"Vaughn Simon" wrote:
"Tony Verhulst" wrote in message
. ..
... your real question (IMHO) should be "what does it cost to
participate in soaring?".

Well said! Since much of soaring is done solo anyhow, and much of your
student flying is also solo, the cost to actually earn your
certificate is not terribly relevant. Flying is flying...certificate
or not, and flying is a wonderful thing.

Yes, I understand the training cost is just part of a continuum of ongoing
costs. But I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that I'll be doing more
flying in a short span of time than I would once I earn a certificate. So
it's a spike in discretionary spending that needs to be planned for.