On Aug 29, 6:30*pm, John Allen wrote:
I do not hold any FAA ratings and I am considering instruction to
obtain a Private Pilot Glider certification, so gliders will be my
introduction to aviation. I live in the Los Angeles area and have a
few concerns:

That region probably has more glider pilots than any other geographic
area of the country.

1. Safety -

* * a) After reviewing the NTSA accident database, it seems that most
of the fatal accidents are related to stalls during a launch abort
(the reports don't say stall explicitly) and medical distress. So it
seems that pilots attempt to turn back for a landing with insufficient
air speed, rather than land forward.

I think more may have succumbed due to stall/spin accidents when in
the landing phase. I just reviewed a few years of the NTSB reports
filtered on gliders, 1962-pres and clearly this is the case. A
surprising number impacted near the top or sides of ridge lines during
cross country flight. Typically about 79% of the insurance claims
involve the landing phase of flight. Safety involves currency, skill,
and judgement.

* * b) The congested airspace of the L.A. area means that mid-air
collisions are a reality, but I don't read about radio or transponder
usage in gliders (at least equipment descriptions on club/instructor
websites). See and avoidance of gliders by high velocity aircraft
pilots doesn't seem to be a realistic expectation.

You won't be flying in controlled airspace. Fitting a transponder is
a personal option and recommended in high traffic areas where there
are significant soaring activities.

2. Instruction - I am wondering if starting by taking 5 days of
intensive training at an out-of-state glider school followed by bi-
weekly club instruction at a local club is a good approach to just bi-
weekly instruction.

You needn't go out of state for an intensive course of instruction.
Visit the SSA web site at ssa.org and check out the SSA business
members and/or the where-to-fly interactive map. That said, learning
requires reflection and age matters. In general, the younger the
better. I started at 28 and wish I'd started much younger. I did
solo on my 21st flight, which was the insurance minimum for the
country and club where I learned. These days there are very good
computer soaring simulators. They do very well except for the various
accelerations and decelerations involved in soaring flights. My
personal recommendation is up to three lessons per day, at least in
the early stages. Then do the reading and reflecting on what you been
taught. Avoid breaks between lessons of more than two weeks. After
that you will go backward a bit.

3. Local Glider Ports - Unfortunately, an airfield in the Los Angeles
area (Hemet-Ryan) is due to terminate glider usage in October. That
leaves Lake Elsinore as the closest glider port. But the loss will be
in instruction alternatives, since all glider clubs and schools at
Hemet-Ryan will need to re-organize and find a new facilty.

I hope you took time to attend the Hemet-Ryan support gathering today
as a member of the local community. If gliding does cease there, plan
on weekend trips to a facility further away. Most local pilots to
Hemet-Ryan fly longer cross-country flights from other sites in any
event.

4. Flexibility of Instruction - A normal course of instruction is a
given, however I may want to instruction in a specific area or event
in addition to the usual course, such as stall recovery from an under-
banked, over-ruddered slow speed turn, which may not be covered by the
instructor.

Recovery from unusual attitudes is an important part of the skill
set. I'm sure you'll get the experience. You will not solo until you
are safe to do so.

5. Fun - With all of the safety instruction, study material,
situational awareness, airspace scanning, etc., there must be some
enjoyment of the sport and I believe there is, otherwise I would not
give it any consideration.

Soaring belongs to the seekers. I called an expired SSA member to
find out why he'd lapsed. He was the president of a local Corvette
owners club. Basically he told me he gave soaring a week and hadn't
hacked it, so gave it up. It takes much more effort than that to
experience the majesties of the skies, but it also gives back a
lifetime of wonder and experience. The sporting aspect should be
central to your approach. That doesn't mean you have to go racing,
but the pursuit of goals and awards and personal achievements should
be up front.

Most of these folks are racing the sun and making best use of the
day's weather. A few are trying to top their country, region, state,
or club lists. Most are just having fun on a grand scale.
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0...c=&df=&sp=2009

Frank Whiteley