Becoming a glider pilot has been a great experience
My longest flight so far has been two hours and twenty minutes. This completes my aeronautical requirements for the SSA's Bronze Badge.
I've been a private pilot since 1989, earning instrument- and multi-engine ratings in 2007. I added-on a glider rating in early 2011, and the following year passed the checkride to be a commercial glider pilot. All the US glider training to-date has taken place at Bermuda High Soaring. I've given a few rides to paying passengers, but haven't yet actually made any money. My total flight time at the moment is about 560 powered, about half in Cessna 172 and most of the other half in Piper Arrows of various flavors. Glider time is currently right at 70 hours with about 240 flights. In addition to my FAA certificates, I have British and German gliding licenses with aerobatic ratings.
You can hardly help earning the Soaring Society of America's A, B, and C badges on the way to getting a license. I enjoyed tracking the various flight requirement and preparing for the written test for the SSA's Bronze badge. I'd like to make progress this season to towards the FAI Silver badge.
There are glider pilots I've read about online who have flown as many as 50 different gliders. I'm nowhere near that number - and likely never will be - but my own list of 18 is slowly growing. (Links are to Wikipedia.)
- Doppel Raab
- Krosno KR-03
- Schweizer SGS 2-33
- Schweizer SGS 1-26
- Schleicher ASK-21
- Schleicher ASK-18
- Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus
- Slingsby T-21
- Schleicher ASK-13
- Pilatus B4
- Rolladen-Schneider LS4
- Scheibe Bergfalke (BeFa)
- Schempp-Hirth Cirrus K
- Schleicher ASK-23
- LET L-23 Super Blanik
- Grob G102
- Schleicher K7
- Schemp-Hirth Discus CS
Soaring books I like or have found useful.
I have been fortunate to fly at what has been refered to as a "Mecca of Soaring" at Hahnweide, Germany. Here's a live webcam picture:
I have always been fascinated by gliders and how they can fly with no engine. I won't load this down with statistics, but the world records for gliders are pretty amazing. I had had a few rides in gliders over the years, but didn't actually make the committement to get the add-on rating until late 2010. I was offered a one-year Army Reserve tour in Germany where pretty much glider flying was invented. I quickly learned that there were very few opporutnities to fly American-registered aircraft in Germany and German-registered airplanes are generally quite expensive. So, I spent some money at Bermuda High Soaring and added a glider rating to my private pilot's license.
I completed the training over several days between November 2010 and January 2011. I had "some" difficulties with the first few takeoffs. Since a glider doesn't have an engine it has to be either towed or otherwise launched into the air. Aero tow is the most common in the US. The glider gets off the ground before the tow plane, but you can't climb because the will prevent the towplane from lifing off, or can even cause it to crash. The trainer I was flying is not the most responsive airplane I've ever flown. If I were a little low on the tow, I'd pull back on the stick. Nothing would happen. I'd pull more. The airplane responds to the initial imput finally, then the rest. Now I'm too high. I had to learn to evaluate, move, wait, stop. Eventually the over controlling went away and Frank Reid let me solo the Schweizer 2-33 trainer.
Commercial Glider Rating
From the FAA's online Part 61 info. (f) For a glider rating. A person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate with a glider category rating must log at least— (1) 25 hours of flight time as a pilot in a glider and that flight time must include at least 100 flights in a glider as pilot in command, including at least— (i) Three hours of flight training in a glider with an authorized instructor or 10 training flights in a glider with an authorized instructor on the areas of operation listed in §61.127(b)(6) of this part, including at least 3 training flights in a glider with an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the test; and (ii) 2 hours of solo flight that include not less than 10 solo flights in a glider on the areas of operation listed in §61.127(b)(6) of this part; or (2) 200 hours of flight time as a pilot in heavier-than-air aircraft and at least 20 flights in a glider as pilot in command, including at least— (i) Three hours of flight training in a glider or 10 training flights in a glider with an authorized instructor on the areas of operation listed in §61.127(b)(6) of this part including at least 3 training flights in a glider with an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the test; and (ii) 5 solo flights in a glider on the areas of operation listed in §61.127(b)(6) of this part.
Soaring books I like or have found useful.
Badges and Awards
Soaring has a number of badges and awards available. The Soaring Society of America manages the A, B, C, and Bronze badges for American pilots. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) awards the badges for silver, gold, and diamond. With modern gliders it is typical that a new glider pilot will have earned all three of the lower level badges in the course of earning the license.
