In article .com,
soarski wrote:

Among other items, the 5 solo flights are for demonstrating, that you
actually learnt how to SOAR, meaning that you can stay up for a while!
Which was not required before....years back.

I haven't seen any requirement that soaring MUST be accomplished
during any part of the training or testing for a glider license.
Everything I have read, including the PTS, makes allowance for
doing this training with no soaring weather available whatsoever.

IF soaring weather is available, then soaring is demonstrated,
but if it isn't as far as I can tell this is no barrier to
completing training and license.

Then you might be ready
for your 20 flights, which could be done in the pattern.(short) which
I would not recomend.

Clearly if there is soaring weather, pattern tows are a
missed opportunity. Agreed, just doing patterns isn't the
best way to learn anything except...patterns.

But if the FAA had wanted hours of PIC, they would have
put that in there. It isn't there.

AND This would be for an applicant who is testpilot material.
You know yourself that different people have different talents and
learning curves.

Agreed. Very different.

I have had one pilot (an ATP who was testpilot material) do everything
perfectly, including tow, on the very first flight in a glider.
Out of maybe 50 first flights in gliders, this was the only time
this ever happened. But I have seen (and been) students with
the minimums show proficiency, complete a checkride successfully,
and continue on to fly safely.


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Mark J. Boyd