Cost to earn a glider certificate?

Anyone have a rough idea of the amount to budget to earn a glider
certificate?

The glider training closest to me appears to be at this club:

http://www.kpflight.com/coburg.htm

On Jun 6, 8:34*pm, Jim Logajan wrote:
Anyone have a rough idea of the amount to budget to earn a glider
certificate?

The glider training closest to me appears to be at this club:

http://www.kpflight.com/coburg.htm

I strongly suggest you talk to the club members. Costs vary wildly
between different clubs. It probably cost me somewhere near
$2,500.00. I didn't start until I was in my late 40's. Younger
people generally pick it up more quickly. It took 17 hours, roughly
36 flights, before I soloed, and something near 50 more flights
(mostly solo) before my instructor insisted I take my check ride and
get my ticket. I was a pretty 'slow' student.

wrote:
On Jun 6, 8:34*pm, Jim Logajan wrote:
Anyone have a rough idea of the amount to budget to earn a glider
certificate?

The glider training closest to me appears to be at this club:

http://www.kpflight.com/coburg.htm

I strongly suggest you talk to the club members. Costs vary wildly
between different clubs. It probably cost me somewhere near
$2,500.00. I didn't start until I was in my late 40's. Younger
people generally pick it up more quickly. It took 17 hours, roughly
36 flights, before I soloed, and something near 50 more flights
(mostly solo) before my instructor insisted I take my check ride and
get my ticket. I was a pretty 'slow' student.

For the record, here's my background:

I'm 52, have essentially no previous experience (Okay, I did have a 3rd
class medical and student pilot certificate in 1991, but while I passed
ground school I got almost no stick time! Mark it up to "life happened".)

Since I am self-employed I could probably dedicate a concentrated effort
for two to three weeks. But I suspect the trick to making that happen would
be finding a quiet zone between work projects (I find it tough to put off
clients) that also coincided with presumable good weather and instructor
availability.

"Jim Logajan" wrote in message
.. .
wrote:
For the record, here's my background:

I'm 52, have essentially no previous experience (Okay, I did have a 3rd
class medical and student pilot certificate in 1991, but while I passed
ground school I got almost no stick time! Mark it up to "life happened".)

I started out as an ab-initio student glider pilot at about that age. I was
not/am not a natural pilot. Learning to fly a glider was one of the hardest and
most satisfying things I have ever done. I found learning the tow to be the
hardest part, and that is one of the first things you need to do. There were
times when I honestly expected my CFI to gently tell me to find another hobby.

After I finally passed my checkride, I kept learning. I even got my
Commercial and CFIG and then spent a few years as a part-time glider rides pilot
& flight instructor.

If you have the desire, go for it! That said, don't expect it to be quick or
easy at your age, but you can expect a continuous stream of satisfying
experiences as you finally overcome each obstacle on the path to your
certificate.

Since I am self-employed I could probably dedicate a concentrated effort
for two to three weeks. But I suspect the trick to making that happen would
be finding a quiet zone between work projects (I find it tough to put off
clients) that also coincided with presumable good weather and instructor
availability.

Why rush it? Take the time to do things right and savor the entire process.
You are only a new student pilot once. Oh yes, also take all of the time you
need to absorb the knowledge and experiences necessary to fly safely. Flight
training is not a race.

Vaughn

Anyone have a rough idea of the amount to budget to earn a glider
certificate?

The glider training closest to me appears to be at this club:

http://www.kpflight.com/coburg.htm

simply, it will cost you at least $2000

In detail, you added you were married, so $4000, after equal payback to the one who cannot be argued with.

In fact, you will get to the point when you want your own glider, after having happily spent tens of thousands on:

Fuel and vehicle expenses to and from your club
accomodation expenses whilst flying, quadruple those costs for the wife to accompany you
beer and food expenses for yourself, your crew and your new friends
better sunglasses, hats, shoes and clothes
books, maps, PDAs, software and upgrades
tow fees, tug pilots beer
bribe money for officials at contests
donations to the club to support newbies after you

Yep, tens of thousands of dollars

but you will spend it happily, and by then, gliders will be even better, and even more expensive


On the up side, when you are rugged up by the day nurse and sipping your tea with your new mates, all in wheelchairs at the wrinkly home, some 40 years away, one of your comrades will bring up a long conversation about how they had always wanted to try gliding.

You will smile, add your many hours of interesting experience in gliders to the conversation but they wont ever be able to understand.
Not ever, their option has passed and words alone cannot explain our sport
You alone will have done it, you alone went the extra step.
You will be the most content person in the conversation.
It cost you tens of thousands, you will find the money, trust me.

