Licensing order

On Mar 15, 11:54*pm, JS wrote:
Similar to Guy:
Glider at least to solo. Learn what the wings do.
ASEL to Private. Learn the additional bits. (take a written test)
Glider add-on. (no second written test) Enjoy.
Jim

I went in that order, but before the sport ratings were around.
All the glider flying counted towards the airplane rating hourly
requirements, and I was able to fly the entire flight (with guidance)
from the first time I got in the airplane. However, I had to train
the instructor in where the holes were in my education, so it took
him 20 hours to solo me. Solo work was primarily to get the
required cross country time.

Once I had the airplane rating, I actually used it a couple of times
on business trips. Then, my company changed its policy so that
you couldn't fly yourself on trips anymore. I have flown gliders
exclusively since then. The cost to get the hours the insurance
company wants for me to be able to tow is much too high for
me to bother.

I did learn some important things in the airplane -- how to deal
with complexity, how to navigate, how to deal with ATC. All
those are useful in the glider.

-- Matt

My opinion is it depends on you situtation. I think usually it cheaper
and perhaps faster to get the power rating and then and the glider
rating. The exception is if you have a good soaring/gliding club
nearby where you can exchange your time for cost. It may take longer
learning to fly at a club but the cost for getting the glider rating
may be very low.

If you are going to do it strictly through commecial operations then
learning to fly power 1st usually makes the most econmic sense. After
you have your power rating you can add the glider rating in probably
less than a week.

Brian

On Mar 15, 11:54*pm, JS wrote:
Similar to Guy:
Glider at least to solo. Learn what the wings do.
ASEL to Private. Learn the additional bits. (take a written test)
Glider add-on. (no second written test) Enjoy.
Jim

I got the private + instrument first and recently got a glider rating
for my motor glider. In hind site I would have been a much better
pilot ie "knowing what the wings really do", if I had gotten my glider
rating first plus it would have given me the much needed tail dragger
experience. Soooo Glider first and power second or maybe as JS says
to do above.

On Mar 15, 5:23*pm, Matt wrote:
Hi all,
I've been looking into getting my private pilot's license. I've taken
test flights in a cessna (172SP) and a glider (GROB 103). I really
liked the glider, but I also like the benefits of the private.

What order would be best to get both licenses? Should I get a private
first with a glider addon or go for the glider first and work toward
the private?

Also, would getting a private be worthwhile even if I mostly fly
gliders?

thanks,
Matt

A test flight in each is probably not very representative of how
different the two disciplines are. To me, powered flight is almost as
boring as driving a car. Soaring is a completely different kind of
flying. Very challenging and extremely rewarding when you get to x-
country flying. It's economical, "green", quiet, graceful, develops
better flying skills, etc.

Take more flights in each and try to find a pilot to take you on a
cross-country flight in the 103.

Matt,

Its more cost efficient to get the power license first and then the
add-on glider rating. You only need 10 solo flights(with a 360 degree
turn) to get a glider add-on rating(no written required). There is no
reason you can't train concurrently. Adding on a power rating is more
work than adding on a glider rating. Good luck and have fun!

Dean

Dean wrote:
Matt,

Its more cost efficient to get the power license first and then the
add-on glider rating. You only need 10 solo flights(with a 360 degree
turn) to get a glider add-on rating(no written required).

Yes, and then you'll have a glider rating - but you won't be a glider
pilot. UH has it right, it takes time and experience.

We have a local College whose prime reason for being is to pump out
bodies to fill right seats. Nothing wrong with that. They also have a
Grob 109B or two and all of their graduates get CFI-Gs as well. One
wanted to come and instruct for our (pure glider) club. We had to
decline his offer. Becoming a glider pilot takes time.

Tony V.

On 3/15/2010 6:23 PM, Matt wrote:
Hi all,
I've been looking into getting my private pilot's license. I've taken
test flights in a cessna (172SP) and a glider (GROB 103). I really
liked the glider, but I also like the benefits of the private.

What order would be best to get both licenses? Should I get a private
first with a glider addon or go for the glider first and work toward
the private?

