Glider to ASEL Conversion

[solo89]

I got my ticket to fly gliders about a year ago.

I love soaring, but I'm growing a little tired of the weather demands
of the sport. In the southeast, it's been hard lately to get VFR
conditions. Add to that the requirement of thermals and it's been
mighty hard to fly lately.

Which has me thinking about getting my ASEL.

Does anyone have experience teaching (low time) glider pilots to fly
power? It seems a bit arrogant to think I can get my ticket with the
minimum requirements. But then again, I'm pretty sure I could pass the
written now.

The big drawbacks to ASEL are the cost to rent. It's seems to be about
3 to 6+ times what I'm paying for gliders. And, I can't imagine
getting my ASEL without continuing on to IFR. That really adds to the
cost of training and I assume to the cost of renting as well. Several
years before I ever flew I had regular access to a flying magazine. I
always read the accident reports. If nothing else, I learned that one
sure way to die is "continuing VFR flight into IFR conditions".

Any input will be appreciated.

thanks,
Doug

[zatatime]

On 6 Jul 2004 18:20:58 -0700, (solo89) wrote:

>I got my ticket to fly gliders about a year ago.
>
>I love soaring, but I'm growing a little tired of the weather demands
>of the sport. In the southeast, it's been hard lately to get VFR
>conditions. Add to that the requirement of thermals and it's been
>mighty hard to fly lately.
>
>Which has me thinking about getting my ASEL.
>
>Does anyone have experience teaching (low time) glider pilots to fly
>power? It seems a bit arrogant to think I can get my ticket with the
>minimum requirements. But then again, I'm pretty sure I could pass the
>written now.
>
>The big drawbacks to ASEL are the cost to rent. It's seems to be about
>3 to 6+ times what I'm paying for gliders. And, I can't imagine
>getting my ASEL without continuing on to IFR. That really adds to the
>cost of training and I assume to the cost of renting as well. Several
>years before I ever flew I had regular access to a flying magazine. I
>always read the accident reports. If nothing else, I learned that one
>sure way to die is "continuing VFR flight into IFR conditions".
>
>Any input will be appreciated.
>
>thanks,
>Doug


You might consider getting a Recreational ticket first. No cross
country is required and I'm sure you could bang it out pretty quickly
since you already know the basics of flight. This would let you
continue to fly for fun and persue other certificates as you have time
and/or money.

z

[Bartscher]

>I got my ticket to fly gliders about a year ago.
>
>I love soaring, but I'm growing a little tired of the weather demands
>of the sport. In the southeast, it's been hard lately to get VFR
>conditions. Add to that the requirement of thermals and it's been
>mighty hard to fly lately.
>
>Which has me thinking about getting my ASEL.
>
>Does anyone have experience teaching (low time) glider pilots to fly
>power? It seems a bit arrogant to think I can get my ticket with the
>minimum requirements. But then again, I'm pretty sure I could pass the
>written now.
>

I did the same thing about 10 years ago when I moved from the Rocky Mountains
(great soaring conditions) to the Midwest (relatively poor conditions). My ASEL
rating took 28 hours if I recall, which wasn't the minimum by any means, but it
also wasn't the 50-60 hours of a typical student without any experience. Also,
I had zero cross-country time in gliders, and I think if you have done glider
XC time, some of it can count.

I chose to get the rating at a towered class-C field since my prior experience
with gliders was entirely at uncontrolled airports (as with most glider
pilots). In retrospect I think this was well worth it, even though it does add
to the cost & training hours (holding on taxiways with the engine running).

The only downside is that my flying seems to continue to get more expensive by
the year. The progression of Schweizer 2-33 to 1-26 to Grob 103 to Piper
Tomahawk to Archer to 172 to 172RG to 182 to Cherokee Six to 206 has taken the
hourly rate up by about a factor of 10. However, it wasn't possible to load 4
adults and luggage into the 2-33 and go 300nm (at least not that I ever figured
out) :-)

I'd recommend finding an instructor and working with them to figure out what it
will take to add on the rating, with the current regs. You may find it is less
than you expected.

Eric

[[email protected]]

Yes, I have been successful in the "cross-pollenation" of glider and
power pilots (both ways). Any experience off the ground helps in the
transition.

Yes, because you are already a pilot in your own right (you have
a ticket), it is easier for you to go on to complete the power.

If you are staying local, a recreational pilot certificate is for
you... keeps you within 50 miles of where you took off.

If you and the friend you fly with don't weigh much, and you are
willing to only fly light weight airplanes, then consider waiting for
the Sport Pilot regulations to get released. (Oshkosh?).

If you are EVER going to get a private or higher airplane pilot
certificate, I believe it is more cost and time efficient to get the
private ASEL next.

solo89 > wrote:
> Which has me thinking about getting my ASEL.

