machineman9 wrote:It sounds like a fantastic thing. I have only been up a few times in gliders, all of which were powered so didn't have quite the same buzz (or rather, lack of) compared to a similar vehicle without an engine. I'm not quite sure yet if it's un-nerving not having an engine or a relief that you can't have an engine failure, depending on the aircraft type of course.
I'm hoping to start training from September/October onwards. Obviously not as ideal as summer flying, but I like a challenge. Hopefully I can get the messy flying out of the way during the winter and then blast the soaring over the summer with the better conditions.
Is it relatively hard or easy to get badges out the way? I imagine diamond might be a bit of a challenge in the UK, but the rest seems fairly accessible to all pilots.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it is going to take you a couple of years or maybe more to get to Silver C.
Before Silver C, you have to:
Learn to fly of course
Bronze
Cross country endorsement
Silver
Naturally, CFI recommendations have to go with all these points. Assuming you get your wings:
Bronze
A minimum of 50 solo flights, or 20 solo flights and 10 hours.
Two soaring flights of 30 minutes each from a winch launch, or 60 minutes each from aerotow.
Flying test with full Cat
Introduction to field landings.
Bronze written paper, with multiple choice questions on navigation, principles of flight, meteorology, radio and airmanship.
All the above requirements must be completed within 12 months. To log your soaring flights, your flight must be witnessed by an Official Observer or instructor.
Cross-country endorsement
The requirements are:
One one-hour soaring flight
One two-hour soaring flight
Navigation exercise
Field selection exercise and field landing exercise (you will require use of a motor glider for this part)
All the requirements must be completed within 12 months of the second two-hour soaring flight.
You will need the cross-country endorsement before you will be allowed to fly solo cross-country
flights.
The requirements to gain the Silver C are:
A five-hour soaring flight
A 1000m height gain
A 50km distance flight.
Now add in the UK weather, personal commitments, aircraft availability as others will also be going for it and you will not be a Silver pilot any time soon I am sorry to say.
Due to weather and commitments alone, it took me two summers to get my bronze due to the 12 month rule. I don't mean to put a downer on this, but no point is blowing smoke up your rectal cavity and saying you will get it all done in a season.
Matt
There is another way to get your wings. believe it or not, there is no legal requirement to have any form of training to fly a glider. There is no licence require. The BGA is a regulatory body that operates in an advisory manner with no legal remit (or was the last time I checked). Legally you can go and buy yourself a glider and if you can find anyone mad enough to launch you, you can fly of into the wild blue yonder.................But you have to be madder than the mad person launching you though.......
"A bit of a pickle" - British translation: A catastrophically bad situation with potentially fatal consequences.
PETA
People Eating Tasty Animals.
B1 (Cat C) licenced engineer, Boeing 737NG 600/700/800/900 Airbus A318/19/20/21 and Dash8 Q-400
1. Captain, if the problem is not entered into the technical logbook.........then the aircraft does not have a problem.
2. And, if you have time to write the fault on a napkin and attach to it to the yoke.........you have time to write it in the tech log....see point 1.