Visiting pilot in California later this month

[Mark Newton]

Hi.

I'm an Australian glider pilot visiting the US on business
for a few weeks later this month.

I'm going to be in the LA and San Jose area, and I'd like to
see about doing some flying while I'm there. I've been checking
into the licensing requirements (seems it's easiest to do the
paperwork for a student pilots license then go for some checkrides),
so now I'm trying to find gliderports who might be visitor-friendly,
scenic, and with goodish soaring conditions at this time of year.

I've had recommendations to visit Cal City and Tehachapi near
LA, and possibly Hollister near San Jose.

I have about 350 hours in gliders, I've been doing about 100
hours per year for the last two years, and I hold an Australian
instructor rating. What kind of hoops would I need to jump
through to get my butt into something with wings, and what's
likely to be the best place to do it?

Thanks,

- mark

[[email protected]]

Even aside from the licensing issue, most FBOs will put you through
alot of hoops before they rent a ship to you. Can't really blame
them, having heard numerous stories of seemingly well-qualified out of
town pilots wrecking a ship and walking away. They'll also probably
require you to have renter's insurance. If you're only going to be
here a short time, it will add up to quite a bit for not alot of good
flying this time of year.

Your best bet is to try to go to Cal City or Minden on a wave day and
go up with an instructor in the back seat.

[Andy Blackburn]

Minden's your best bet in Northern California in February
as it's wave season (okay, it's just over the state
line in Nevada).

http://www.soarminden.com/

9B


At 06:30 01 February 2005, wrote:
>Even aside from the licensing issue, most FBOs will
>put you through
>alot of hoops before they rent a ship to you. Can't
>really blame
>them, having heard numerous stories of seemingly well-qualified
>out of
>town pilots wrecking a ship and walking away. They'll
>also probably
>require you to have renter's insurance. If you're
>only going to be
>here a short time, it will add up to quite a bit for
>not alot of good
>flying this time of year.
>
>Your best bet is to try to go to Cal City or Minden
>on a wave day and
>go up with an instructor in the back seat.
>
>

[[email protected]]

Further North and a lot warmer than Minden is Crazy Creek
www.crazycreekgliders.com in Middletown California. I had a nice 2/12
hour flight last Saturday and there was a great wave today. Probably
only work for you on the weekends with the instructor requirement.
This time of year you have to pick the right day.

Mark Newton wrote:
> Hi.
>
> I'm an Australian glider pilot visiting the US on business
> for a few weeks later this month.
>
> I'm going to be in the LA and San Jose area, and I'd like to
> see about doing some flying while I'm there. I've been checking
> into the licensing requirements (seems it's easiest to do the
> paperwork for a student pilots license then go for some checkrides),
> so now I'm trying to find gliderports who might be visitor-friendly,
> scenic, and with goodish soaring conditions at this time of year.
>
> I've had recommendations to visit Cal City and Tehachapi near
> LA, and possibly Hollister near San Jose.
>
> I have about 350 hours in gliders, I've been doing about 100
> hours per year for the last two years, and I hold an Australian
> instructor rating. What kind of hoops would I need to jump
> through to get my butt into something with wings, and what's
> likely to be the best place to do it?
>
> Thanks,
>
> - mark

[Frank Van Rooy]

Contact Drew Pierce at www.soarhollister.com He is the proprietor an may
be able to answer your questions.
=20
Frank Van Rooy

=20


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[Mark James Boyd]

Depending on whether you are driving up I-5, I'd say Avenal
might be ok.

It has:

Inexpensive rentals $7 per flight
Inexpensive tows $1/100ft
wicked thermals 4-10 knots
no X-C restrictions
easy checkouts
Subway sandwiches within walking distance

The downsides are:

it's in the middle of nowhere, nothing but highway 5 nearby
the best performing glider is a Blanik L-13

Tehachapi has an excellent cafe with great chili,
some super sexy gliders, but I don't think they allow X-C
in rentals.

www.soe.ucsc.edu/~mjboyd/cfi/glider/gliderclubs

has a survey I conducted a few years ago for my personal use.
You'll need to keep in mind many clubs have a one day
or short term membership program also. Avenal/CCSC
www.soaravenal.com
is $25 a day for guest membership. Byron is
www.norcalsoaring.org
$100 for a one month trial membership.

As all these guys will mention, Minden/Truckee is
the most interesting for soaring, but maybe also
among the most expensive too.

De gustibus non est disputandum?
My wife said that. Loosely translated from Yiddish I think it means:
"The winds don't spit."

