skycowboy

Hey guys, I am a commercially rated pilot in single and multiengine aircraft - interested in gliding and have some questions...

Written exam yes or no?
How cost effective is it?
How is time logged?
Does time in a glider count towards total flight time?
Is it another category rating that they just tack on to your existing pilot license?

thanks,
John

ryane946

Not if you already have taken one for a private ASEL. No written test for you.
The same way it is in an airplane. Except there is no hobbs meter, so you will need to check your watch.
Yes, it does count as flight time. However, I don't think you can use it for a time requirement thing (like a commercial license or an ATP)
Just a rating like your instrument was.
Really depends. I promise to give you a full response on this, but I am at the airport and in a hurry. I will respond to this question soon.

skycowboy

Righto!

right - yeah I wouldn't use it towards a time requirement, I was more interested if it could be used as part of your "total time."

So the glider rating would be on my FAA pilot certificate? So I would have to turn it in for a temp and then get a new one?

Thanks man!
John

ryane946

Cost of flying gliders:

First off, it is very cheap to get your rating. For someone with no flight experience, the minimum flight time is 10 hours. I did mine in 12 (had no flight experience). Cost about $2,500. Not bad. If you already have your private ASEL, the minimum flight time is 3 hours, and most people are pretty close to that. Cost of maybe $1,000. I see you have flown tailwheel airplanes, so this will make you an even better glider pilot.

As for flying once you get your ratings, it can be very cheap to fly gliders, but it can also get expensive. Unlike airplanes, it is not very expensive to rent the glider. There are two kinds of glider operators; commercial operators and flying clubs. Commercial operators charge you for your services (and cost slightly more). Flying clubs will make you pay a joining fee and a monthly fee, but the equipment rental will be either cheap or free.
The average cost for a glider from a commercial operator is something like $30-$40 an hour for the glider. From a flying club, it is either free, or something like $20/flight. (whether it is 20 minutes or 3 hours).

The big cost when flying gliders is the tow. Tows are typically $10 hook-up, and $10 per 1,000ft. Therefore, a 5,000 ft tow would cost $60. The idea is glider flying gets cheaper the longer you are able to stay in the air. If you take a 5,000ft tow and come down in 25 minutes, you just paid $75 for a 25 minute flight (expensive). Now, if you take that same tow and stay up for two hours (fairly typical), you have paid $120 for 2 hours of flying. Not bad. Find a day with good thermals at low altitude, you can take a 2,000ft tow, stay up for 3 hours, and it cost you $120, or $40 an hour. That is good.

Glider flying can be incredibly cheap because of a device known as a winch. Winches are awesome. I had a navy fighter pilot tell me that a winch launch was the closest thing to a carrier launch he had ever experienced. Basically, a winch is used to pull your glider into the air. They are relatively cheap to buy (they cost about as much as a car engine) and they are almost free to operate (a little gas/electricity). A winch launch may cost $5 or $10 max, and it eliminates the most expensive aspect of glider flying, the aero tow. Now you are talking about a $5-$10 launch, and a VERY CHEAP glider rental, and you are in business.

Winches have not reached their full potential. First, they can only get you as much altitude as half the field length. For instance, if you have a 4,000ft field, you can only get 2,000ft in the air. So you need a real big field to operate from for winches to be more feasible (and get higher altitudes). There is also many technological hurdles that need to be overcome. But if someone solves these problems, glider flying will truly takeoff.
Hope this helps,
Ryan

skycowboy

that sounds superb - can you give me some more infor on the concept of the wench?

usmc-sgt

Glad I could help!

skycowboy

thanks dude!

ryane946

Well, on the most basic level...
http://www.go.ednet.ns.ca/~larry/bsc/winch/winchani.gif

skycowboy

thats pretty cool - Gliding isn't real big here at my home Airport so I will probably have to run up to Vincennes in Indiana - wonder if they have a winch... hmmmm

Jakob

Hi John!
Of course I can give you my thoughts but I think they might not be as helpful as others as I am in a different situation than you. I'm 16, flying gliders is my first flying and I currently live in Germany. I fly gliders in a club here as it is really cheap - I (or better: my parents ) pay approximately 300€ per year. I don't have to pay additionally for instructing.

Maybe I'll just tell you why I chose to start flying gliders:
1. I get to learn a lot about the basics of flying, weather and other things that can be very helpful later on. I also find it very interesting.
2. I believe I can learn to be a good pilot. Being a pilot is the goal in my life - if possible, a good one. I love flying and I think that flying gliders is still really about stick and rudder flying. I'm very fascinated by complex airliners and their cockpits - during my internship here in Hamburg, GER, with Lufthansa CityLine Technik I learned a lot about the systems. I spent hours and hours in the CRJ cockpit (Anybody like to test me? I learned a lot and I know the cockpit pretty well ) I can't wait to be an airline pilot and to be able to control these systems. I know what being an airline pilot is about and that it is not mainly stick and rudder flying - but I'm interested in both and that's why I like glider flying also.
3. I can gain experience with weather and other factors early that might help me while moving on later.
4. I love flying - I have so much fun in a glider and every minute I spend in the air is awesome. I enjoy every second.
5. It might be helpful in an interview later on to show the joy I feel for flying. Maybe it even shows experience - I don't know.
6. Last but not at all least: It is fairly cheap! For me as a 16 year old it is really cheap experience and fun. I can do the thing I would like to continue on doing my entire life - flying - and get better at it for a decent price.

I don't know anything about logging flight time unfortunatly as I just started - I'll have to search a little on that myself.

i guess this is all the help I can give you. If you think I could do more - please ask. I'd be more than happy to help as I would like to return some of the great help APC and other pilots in general have given me. I am very anxious to belong to the "group" as the people I have met by now are awesome! As I said - I would love to help as much as I can!

Best wishes
Jakob

P.S. Please excuse my mistakes! I might have made a few as I have typed this out pretty quickly. Thanks!