When to best train glider and power?

Many people suggest a large benefit for student power pilots to fly some
dual in a glider and similarly many parts of successful glider piloting can
be more cost effectively learned in a power plane. As an example, it is
cheaper to do multiple landings in a power plane when learning to land.

Do the instructors here have opinions regarding the advisability of a mixed
curriculum and the best place in the training to fly each type?

Do other pilots have experience or comments?

thanks

Ideally, a glider student would start before age 14 (solo at 14) and then
transition to power some where along the line (solo power at 16) glider
rating at 16.. If you are older, then either way. Many would say complete
one before starting the other. We have had a few students taking lessons in
both at the same time. Some have done ok, others have problems transitioning
between the two aircraft.

As a pilot in both types, and a Glider instructor, I would suggest at least
up to Solo in the glider before transitioning to power. You learn
coordination, adverse yaw, what your feet are for and pitch controls
airspeed, plus the normal airport environment and such. Introduction to
Spins and Spin recovery would be nice too.

If you complete the power certificate first, then you only take one written
test, as the glider rating becomes an "add-on" rating.

JMHO
BT

"private" wrote in message
news:1FEye.163396$El.4062@pd7tw1no...
Many people suggest a large benefit for student power pilots to fly some
dual in a glider and similarly many parts of successful glider piloting
can
be more cost effectively learned in a power plane. As an example, it is
cheaper to do multiple landings in a power plane when learning to land.

Do the instructors here have opinions regarding the advisability of a
mixed
curriculum and the best place in the training to fly each type?

Do other pilots have experience or comments?

thanks

"BTIZ" wrote in message
news:%4Fye.47795$go.24460@fed1read05...
Ideally, a glider student would start before age 14 (solo at 14) and then
transition to power some where along the line (solo power at 16) glider rating
at 16..

I have seen several kids take this track (including my daughter) and it
works well...for kids.

If you are older

Then you have to remember that negative transfer is a real issue. There
are many things that are drastically different between glider and power and it
might be best to learn one at a time. I am a GFIG who finally transitioned to
airplanes in his late 50's. Some of my lessons were uglier than I would like to
admit. On my checkride, I amused my designee (not) with a beautiful approach
stall recovery...power off!

Vaughn

Moneywise it is less expensive to get the power rating first, then the
glider. However if you are under 16, then glider may be a better option
to do first. The glider rating is fairly easy once you have the power
rating. All those tows cost quite a bit. You will already know how to
land a glider if you can land an airplane (well, it may take two or
three practice trys to do it well). But essentially yoiu are there.
Experienced glider pilots can fly for several hours on one tow, so once
you have the glider rating, it is less to fly gliders, from what I have
seen. I do think all airplane pilots benefit from some glider training.
If nothing else, you really begin to believe in landing with no engine!

Where I fly in Canada (www.yorksoaring.com), the cost of training to a
glider pilot's licence is about $2,000 Canadian (US$1,600), and a private
pilot's licence power training cost is around 5 times that at about $10,000
Canadian (US$8,000).

The glider training costs include club membership, tows and glider rental.
Instruction is free from volunteers. As for the youth, twice each summer,
the first two weeks of July and again the first two weeks of August, we
offer a Flight Camp where we take students from Ab Initio to Licence, for
about $1,600 Canadian (by now you can do the math). Our club gliders rent
from 30 to 50 cents a minute, and tows are $25.

A lot cheaper than flying power!

Charles Petersen

"Doug" wrote in message
oups.com...
Moneywise it is less expensive to get the power rating first, then the
glider. However if you are under 16, then glider may be a better option
to do first. The glider rating is fairly easy once you have the power
rating. All those tows cost quite a bit. You will already know how to
land a glider if you can land an airplane (well, it may take two or
three practice trys to do it well). But essentially yoiu are there.
Experienced glider pilots can fly for several hours on one tow, so once
you have the glider rating, it is less to fly gliders, from what I have
seen. I do think all airplane pilots benefit from some glider training.
If nothing else, you really begin to believe in landing with no engine!

Yes, well free instruction helps the cost. If you can get that, go for
it. I flew an hour and a half with an instructor and it was more per
hour than renting a 172 with an instructor. The tows weren't cheap, I
had to rent the glider and pay the instructor. I believe the short tows
I had were about $30 each and I had three of them. The instructor was
about $35 an hour and then there was glider rental. But it would only
take me about 5 such lessons to add on a glider rating on top of my
airplane rating. Also, did you include the club membership? Your $1600
seems awfully low, if you can get it, it is, indeed a good deal. Go for
it!

It depends on where one takes the training. Soaring conditions. If
there is plenty of Lift, an instructor can get 1 to 3 hrs with one tow
and demonstrate the basics of flgtht. Otherwise, and in the winter
going up in a light airplane first, showing those, may be more
economical, patterns landings included. Even a Xcountry flight could be
demonstrated in a higher performance sailplane or a selflauncher.

If available, airplanes, gliders and rated instructors a mixed training
maybe more economical. Almost half the required time for a power
license could be done in a glider.

Reading the Regs 61 aeronautical experience for both ratings carefully
you can figure it out yourself. Under Private pilot airplane,
whenever it does not say time in sgl engine airplane, it can be done in
a glider. BTW that goes for the comm too.

All this applies tor the US regulations

Asking on RAS about the benefits of powered
airplane training...hmmm...

Isn't that a little like going into a donut shop to
ask about cooking a ribeye?

Here, have a donut O


At 23:42 05 July 2005, Private wrote:
Many people suggest a large benefit for student power
pilots to fly some
dual in a glider and similarly many parts of successful
glider piloting can
be more cost effectively learned in a power plane.
As an example, it is
cheaper to do multiple landings in a power plane when
learning to land.

Do the instructors here have opinions regarding the
advisability of a mixed
curriculum and the best place in the training to fly
each type?

Do other pilots have experience or comments?

thanks



Mark J. Boyd

Charles Petersen wrote:
Where I fly in Canada (www.yorksoaring.com), the cost of training to a
glider pilot's licence is about $2,000 Canadian (US$1,600), and a private
pilot's licence power training cost is around 5 times that at about $10,000
Canadian (US$8,000).

The glider training costs include club membership, tows and glider rental.
Instruction is free from volunteers. As for the youth, twice each summer,
the first two weeks of July and again the first two weeks of August, we
offer a Flight Camp where we take students from Ab Initio to Licence, for
about $1,600 Canadian (by now you can do the math). Our club gliders rent
from 30 to 50 cents a minute, and tows are $25.

Is that "dry tach"? Seriously, though, how is the time measured? Is it
"check out" time to "check in" time or is there some other kind of
instrumentation. As a power student pilot, I'm just curious.

-- Bryan

Reading the Regs 61 aeronautical experience for both ratings carefully
you can figure it out yourself. Under Private pilot airplane,
whenever it does not say time in sgl engine airplane, it can be done in
a glider. BTW that goes for the comm too.

All this applies tor the US regulations

All those long flights I did in a glider using my eyes and a map
didn't count as a cross country for a power private because I didn't
land when I got there. It didn't matter that I went 300 miles and
returned, no landing, no cross country. I can fly a Piper with two
Garmin 430's and land more than 50 miles away and it counts.

Some how the regs don't seem fair at times.

By the way, the last two round-the-world flights don't count as cross
countries either so I guess I shouldn't feel too bad.