(Mark James Boyd) wrote
If you fail a DE or FAA checkride, it goes in your file, and
you need to mention this at your airline interview, when you apply for
an airline job. I have two experienced 1500+ hour power pilot/CFI's
who prefer the SP "proficiency check" because, like an IPC or a
flight review, there is no record of failure.

That's a misconception. There is no way for an airline interviewer to
find out that you failed a checkride. The record kept is in the CFI's
file - because the FAA believes that when a student fails, it is
because the CFI did not do his job properly. It is not considered the
student's fault.

Additionally, there are more than 10 times as many CFI - Gliders, than
DPE's or FAA qualified checkpilots. Scheduling a proficiency
check is at least ten times easier than a checkride just because
of the added availability.

I don't buy that either. There is always a DE in the area. You're
talking about a couple of weeks delay.

What downside? 10 minutes after the proficiency check, that same
pilot can likely get a signoff endorsement for the Private - Glider.
This is what I plan to do. Since I'll be training SP's to the
same standard required to pass a PPL - G, I'm going to give them
an 8710-1 at the end too (as long as they have the min flights/hours).
At that point it's up to them if they want to pay the extra
$250 (DPE checkride) and $150 (tows and rental) to take another ride
from the DPE to remove the SP restricitions...

Then why do they need to fly with you? They can already fly solo, and
their recommending CFI can give them an 8710.

Also, a private pilot can use controlled fields as potential
outlanding sites; a sport pilot will need additional training and
endorsement - and there goes your time advantage.

I've never flown a glider in any airspace that required
radio communication.

I have. Nearly outlanded at a Class-D field, and would have had to
outland if I couldn't have communicated with tower and entered the
surface area. But I did communicate with tower, did enter the surface
area, scratched around for a while, eventually found a thermal and
made it home.

So we are just talking about a paasenger in a two-place
LSA glider. The 2-33 is one. The 2-22 is one. The K-13
is another. I'm not aware of other qualifying two-seat gliders
that number over 1 dozen.

That's a big problem. Even such common trainers as the L-13/L-23 and
G-103 are off limits. So really, what's the point? So you can take a
passenger up in a 2-33? Might as well stick with the solo
endorsement.

Having two extra instructors available will be a great boon to
our operation... So presumably the two new SP glider instructors will
be trained and tested to the same standards, but have saved $400

OK, here we are. At the CFI level, the savings is about $400. Hardly
seems like all that much, considering all the other costs. I mean
these CFI's still need to gain soaring and XC experience, right?
Surely you're not suggesting that someone who has never flown XC
should be instructing in gliders, right?

If your student wanted full CFI - G priveleges, didn't have
a commercial or cfi in another cat/class

He was a CFI single, multi, and instrument. Had the SP been
available, he could have saved $400 - except that the available
trainers were Blaniks, and he would not have been able to instruct in
those - or even carry a passenger.

and had an extra $600 (presumably
one must pay for TWO checkride fees, at $300 each),

Not if they're taken in the same day - you do get a break. I believe
he paid $500 for the two - at least that's what I paid to take my
Comm/ASEL and CFI/ASE add-ons when I did them on the same day. But he
could have saved $400 or so doing it with a CFI, if he didn't mind not
being able to teach in some of the most common trainers available.

Michael