15 Hour Wonders

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?

Ridiculous, blind leading the blind

It's 15 hrs PIC time.

Maybe a CFI-ASEL adds CFI-Glider so that he can teach students to fly motorgliders. A number of PPL-ASEL move to motorgliders and fly them like airplanes.

On Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 7:22:28 PM UTC-5, 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?

Has this ever been a problem? 99.99% of power CFIs are too smart, sensible, and scared to become CFIG add ons in 15 hours and go to battle with students. Chances are the .01% don't want to become CFIGs. Plus clubs have the ability to say no thank you to 15 hour CFIGs. I suppose it is a sort of loophole, or those guys are cheating compare to the 'I ran wings for 20 years before becoming a CFIG' crowd, yawn. No need to ask for more restrictions and no need to lose sleep over having more freedom than might be sensible, if such a thing is even possible.

Actually the regulations state that any add-on category rating only requires 15 hours in category.

When I was a DPE I tested a few SEL to Glider CFI candidates, all of them wanted to become more proficient gliders pilots. Many of them used the add-on process as a renewal for their CFI certificate and never intended to teach in gliders. It's likely they have been teaching for at least two years before adding the glider rating.

They must also have received instruction from a glider certificated instructor before taking the test (though no endorsement is needed for the first attempt). They must also pass a knowledge test (short version, 25 questions) on soaring principles and topics.

The regulation also states that they must pass a Commercial Glider test first, before applying for the CFI-G.

I recite all of this to make the point that this is not a casual, single weekend process, and I think very few would actually apply for the test with only 15 hours.

Mike

On Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 9:49:07 PM UTC-5, SoaringXCellence wrote:
Actually the regulations state that any add-on category rating only requires 15 hours in category.

When I was a DPE I tested a few SEL to Glider CFI candidates, all of them wanted to become more proficient gliders pilots. Many of them used the add-on process as a renewal for their CFI certificate and never intended to teach in gliders. It's likely they have been teaching for at least two years before adding the glider rating.

They must also have received instruction from a glider certificated instructor before taking the test (though no endorsement is needed for the first attempt). They must also pass a knowledge test (short version, 25 questions) on soaring principles and topics.

The regulation also states that they must pass a Commercial Glider test first, before applying for the CFI-G.

I recite all of this to make the point that this is not a casual, single weekend process, and I think very few would actually apply for the test with only 15 hours.

Mike

Mike, IMHO the process has become a weekend gig. I can tell you of an instance where this has happened and I just sit back and shake my head and laugh..The current system is allowing for low experience level teachers to instruct introductory level pilots and the results will and are leading to a lesser quality of learning through experience.
I am not a teacher, never intended to even consider getting a CFIG, I would probably end up in jail from hitting someone in the back of the head, but I do have something that is much more valuable than that rating. There is no substitute for experience and that does go a long way, you would probably agree. When looking for a surgeon would you consider experience to be a factor?
I do fly both ends of the rope, and I can state for a fact that sometimes I say to myself that I hope this idiot doesn't kill me! Hopefully I have a few more years of glider flying left in me, but the experience has been great.

Do you know of an instance where a 15 hour CFIG went straight to frequent teaching? If so isn't that more a fault of the club or commercial operation? We get it it would be unsound if 300 hour airplane CFIs were doing 15 hours in gliders then going off teaching, but I don't see it happening. The only place it probably has happened is in the aviation flight academies that operated motor gliders. They must have had enough rules or gray hair supervision to make it work.
Yes I get the indignation cause it could happen and those 15 hour CFIG candidates didn't suffer enough. Personally I'd welcome airplane CFI add on to toss the CFIG in the pile early on, then take the process of using it really slow. Toss em easy stuff occasionally while they are recreational soaring and building experience. I encourage private pilot airplane transitions to jump straight to Commercial, not to immediately go out and hustle rides but so years down the road they are one less hurdle from becoming CFIs. As to the horror of creating low experienced commercial glider pilots most decline and do the private add on.

I was probably a 500 hr airplane CFI when I got my 15 hrs PIC and added CFIG...

You act like this I some sort of new development. This has been the rule for a very long time. This is nothing new. It also applies to all additional categories for CFIs so it's not a glider specific thing.

On Monday, December 9, 2019 at 7:05:48 AM UTC-5, Tony wrote:
I was probably a 500 hr airplane CFI when I got my 15 hrs PIC and added CFIG...

You act like this I some sort of new development. This has been the rule for a very long time. This is nothing new. It also applies to all additional categories for CFIs so it's not a glider specific thing.

Tony, I never said that this was a new development! I am saying that it is a very low requirement, I think most people would agree.