"Gregg Ballou" wrote in message
...
We bitch about declining numbers and then when a presumbly
competent power pilot asks a transition question people add how
hard it is to fly gliders.

Thank you! When I woke up this morning and read through that thread, the
same thought went through my mind.

If Mitty is still with us, I am a CFIG who has introduced many pilots to
soaring, many of whom had far more experience in the air than myself. Some come
down with a big grin after that first flight, and some don't, but all of them
were able to pick up the basics quickly. Be ready for a challenge on your first
flight; following that damn towplane is harder than it looks! It is like
learning to ride a bicycle. You wobble until something halfway between your
brain and your stick hand clicks into place, and then you wonder why it was ever
an issue!

In short, be ready for a genuine challenge followed by a quick string of
very satisfying, (sometimes almost orgasmic) successes. What more could you ask
from life?

By the way; I was until recently exclusively a glider-guider. I finally
took the trouble to add an airplane rating. Many times this great "stick and
rudder" guy found himself humbled by that lowly Cezzna. Same deal; challenges
and successes.

Go for it!
Vaughn