Also, would getting a private be worthwhile even if I mostly fly
gliders?

thanks,
Matt
If you have your power license and get a glider add on, you won't have
to retake the written test. This is not the case the other way around.

If money is not an object, and you have the time, it's probably faster
to get your private license than a glider license. Generally, you are
less weather dependent flying power. In particular, up north, most
glider operations are shut down for winter. Most FBOs do power
instruction year round.

--
Mike Schumann

In article Matt writes:
Hi all,
I've been looking into getting my private pilot's license. I've taken
test flights in a cessna (172SP) and a glider (GROB 103). I really
liked the glider, but I also like the benefits of the private.

What order would be best to get both licenses? Should I get a private
first with a glider addon or go for the glider first and work toward
the private?

Also, would getting a private be worthwhile even if I mostly fly
gliders?


Ignoring the sport pilot world for a moment, the certificate for either
is a private. The issue is which order to get the ratings.

I would recommend getting a private, airplane single engine land, first.
You can practice a lot of things at much lower cost (both money and time),
and get a level of comfort in the air. Yes, that 172SP probably costs about
$110/hour to rent, but you don't pay extra for tows.

Looking back at my log, I managed to get 11 landings in 1.2 hours in
a Cessna 150 one day while working on landings. Doing this in a glider
would have been much slower, as well as more expensive. Most other
flight practice is more efficient when one doesn't need to keep getting
tows up to do it a bit at a time.

Then, get some experience in the power plane for a while. The time
and comfort will do you well. It has been said that things all start
to become comfortable and natural around 100 hours (for power pilots
anyway).

If you want to be more precise about your flying, get some instrument
training. You may not care about the rating, but some of the training
will help a lot with precision of flying. There are other ways to do
it, but some good instrument training might save your life someday.

Then, the glider can teach you things you didn't learn before, like
how long wings are different, and other things. It is easier to learn
them in the "short" glider flights once you have experience with the
rest.

Just my opinion.

Alan

Wow, I really appreciate all the feedback!

I currently live in TX, so weather is not an issue (it's been in the
60s lately). What's kinda prompted my question is my location. I live
pretty close to a smaller airport where I can work on my private (with
a large international airport about 10mi away, so it's a good place to
learn airport traffic), while the closest airport with gliders is a
over an hour away.

A few of you mentioned it, and I like the idea. I think I'll work on
both to eventually get the private with glider add-on. I will also be
moving to NC at the end of the year where there's an active glider
club. If I needed to finish the glider, I could finish there.

thanks for your help,
-Matt

On Mar 15, 6:23*pm, Matt wrote:
Hi all,
I've been looking into getting my private pilot's license. I've taken
test flights in a cessna (172SP) and a glider (GROB 103). I really
liked the glider, but I also like the benefits of the private.

What order would be best to get both licenses? Should I get a private
first with a glider addon or go for the glider first and work toward
the private?

Also, would getting a private be worthwhile even if I mostly fly
gliders?

thanks,
Matt

Matt,

Something that you might consider as far as some of the advice you
have received so far......

It takes on average, realistically, 60 to 80 hours of training in
airplanes to get a private single engine land rating.......Not the 40
hour minimum listed in the FAR's.

If you were to get a glider rating FIRST, and some soaring experience
on top of that, you should realistically cut the airplane training
down, close that minimum 40 hours. That is a huge savings in time
and money, IF you want both ratings. On the other hand, having the
airplane rating, the min time for glider training is very little, but
again not realistic.

Its been my experience that airplane pilots need about 15 training
flights in gliders to solo, then at least another 20 solo flights,
plus some prep flights for the practical. This is for "sharp"
airplane pilots......some take far more training. But that is only to
get the rating by passing the practical. It take a looooooong time to
become a "good" glider pilot.

For comparison, most of my students starting from scratch in gliders
take around 40 training flights, and 40 solo flights.


I completed my airplane add-on in 42 hours, and that was spread out
over several years. I already had commercial glider and a lot of
soaring time.

So to sum up..........An airplane pilot will cut his glider training
in half. A glider pilot can cut his airplane training in half.

Cookie