Licensing order

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 16, 4:04*pm, Brian wrote:
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

As long as you don't care about learning to do it right.
I've spent years finishing up what the one weekers don't do.
UH

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

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

On 3/16/2010 5:43 AM, Jeff wrote:
On Mar 15, 11:54 pm, 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

There is another alternative to consider, which some believe
represents the best of both worlds: Get your glider rating then add a
self-launch endorsement, which is considerably easier and not as
expensive to obtain as an SEL rating. Then you can fly regular
sailplanes as well as self-launch sailplanes and touring-style
motorgliders.

I have been flying my Lambada touring motorglider on my Private Pilot
Glider rating and Self-Launch Endorsement for several years now.
Modern lightweight touring motorgliders are equipped with reliable 4-
stroke engines, have a 1000 fpm climb rate and can be equipped for and
are capable of long distance high speed cruising (like an SEL
airplane.) You can also use the engine simply to launch and to cruise
out to the best soaring locations, shut the engine off to soar, then
relight the engine to fly home at the end of the day. And with the
engine off, the Lambada flies like a glider and has reasonable soaring
performance.

And there is another little-known benefit: as a Private Pilot (Glider
rating) with powered experience, you may choose to exercise your Sport
Pilot privileges and fly any Light Sport compliant powered aircraft
(including Cubs, Champs, Evektor Sportstars, etc) with simple logbook
endorsements from qualified instructors, without taking another FAA
written test or flying with an FAA Designated Examiner.

Have Fun !
However, this won't permit you to fly any 4 seat aircraft.

--
Mike Schumann

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.

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 16, 3:03*pm, wrote:
On Mar 16, 4:04*pm, Brian wrote:

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

As long as you don't care about learning to do it right.
I've spent years finishing up what the one weekers don't do.
UH

No Argument there, One week will only teach you how to tow and land
safely. If one is lucky they might get some soaring experience out of
it but perhaps not. One would however meet the PTS requirements and
have a glider rating. Even more than power flying this is just a
license to learn. And there is a lot of learning to be had.

In my situation I am forced to take the path of least financial
resistance or at least the the path with the best cost/benefit ratio.
Typically the problem with learning glider (in the US) 1st is you have
to pay for two pilost and two airplanes while training as opposed
power where you only pay for one airplane and one pilot (flight
instructor) while training.

As mentioned in my post, Gliding Clubs and can skew the economics of
it in favor learning glider 1st. But there are only a limited number
of locations where this is available.

Brian