I think there are two answers to this question, depending on what you want
to do.
I lived in the US and flew at several operations for a few years and
unless things have changed, my experience is that with your UK gliding
qualifications it is not necessary to go through any of the steps listed
to get an FAA gliding licence, even a commercial one. I visited the local
FAA FSDO and showed them my (BGA) log books and FAI certificate, and
walked out with an FAA Commercial Pilot's Licence (gliders). They wanted
to see in my log books that I had completed appropriate training (so take
all your log book since ab initio) and had completed the necessary number
of hours. And my FAI certificate (I had gold but silver is fine) was
accepted as evidence of qualification. I don't remember how many hours
are necessary for a Commercial licence but it's a lot less than 180.

So getting the licence is simple. However before you can fly you will have
to complete a biennial flight review and get that signed off in your log.
This doesn't need an FAA examiner but can be with any certified
instructor at any club or commercial operation. Conduct of the BFR is up
to the instructor but this is the time when the instructor may check that
you are familiar with US regulations, and will need to do at least three
short flights or fewer longer soaring flights to satisfy him or herself
that your skills are up to standard. But very little teaching is involved
- my first three flights in the US completed my BFR on my first day at a
gliding site. If you are only there for a limited period a commercial
operation would suit you better than a club as you can book a session with
an instructor and 'pay as you go' rather than joining a club and taking
your turn.

And finally (a sting in the tail) my commercial licence gained on the
basis of foreign qualifications was marked 'RESTRICTED' and the
restriction is that the holder is not allowed to fly for hire or reward.
I'm not sure what is the purpose of such a licence is but I found it
useful when visiting new gliding sites as it shows that you have a much
greater level of experience than a 'PRIVATE' licence which only requires
about 7 hours (or something pretty low). And at the sites I flew at I was
often asked to do flights with passengers (without payment) since people
like to know that the pilot has a commercial rating. But if you want to
fly professionally or for any payment you will need to get this
restriction lifted, for which you need to go through the US system, and
complete written and flight exams as described.

I understand that an FAA pilot's licence is a valid ICAO licence,
provided it it is kept valid with a biennial flight review, which is
necessary for any US pilot. (SSA membership is not relevant.) But I can't
comment on the TSA matter as that was introduced after I got my licence.

Neil

At 16:43 29 July 2008, sisu1a wrote:
On Jul 29, 9:00 am, borntoglide wrote:
Does anyone know if an FAA Commercial Glider License is an ICAO
recognized license?

Not sure about the ICAO status of US licenses, but with an FAA glider
rating, a membership in the SSA makes that a valid an FAI sporting
license. I am interested on how that plays out on a commercial level
as well, but do not have the answer to that either. Post finding here.

On another note if I wanted to do an FAA CPL Glider, coming from the
UK, would I need to get TSA approval (as for all other flight
training)?

Not entirely sure about the TSA thing, but I don't think you need
their approval since gliders were exempted from the threat list early
on (thank you SSA!).

What is invloved i.e what training/etc? I have around 180 hours and a
silver C.

Since you are already licensed in the UK (I assume with 180 hrs and a
Silver C...) you will most likely be made to learn the bookwork part
to get you up to legal speed (assuming your instructor is happy with
your logs and evaluation flights) for the private rating, along with
teaching you the finer points on differences between UK ans US flying.
Once ready for your PRIVATE rating (a necessary first step) you need
to pass a written test and a practical test (an oral exam based on the
weak points of your written and a minimum of 3 flights with an FAA
examiner). Once you have a private rating in your hands, you will
pretty much repeat the process over again for your commercial but to
higher standards/tighter tolerances and another round of written/
practical tests.

Does anyone know any schools which they would recommend?
How long is it likely to take? would it be possible during a 2 week
holiday

Not knowing what part of the country you will be visiting makes
suggestions a little broad. We don't have many large "schools" here
in
USA. Turf Soaring in AZ http://www.turfsoaring.com/ , Great Western in
Ca http://www.greatwesternsoaring.com/ , Bermuda High in SC
http://www.glider.org/
, Elmira Soaring School http://www.wingsofeagles.com/soaringschool.cfm
(formerly Schweizer Soaring School) are a few that come to mind.

On the whole, glider ops in USA don't usually use the word "school"
in
their titles, as any club/commercial operation already serves this
purpose. If you post your US destination, a detailed list of glider
training options in your area can be compiled. In the meantime, your
specific questions regarding training can be answered over the phone
by operators at the sites already linked (and I'm sure you will get
many more answers here-both right and wrong...)

Is 2 weeks enough to knock this out? Hmmmm, very subjective since it
will be based on your skill/motivation coupled with availability of
equipment/instructors/examiners, however it sounds pretty marginal
even under the best of circumstances. Hoe this helps!

-Paul