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Any glider pilots out there?

RedlegRedleg Member Posts: 417 ✭✭✭
edited March 2002 in General Discussion
My wife and I are going to start into the sport. We would like to know how much it's going to cost, assuming that neither of us has any flying experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!Brian
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Comments

  • Lew99Lew99 Member Posts: 9 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I am a fixed wing pilot, Single Engine Land certificate. The only cost estimate I can give you is based on that. I spent 50 flight hours, 25 solo and 25 dual, to obtain my certificate. That along with all the gear came to about $3000.00, but that was in 1992. I would expect the same training and equipment today to cost $4000.00. Go to glider flight schools in your area, talk to the people there. You should be able to get curtious accurate answers to any question from the people running the school. If you can't, FIND ANOTHER SCHOOL! What you are about to do has a potential for life ending accidents if you are improperly trained or fail to use the proper techniques after your training.Flying of any kind is a wonderful experience and is something I truely love to do, but be careful about who and where you train.Good luck and happy soaring.
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  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Take some rides first. Someone might not like it. My wife got sick and that was the end of that. She was my copilot/ navigator for over 20 years.
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  • gruntledgruntled Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I added the glider rating to my SEL rating back in the sixties & it has been over twenty years since I have flown anything but ultralights so I can't give you any current costs. What I can tell you is that it cost more for the glider than powered aircraft.The cost of aero-tows are high & you will make a lot of flights in training. The aircraft hourly rate was about the same even thought there is no fuel & the instructor rate was about the same. If you can find a place that uses a winch or auto tow you may save a great deal.The nice part is that the worst has already happened, the engine has already quit, & you can enjoy the ride without the instructor constantly cutting the engine & asking where are you going to land.\[This message has been edited by gruntled (edited 03-26-2002).]
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  • badboybobbadboybob Member Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I flew a "glider" 3 times in my USMC career. Of course they weren't supposed to be gliders, but what ya gonna do when ye old engine packs it up?And for all you legs, I didn't jump out - it was still a perfectly good airplane.
    PC=BS
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