The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

On Monday, March 29, 2021 at 6:43:13 PM UTC-6, Walt Connelly wrote:
Frank Whiteley;1040497 Wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 8:29:39 AM UTC-6, Mark Mocho wrote:-
The USAF Academy's soaring program is also the cheapest initial pilot
training in the Air Force.-
The Discii were purchased by the Academy Graduates Association for the
cadet soaring team, a practice that is no longer allowed, hence no
upgrades to that racing fleet. The DG-1001s are used in aerobatic
competitions and presumably at XC camps, but not in contests to date.
Cadet flight time and training is not recorded on their USAF flight
records because, .... USAFA Cadets are not military members until they
graduate and are sworn. Therefore that air time does not qualify for
FAA ratings consideration as does military flight time.
Not sure this is correct. USAFA Cadets are not military members until
they graduate? My understanding was that they were under 38 U.S. Code §
1965 - Definitions
U.S. Code

For the purpose of this subchapter—
(1) The term “active duty� means—
(A) full-time duty in the Armed Forces, other than active duty for
training;
(B) full-time duty (other than for training purposes) as a commissioned
officer of the Regular or Reserve Corps [1] of the Public Health
Service;
(C) full-time duty as a commissioned officer of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration; and
(D) full-time duty as a cadet or midshipman at the United States
Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Air Force
Academy, or the United States Coast Guard Academy.

So a full-time member of the USAFA would be ACTIVE DUTY. And while they
may not be logging glider time to count towards training when they
graduate and go to UPT they do select students to become glider
instructors. Are those instructors not given General Aviation, FAA
certificates as commercial glider pilots and instructors? Or are they
as member of the USAFA exempt from the rules the rest of us must follow?
Doesn't seem quite right to me.

I've only known a couple of ring knockers during my time as an enlisted
swine in the USAF. One put an unopened can (an early pop top version) of
Ravioli in the convection oven on the Airborne Battlefield Command and
Control Center. When he returned to his seat with his Nomex gloves and
popped it open it exploded and distributed itself all over the capsule.
The look on his face with red tomato sauce covering him and those around
him AND the maps of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam was to die for. The
Director, Airborne Battle Staff was not amused. We were finding Ravioli
in that particular capsule for weeks afterwards. The best of the best?
Well, maybe a few were.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now Happy Helicopter Pilot




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Walt Connelly
Walt,
Considerable effort was made to have their academy flight experience made part of their military record and recognized for FAA credit, all to no avail for the reason stated. You may have found an argument that was ignored or not considered. There are approximately 75 G-wings pinned on USAFA gliding instructors annually. Not all cadets that perform in the USAFA aviation programs continue on to flying positions in the regular air force. Maybe we can take another stab at it. I'll check in with my USAFA contacts.

Frank Whiteley