The cost is not the problem, the lack of time is.
You have to balance your spare time with the ones you love, your other passions and true relaxation.
One day, like everyone, you will die.

At that time, you will have not done enough gliding


bagger

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!

I have a smile on my face from spending yesterday evening with my new
flight computer on the dining room table. Experimenting with loading it
up with waypoints and airspace and driving it around a task with my
laptop. I will have that grin all day and none of my work colleagues will
have the slightest inkling of why and where I have been in my imagination
already before I go and do it for real.

You are right, there is never enough time.

Gavin

At 23:55 08 June 2008, bagmaker wrote:

-
Anyone have a rough idea of the amount to budget to earn a glider
certificate?

The glider training closest to me appears to be at this club:

http://www.kpflight.com/coburg.htm-

simply, it will cost you at least $2000

In detail, you added you were married, so $4000, after equal payback to
the one who cannot be argued with.

In fact, you will get to the point when you want your own glider, after
having happily spent tens of thousands on:

Fuel and vehicle expenses to and from your club
accomodation expenses whilst flying, quadruple those costs for the wife
to accompany you
beer and food expenses for yourself, your crew and your new friends
better sunglasses, hats, shoes and clothes
books, maps, PDAs, software and upgrades
tow fees, tug pilots beer
bribe money for officials at contests
donations to the club to support newbies after you

Yep, tens of thousands of dollars

but you will spend it happily, and by then, gliders will be even
better, and even more expensive


On the up side, when you are rugged up by the day nurse and sipping
your tea with your new mates, all in wheelchairs at the wrinkly home,
some 40 years away, one of your comrades will bring up a long
conversation about how they had always wanted to try gliding.

You will smile, add your many hours of interesting experience in
gliders to the conversation but they wont ever be able to understand.
Not ever, their option has passed and words alone cannot explain our
sport
You alone will have done it, you alone went the extra step.
You will be the most content person in the conversation.
It cost you tens of thousands, you will find the money, trust me.

The cost is not the problem, the lack of time is.
You have to balance your spare time with the ones you love, your other
passions and true relaxation.
One day, like everyone, you will die.

At that time, you will have not done enough gliding


bagger




--
bagmaker

Jim Logajan wrote:
Anyone have a rough idea of the amount to budget to earn a glider
certificate?


You're a student for only a short period of your gliding career and in
many clubs, there is no additional charge for instruction. So, your real
question (IMHO) should be "what does it cost to participate in soaring?".

That said, James's ball park estimate of US$2500 is probably a good
place to start.

Tony V. CFIG
http://home.comcast.net/~verhulst/SOARING

"Tony Verhulst" wrote in message
. ..
... your real question (IMHO) should be "what does it cost to participate in
soaring?".

Well said! Since much of soaring is done solo anyhow, and much of your
student flying is also solo, the cost to actually earn your certificate is not
terribly relevant. Flying is flying...certificate or not, and flying is a
wonderful thing.

Vaughn (CFIG)

"Vaughn Simon" wrote:
"Tony Verhulst" wrote in message
. ..
... your real question (IMHO) should be "what does it cost to
participate in soaring?".

Well said! Since much of soaring is done solo anyhow, and much of your
student flying is also solo, the cost to actually earn your
certificate is not terribly relevant. Flying is flying...certificate
or not, and flying is a wonderful thing.

Yes, I understand the training cost is just part of a continuum of ongoing
costs. But I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that I'll be doing more
flying in a short span of time than I would once I earn a certificate. So
it's a spike in discretionary spending that needs to be planned for.

On Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:36:27 -0500, Jim Logajan wrote:

Yes, I understand the training cost is just part of a continuum of ongoing
costs. But I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that I'll be doing more
flying in a short span of time than I would once I earn a certificate. So
it's a spike in discretionary spending that needs to be planned for.

You may be surprised. I fly in the UK and learnt here, mainly on a winch,
but I think the pre-solo hours are similar to the typical US
aero-tow learning experience. The main difference is that winching
provides more, shorter flights with a considerably lower launch cost. A
side effect is that learning on the winch means you are likely to have
more landing practise because you will have done at least twice as many
launches and landings as an aero tow student by the time you solo.

But I digress: in my pre-solo year (6 months to solo flying weekends, then
a month in the club SZD Juniors before thermals stopped for the year)
I accumulated about 25 hours flying. For the next four years I averaged
around 70 hours per year and assumed that would be my norm. However the
last two years have really dropped that figure thanks to changed weather
patterns, last year I didn't quite touch 40 hours and this year looks
set to be worse. But then, we ARE a weather-dependent game.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. |
org | Zappa fan & glider pilot