endorsements.

And finally, does anyone recommend someplace to fly gliders in Tampa. I've been looking at KZPH.
 
Eh, I'd get your commercial in power first, if you intend to do both. You can do the Commercial glider as an add-on to you CSEL, but not the other way around. As far as getting your CFIG as an inital CFI, any inital CFI ticket will have you being run through the wringer, but you might get run through twice if you do your CFIG first, followed by your CFI.

Getting you tailwheel and tow endorsements might be worthwhile, the tailwheel is a lot of fun and it will improving your flying. As far as towing, if its being done in a tailwheel aircraft expect them to require at least 25 hours of tailwheel time, plus your CSEL if your doing it for pay and probably a high power endorsement, before they will even consider it. Also consider that flying a tow plane is hot, tiring and can be a bit dangerous, the first guy I knew who died in an airplane died towing. Its a lot like being paid to do stop and gos.

Glider bumming can be a blast, and being a triple threat "fly, tow & instruct" will making getting a gig a lot easier, but unless you can get on at a big operation it will be at best a beer money gig.

One way to work you way into a job is to make yourself available to work on the ground, wing running, hookups ect. Then when they need someone to tow, fly a guest ride, do an intro lesson your johnny on the spot.

The biggest hurdle is that gliding is almost pure recreational flying. Many of the people involved are semi-retired or have day jobs that actually pay the bills, they are at the gliderport to get their flying jollies and make a few bucks. That being said, the very first flight I got paid to do was a glider flight, and I did it about an hour after my check ride. Good luck with it.
 
Eh, I'd get your commercial in power first, if you intend to do both. You can do the Commercial glider as an add-on to you CSEL, but not the other way around

Thanks for the advice. When I called today, the first thing I was asked "We are looking for tow pilots, interested?" They are also dirt cheap - $40/mo. and $1/100' (free use of the gliders).

The place I am going tomorrow is only open weekends - which is fine with me, I have a good paying job during the week. I've wanted to do a tailwheel endorsement anyway, might as well get it while I still need hours for the commercial ride.

And on that topic, does glider time count towards total time needed for the comm/atp? I have everything for the comm, except total time...

It looks like a lot of fun, particularly the aerobatics that glider POH's say they are capable of.
 
Have you consulted the FARs? As in, how many flights in a glider will it take you to get your commercial-G with the number of powered hours you have and vice-versa. Last time I checked below a certain threshold you will need 100 flights in a glider to get the commercial.
 
And on that topic, does glider time count towards total time needed for the comm/atp? I have everything for the comm, except total time...


Glider time counts for airplane commercial...IIRC you only need 100 hours in powered aircraft for your CSEL.
 
Have you consulted the FARs? As in, how many flights in a glider will it take you to get your commercial-G with the number of powered hours you have and vice-versa. Last time I checked below a certain threshold you will need 100 flights in a glider to get the commercial.

100 flights is correct (as per how I read the '09 FARs). Given how cheap they are, how fun it looks, and the fact I need hours anyway - I don't see it as a problem. ($15/flt X 100 flights = $1500. Or 10 hours in the 172S. Seems cheap to me. )

As mentioned above, I'll do the CSEL first. What I haven't found in the FARs (yet) is how many flights I need for a comm glider add-on.
 
61.129(f) is your reg

Looks like 25 hours in a glider and 100 flights. Or, 200 hours in "heavier than air" with 20 flights in a glider.
 
Ive never been to ZPH, but I know people that do fly and have flown there, and hear a lot of good things.

I am taking my commercial glider test at the end of the month, before I do the C-ASEL, just because I have the minimum glider time x 5, the flying and checkride is free, and I will be making money over the summer giving rides.

Let us know how you like it!
 
On my way there now, I'll give everyone the full report when I get back.

I just found out that one of my friends up here sold his last two gliders to people at ZPH.

If you see a Ventus CM with "MOT" on the tail (race ID) or a "Vega," I have done a lot with both of them.
 
I just found out that one of my friends up here sold his last two gliders to people at ZPH.

Okay, it was a lot of fun. I'll be going back. 3 flights, 1.1 in gliders (L-13) now. I took a C152 from KSPG to get out there and back.

The only two things if found tricky are flying a pattern and flying in tow. Out of reflex, I tended to fly a tight pattern, straight to the numbers. While that would be appropriate in an airplane dead stick, not so much in the glider.

Flying in tow - not so hard, just need to remember that the rope changes the yaw of the glider.

The visibility is amazing. I would highly recommend it. It took a few minutes to get used to not having directional gyros, but otherwise, pretty easy to fly.
 
Only two things wrong with gliders

(1) You get dizzy staying in thermals
(2) You can't open the window to get fresh air when you do get dizzy

Oh lets make that three....:rawk:

(3) when you're in thermals with three or four other gliders you need neck surgery afterward from trying to keep separation.
 
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