Uhoh. She's laughing at me. I guess I didn't
translate so good ;O

In article >,
Mark Newton > wrote:
>Hi.
>
>I'm an Australian glider pilot visiting the US on business
>for a few weeks later this month.
>
>I'm going to be in the LA and San Jose area, and I'd like to
>see about doing some flying while I'm there. I've been checking
>into the licensing requirements (seems it's easiest to do the
>paperwork for a student pilots license then go for some checkrides),
>so now I'm trying to find gliderports who might be visitor-friendly,
>scenic, and with goodish soaring conditions at this time of year.
>
>I've had recommendations to visit Cal City and Tehachapi near
>LA, and possibly Hollister near San Jose.
>
>I have about 350 hours in gliders, I've been doing about 100
>hours per year for the last two years, and I hold an Australian
>instructor rating. What kind of hoops would I need to jump
>through to get my butt into something with wings, and what's
>likely to be the best place to do it?
>
>Thanks,
>
> - mark


--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd

[Mike baldwin]

Mark,

The paperwork to get an FAA licence based on your Australian one isn't
that tough, but post 9/11 it is slow. The FAA say you need to give them
90 days (their web site has the details if you are interested:
http://registry.faa.gov/airmen.asp#verify) and then you'll have to visit
a local FAA office to pick it up (which takes up to an hour + travel
time). Sounds like you may have left it too late for that.
If not, I would encourage you to do this. Email me and I can share my
experience of getting a friend from the UK through this last year.
If you have left it too late you might be able to go the student pilot
route but I believe the sign-off requirements for a student pilot to fly
solo are written down in the US regs and it may be that an instructor
would actually have to give you a more rigorous check-out to demonstrate
compliance with those regulations. Perhaps others who are instructors
here in the US can comment.
You also have the issue that most likely the insurance or club by-laws
will stipulate that the better performing gliders can only be flown by
private or higher rated pilots. You will have to call the site to
confirm this.
All of this might make the recommendation for dual flying the best
advice if you are under time pressure.

I live on the East coast so others will (and already have) given you
better advice than I on location. However, I can confirm that Soar
Minden has the potential to deliver spectacular wave and runs an
efficient operation with a good selection of well maintained, good
performance sailplanes.

Good luck....
Mike.

Mark Newton wrote:
> Hi.
>
> I'm an Australian glider pilot visiting the US on business
> for a few weeks later this month.
>
> I'm going to be in the LA and San Jose area, and I'd like to
> see about doing some flying while I'm there. I've been checking
> into the licensing requirements (seems it's easiest to do the
> paperwork for a student pilots license then go for some checkrides),
> so now I'm trying to find gliderports who might be visitor-friendly,
> scenic, and with goodish soaring conditions at this time of year.
>
> I've had recommendations to visit Cal City and Tehachapi near
> LA, and possibly Hollister near San Jose.
>
> I have about 350 hours in gliders, I've been doing about 100
> hours per year for the last two years, and I hold an Australian
> instructor rating. What kind of hoops would I need to jump
> through to get my butt into something with wings, and what's
> likely to be the best place to do it?
>
> Thanks,
>
> - mark

[Mark James Boyd]

Getting a solo endorsement seems like a good way to go...

Beyond that, as far as insurers go, they seem to
be pretty impressed by time in type. So if you mention you
are a student pilot with 50 hours in type and a foriegn
license, they can read between the lines.

If you want to fly with a passenger, things get stickier,
and I don't have an elegant solution for you...

Another possibility is to just fly with another pilot who isn't
an instructor. Might be more fun, even...

In article <NzeMd.9707$g16.5622@trndny08>,
Mike baldwin <\"michael.baldwin1\"@" <"NO SPAM> wrote:
>Mark,
>
>The paperwork to get an FAA licence based on your Australian one isn't
>that tough, but post 9/11 it is slow. The FAA say you need to give them
>90 days (their web site has the details if you are interested:
>http://registry.faa.gov/airmen.asp#verify) and then you'll have to visit
>a local FAA office to pick it up (which takes up to an hour + travel
>time). Sounds like you may have left it too late for that.
>If not, I would encourage you to do this. Email me and I can share my
>experience of getting a friend from the UK through this last year.
>If you have left it too late you might be able to go the student pilot
>route but I believe the sign-off requirements for a student pilot to fly
>solo are written down in the US regs and it may be that an instructor
>would actually have to give you a more rigorous check-out to demonstrate
>compliance with those regulations. Perhaps others who are instructors
>here in the US can comment.
>You also have the issue that most likely the insurance or club by-laws
>will stipulate that the better performing gliders can only be flown by
>private or higher rated pilots. You will have to call the site to
>confirm this.
>All of this might make the recommendation for dual flying the best
>advice if you are under time pressure.
>
>I live on the East coast so others will (and already have) given you
>better advice than I on location. However, I can confirm that Soar
>Minden has the potential to deliver spectacular wave and runs an
>efficient operation with a good selection of well maintained, good
>performance sailplanes.
>
>Good luck....
> Mike.
>
>Mark Newton wrote:
>> Hi.
>>
>> I'm an Australian glider pilot visiting the US on business
>> for a few weeks later this month.
>>
>> I'm going to be in the LA and San Jose area, and I'd like to
>> see about doing some flying while I'm there. I've been checking
>> into the licensing requirements (seems it's easiest to do the
>> paperwork for a student pilots license then go for some checkrides),
>> so now I'm trying to find gliderports who might be visitor-friendly,
>> scenic, and with goodish soaring conditions at this time of year.
>>
>> I've had recommendations to visit Cal City and Tehachapi near
>> LA, and possibly Hollister near San Jose.
>>
>> I have about 350 hours in gliders, I've been doing about 100
>> hours per year for the last two years, and I hold an Australian
>> instructor rating. What kind of hoops would I need to jump
>> through to get my butt into something with wings, and what's
>> likely to be the best place to do it?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> - mark


--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd