15 Hour Wonders

On Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 6:22:28 PM UTC-6, Bob Youngblood wrote:
The FAA has made it possible for glider plots with very limited time to acquire a CFIG rating with only 15 hours of total glider time. This is truly an accident waiting to happen, what could a glider pilot actually know with such limited time? What do you think?

"There's no substitute for experience." Well, there's more to it than that isn't there? While it is popular to cringe at the idea of a pilot with less time in the seat to move through ratings and endorsements quickly it's the old salts I've seen make the worst mistakes. As a former "wunderkind" I watched the Experts do all of the following:
1.) Spin a glider onto it's wing tip from 10 feet with a passenger after an extraordinarily poor traffic pattern with multiple better scenarios available.
2.) Stall a 2-33 on short final while trying to show another CFIG how short they could land into a headwind so they wouldn't have to walk so far after landing.
3.) Pull up to clear power lines after letting a student get too low and fly too wide of a pattern. (with better out landing options)
4.) Strike props.
5.) Wrap tow ropes around wings demonstrating slack rope recovery.
6.) Santa Clause flight reviews for buddies who shouldn't be flying.
7.) No endorsement solos.
8.) Check ride sign offs without proper endorsements.
9.) A general attitude of having seen everything and knowing everything. But you'll never see one of them at a seminar or with a book in their hand. And you sure as hell won't see them outside of the traffic pattern let alone on a cross country flight.

Geez I could come up with examples all day... It takes effort to be a good CFI, while the low time instructor may not have the time in the seat they can usually make up for it with good margins and dedication. They won't be perfect but they'll do better than the guy who's in it for a free tow.
I'll agree that there is a lack of quality in the instruction available. However, if you look a bit past the hourly requirement you'll see there isn't much to earning any of the glider certificates in the U.S. The PTS/ACS at every certificate level is designed to evaluate a person's ability to fly a 2-33 in the local area and traffic pattern. Examiners seem to gloss over the sections about soaring. I understand in Europe CFIG applicants have much higher standards then the US. Maybe if we improved our product our population wouldn't be in decline?