> Does anyone have experience teaching (low time) glider pilots to fly
> power?
> thanks,
> Doug


Best regards,

Jer/ "Flight instruction and mountain flying are my vocation!" Eberhard

--
Jer/ (Slash) Eberhard, Mountain Flying Aviation, LTD, Ft Collins, CO
CELL 970 231-6325 EMAIL jer'at'frii.com WEB http://users.frii.com/jer/
C-206 N9513G, CFII Airplane&Glider, FAA-DEN Aviation Safety Counselor
CAP-CO Mission&Aircraft CheckPilot, BM218 HAM N0FZD, 203 Young Eagles!

[Michael]

(solo89) wrote
> Does anyone have experience teaching (low time) glider pilots to fly
> power?

I do. I taught a glider pilot with about 30 hours in gliders to fly
ASEL. I was his third instructor. He also changed airplanes once.
He soloed at 8 hours and took his ride at 42 hours.

> It seems a bit arrogant to think I can get my ticket with the
> minimum requirements.

Up to 10 of your hours in gliders count towards the 40 hours required
for ASEL. If you are focused and your instructor understands your
background, there is no reason you should not finish in 30 hours.
Suggest you look for a CFI who is also a glider pilot. He will
understand your strengths and weaknesses and will be able to tailor
your training.

> If nothing else, I learned that one
> sure way to die is "continuing VFR flight into IFR conditions".

And instrument rated pilots do it on a regular basis - the instrument
rating isn't a cure for that.

Michael

[Mackfly]

>Subject: Re: Glider to ASEL Conversion
>From:

he says>Up to 10 of your hours in gliders count towards the 40 hours required
>for ASEL.

When I added ASEL to ticket I used 5 hours Glider Dual--I had 5:01 and 10 hours
Glider Solo. And did the ASEL checkride showing 35 hours total airplane time
in the airplane log book. As to the cost of flying airplanes---once you have
both ratings-- you'll notice it takes about 30 hours in most airplanes to be
worth a good 3 hour soaring flight. That is, as to the amount of hands and
feet "on" flying you'll do. Now you could go into acro, crop dusting, or
combat--then the ratio is more one to one. I love flying either, but nothing
has been better than a good 2 to 3 hours of using mother nature to stay
airborne. Five plus hours wears on the ole fanny though. Take care Mac

[Michael]

(Mackfly) wrote
> he says>Up to 10 of your hours in gliders count towards the 40 hours required
> >for ASEL.
>
> When I added ASEL to ticket I used 5 hours Glider Dual--I had 5:01 and 10 hours
> Glider Solo.

You are correct. I shot from the hip and missed.

The actual regs can actually allow you to get by with as little as 12
hours dual (or less if you combine XC, night, instruments, and test
prep in some way) and 10 hours solo in airplanes - the rest can be in
gliders as long as you have 20 hours dual in total. Not sure why I
thought you needed 30 hours in airplanes, but you don't.

In practice, I think it would be tough to fulfull all the requirements
in much less than 30 hours of airplane time, but it's not impossible.

As for how much flying you actually do and your 30:1 ratio - well, go
hand-fly a twin across the Gulf on instruments while dodging T-storms,
then come back and tell me about it.

Michael

[solo89]

Thanks for the input. After giving it some thought I've decided my
options are:

1) Quit flying (not likeley)
2) Buy a Glider (doesn't improve the weather but eliminates the hassle
of renting)
3) Go for the ASEL (I enjoy learning)
4) Sit and stew


I think I'll sit and stew for a while. I can still fly gliders in the
interim. Fall is a busy time for me. Maybe I'll start the ASEL
training in November. Fortunately, Flying is a 12 month a year
activity in SC. Although, some of those months are a lot better that
others.

Doug



(solo89) wrote in message >...
> I got my ticket to fly gliders about a year ago.
>
> I love soaring, but I'm growing a little tired of the weather demands
> of the sport. In the southeast, it's been hard lately to get VFR
> conditions. Add to that the requirement of thermals and it's been
> mighty hard to fly lately.
>
> Which has me thinking about getting my ASEL.
>
> Does anyone have experience teaching (low time) glider pilots to fly
> power? It seems a bit arrogant to think I can get my ticket with the
> minimum requirements. But then again, I'm pretty sure I could pass the
> written now.
>
> The big drawbacks to ASEL are the cost to rent. It's seems to be about
> 3 to 6+ times what I'm paying for gliders. And, I can't imagine
> getting my ASEL without continuing on to IFR. That really adds to the
> cost of training and I assume to the cost of renting as well. Several
> years before I ever flew I had regular access to a flying magazine. I
> always read the accident reports. If nothing else, I learned that one
> sure way to die is "continuing VFR flight into IFR conditions".
>
> Any input will be appreciated.
>
> thanks,
> Doug