Because I earned my glider rating as an add-on to an existing license, I made far fewer glider flights than I would have otherwise done. So far I have earned the A badge as a result of soloing a glider, but have not yet earned anything higher. On my second flight in the 1-26 at Bermuda High Soaring (Pictured above) I missed the "B" by just a couple minutes. I’m confident that as soon as I get to solo the ASK-21 at the Hahnwiede that I will quickly complete both the "B" and "C" requirements.
If you look at the logo, the single seagull represents the "A" while a second and then a third seagull represent the "B" and "C" respectively. American badges have the letter "N" just like the "N" used on the registration of American airplanes. All countries except Germany use a representative letter. Germany, as the founder of the soaring hobby and its awards uses no letter. I found the graphics online and played with the "A" in Photoshop to make a Web-2.0 style glossy icon. I’ll do the others as I earn them.
May 7, 2011. Yesterday I made a flight that was 97 minutes long. This is ten percent of my total, lifetime glider flying at this point! The B Badge requires "at least" 30 and the C Badge "at least" 60 minutes. I covered both with one flight! You can even add the two durations and I still flew longer than that! I've started the paperwork for the two awards, so I'm sort of working "at risk" and splitting the difference with the icon for the B Badge as the current link. Next on the adgenda will be to work on the Bronze Badge, the last level issued by American authorities.
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"A" badge requirements
Preflight phase: The applicant has knowledge of:
- Sailplane nomenclature
- Sailplane handling procedures
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Presolo phase
Applicant has completed the following minimum flight training program:
- Familiarization flight
- Cockpit check procedure
- Effects of controls, on the ground and in flight
- Take off procedure, cross wind takeoffs
- Flight during tow
- Straight and level flight
- Simple turns
- Circuit procedure and landing patterns
- Landing procedure, downwind and crosswind landings
- Moderate and steep turns up to 720 degrees in both directions
- Stalls and stall recovery
- Conditions of spin entry and spin recovery
- Effective use of spoilers/flaps and slips
- Emergency procedures
- Oral exam on FAR's
- Solo Flight
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B Badge
"B" Badge Requirements
Practice phase:
- Demonstration of soaring ability by solo flight of at least thirty minutes duration after release from 2000' tow (add 1.5 minutes/100' tow above 2000')
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C Badge
"C" Badge Requirements
Precross-country phase:
- Dual soaring practice, including instruction in techniques for soaring thermals, ridges, and waves (simulated flight and/or ground instruction may be used when suitable conditions do not exist)
- Have Knowledge of: cross-country procedure recommended in the American Soaring Handbook Glider assembly, disassembly and retrieving Dangers of cross-country flying
- Solo practice
- Demonstration of soaring ability by solo flight of at least sixty minutes duration after release fron 2000' tow (add 1.5 minutes/100' tow above 2000')
- While accompanied by a SSA instructor, demonstrate the ability to: make a simulated off-airfield landing without reference to the altimeter, perform an accuracy landing from the approach, touching down and coming to a complete stop within an area 500' in length.
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Bronze Badge
Bronze Badge Requirements
- Complete the ABC program with the C badge awarded
- log at least 15 solo hours in gliders, including 30 solo flights which at least 10 are flown in a single place glider
- Log at least two flights each which have two hours duration or more
- Perform three solo spot landings in a glider witnessed by a SSA instructor. The accuracy and distance parameters are based upon the gliders performance, current winds, runway surface condition, and density altitude. As a guideline, a minimum distance of 400' would be acceptible for a Schweizer 2-33. (this is a land and stop in a specified zone requirement)
- Log dual time in gliders with an instructor during which at least two accuracy landings (same as above) were made without reference to an altimeter to simulate off field and strange field landings.
- Pass a closed book written examination covering cross-country techniques and knowledge. Minimum passing grade is 80%.
The next thing I plan to tackle is adding on a German aerobatic rating. I find it fascinating, the British Gliding Association doesn't add rolls to aerobatics until the third of four levels. The German test has three-and-a-half rolls out of eight figures! Despite competing once at the second of the four British levels, I've never done a roll, except as a passenger. In September there will be a week-long German aerobatic course here at hahnweide; I plan to give it a try.