Glider population Statistic

[smfidler]

Number of current glider pilots in the USA?

Number of current glider pilots in Canada?

Number of current glider pilots in the world?

Thanks,

Sean

[son_of_flubber]

I wonder how many glider pilots passed a BFR in the last two years.

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 11:57:39 AM UTC-5, son_of_flubber wrote:
> I wonder how many glider pilots passed a BFR in the last two years.

8710s for flight reviews are coming. Someday we'll know. Maybe we don't want to...

[JS]

Not the dreaded 8710!
Other than between 8709 and 8711, what is an 8710?
Is it like a landing on tow?
Jim

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 9:25:18 AM UTC-8, wrote:
> 8710s for flight reviews are coming. Someday we'll know. Maybe we don't want to...

[Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)]

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 12:38:51 PM UTC-5, JS wrote:
> Not the dreaded 8710!
> Other than between 8709 and 8711, what is an 8710?
> Is it like a landing on tow?
> Jim
>
> On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 9:25:18 AM UTC-8, wrote:
> > 8710s for flight reviews are coming. Someday we'll know. Maybe we don't want to...

Google search for "FAA 8710" yields... http://www.faa.gov/documentlibrary/media/form/faa_8710-1.pdf

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 12:38:51 PM UTC-5, JS wrote:
> Not the dreaded 8710!
> Other than between 8709 and 8711, what is an 8710?
> Is it like a landing on tow?
> Jim
>
> On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 9:25:18 AM UTC-8, wrote:
> > 8710s for flight reviews are coming. Someday we'll know. Maybe we don't want to...

Same form you filled out for your checkride. New Advisory Circular for flight reviews says 8710s 'should' be filled out for flight reviews. 'Should' often becomes 'Shall' with these things. New AC http://www.faa.gov/documentlibrary/media/advisory_circular/ac_61-98c.pdf
One more hassle, but it would answer the active pilot population question for glider and sport pilots.

[son_of_flubber]

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 12:59:02 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> but it would answer the active pilot population question for glider and sport pilots.

Perhaps when 'current medical' goes away for GA power pilots, 'should' will be changed to 'shall'.

>New Advisory Circular for flight reviews says 8710s 'should' be filled out for flight reviews.

[waremark]

Much mention of bfr's. We don't have such things in the UK, although some clubs impose their own requirements. I wonder whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

[son_of_flubber]

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 5:53:51 PM UTC-5, waremark wrote:
> Much mention of bfr's. We don't have such things in the UK, although some clubs impose their own requirements. I wonder whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I do a BFR every 12 months because I'm not as young as I used to be.

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 7:00:54 PM UTC-5, son_of_flubber wrote:
> On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 5:53:51 PM UTC-5, waremark wrote:
> > Much mention of bfr's. We don't have such things in the UK, although some clubs impose their own requirements. I wonder whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.
>
> I do a BFR every 12 months because I'm not as young as I used to be.

There is no such thing as a BFR and has not been for many years. It is simply called a flight review. Doing it once a year is a good practice, at the very least the flying portion.
All our club members are required to do a spring check before solo flying which is a pretty good practice, we think.

UH

[Dave Springford]

Back to the original question:

Our National association just published a member count of 1014 members in Canada in 2105.

[Andrzej Kobus]

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 9:51:36 PM UTC-5, Dave Springford wrote:
> Back to the original question:
>
> Our National association just published a member count of 1014 members in Canada in 2105.

Wow, you can predict the future :)

[smfidler]

Thanks Dave.

[Minot Moonshiners]

A BFR reporting system wouldn't do you much good. Those that fly for a living don't do them, as they get check rides ever 6 months or 1 year.

I'm curious what the stats are, but not sure how you'd find out 'active'

Two years ago, looking at any govt database I was a CFI-G and a commercial glider pilot. I hadn't touched one in over a decade.

This year.. I'm current.

It would look the same with available info.

JP

[Frank Whiteley]

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 8:42:55 AM UTC-7, smfidler wrote:
> Number of current glider pilots in the USA?
>
> Number of current glider pilots in Canada?
>
> Number of current glider pilots in the world?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Sean

No reliable data for US.
34000+ US glider ratings, but about 8000 are foreign based. Latest published civil aviation stats, 26424 US based glider ratings. About 10,000 SSA members, so how many flew last year? Maybe 8000+/- 1000 among the rated pilots. Perhaps more if we add-in touring motorgliders. Many do not operate near clubs or commercial operations. Anyway, that's my SWAG. Slight uptick in ratings in 2014, with 200 original and add-ons. FAA 2015 stats will be out about May.

YMMV,

Frank Whiteley

[Burt Compton - Marfa Gliders, west Texas]

>
> There is no such thing as a BFR and has not been for many years. It is simply called a flight review. Doing it once a year is a good practice, at the very least the flying portion.
> All our club members are required to do a spring check before solo flying which is a pretty good practice, we think.
>
> UH

Uncle Hank is correct. It is simply "Flight Review" per FAR 61.56. One reason is that it encourages a pilot not to wait 24 months to have a review of their skill and their knowledge of FAR Part 91. (FAR Part 61 describes how you earn a FAA pilot certificate. Part 91 is how they take it away if you don't know the Part 91 rules!)

I'm amused and a little dismayed when I see that a CFI wrote "Biannual Flight Review" in someone's logbook. Then I must inform the owner of that logbook that their "Biannual" expired 6 months after that misspelled endorsement. Well, maybe not -- I know what was meant but according to the FAA (and the plaintiff's lawyers after the accident) it is not correct, although it was endorsed in good faith and I'll probably accept it.

Perhaps the change from "Biennial" was also because many CFI's couldn't spell it (myself included!)

Curious what is in your logbook? Take look sometime but I wouldn't worry about it.

Enough nit-pickin'. I'm actually not this serious when you fly with me at Marfa!
But being a Designated Pilot Examiner for the FAA causes me to accidentally know this trivia.

Let's go fly!

[son_of_flubber]

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 5:39:54 AM UTC-5, Minot Moonshiners wrote:
> A BFR reporting system wouldn't do you much good. Those that fly for a living don't do them, as they get check rides ever 6 months or 1 year.

Even if ATP active glider pilots are not counted, an accurate count of the same segment of the active glider population, done the same way each year, will give a more accurate trend line. The absolute number of active pilots could be estimated from the (B)FR numbers.

[Dan Marotta]

On 2/10/2016 7:29 AM, son_of_flubber wrote:
> The absolute number of active pilots could be estimated from the (B)FR numbers.

True, but not glider pilots. As stated above, professional pilots
likely maintain "review status" (my coined term) through their company
or FAA required reviews. Those guys who may also be avid glider pilots
don't get any type of review which identifies them as glider pilots
unless their clubs require them and those aren't officially logged by
the government. Likewise, pilots with both power and glider ratings may
very well get their flight review in a power plane rather than in a
glider. You could get an estimate of glider only pilots, but what is
the percentage of glider only pilots compared to pilots with both power
and glider ratings?

Frankly, I don't see any current way to estimate the number of "current"
glider pilots other than by a survey, and who responds to those?

--
Dan, 5J

[smfidler]

Thanks Frank.

[Dale Watkins]

What about wings endorsed reviews?