To follow Andy's lead:

Apr 86 - intro flight in a G-103. I flew the entire flight; takeoff,
aero tow, pattern, and landing. Prior Air Force with lots of formation
time... Soloed on 6th flight.
Nov 86 - Commercial add-on and started giving rides in a Twin Lark
Mar 87 - Winch checkout and giving rides in Twin Lark at Bond Springs,
NT, Australia
Jul 87 - Bought my first glider, a Mosquito B
Apr 88 - Second glider, an ASW-19b
Sep 88 - Started towing gliders
Mar 89 - Silver Badge
Sep 89 - Gold Badge
Jan 92 - Third glider, an LS-6a
Nov 94 - Diamond Badge

Some time in late 87 a friend, Fred Taylor, who also had a Mosquito
invited me to join him in riding the leading edge of a cold front west
of TSA, Texas Soaring Association. ...And the hook was set. Nowadays,
I don't bother taking off unless it appears I can go somewhere. It's
been a heck of a ride and it ain't over yet!

Dan Marotta

On 7/18/2014 7:16 PM, wrote:
On Friday, July 18, 2014 2:53:54 PM UTC-7, wrote:
I am curious. How many people in this discussion were hand held every step of the way of starting to fly XC or just went out and tried it for themselves?
My path:

6 hrs Total Time: Solo (SGS 2-33, Elmira)
19 hrs TT: First flight of 1 hour or more - Sliver altitude (SGS 2-33 Frederick, MD)
41 hrs TT: Silver duration, Silver Distance (SGS 1-26, Estrella, AZ)
43 hrs TT: First outlanding (SGS 1-34, on a highway between Hobbs and Odessa, TX)
95 hrs TT: First contest flight (LS-3, Ionia, MI)
420 hrs TT: Diamond Goal (LS-4, El Tiro, AZ)

My first cross-country flights we on a soaring safari with my Dad and brother from the Mojave back to the east coast after picking up the first family glider - a 1-34. I guess I just got pushed out of the nest. I was lucky to have some early flights in gigantic western thermals and even so managed to land out. There was some coaching, but not a lot as I look back on it. It was just assumed that the goal was to go somewhere. Progressing through the badge system seemed like what you were supposed to do.

Club flying greatly slows the process down it seems to me - the general availability and 1-hour time limits on club ships.

I agree that 20-meter 2-seaters should be a huge benefit to helping people make the leap sooner rather than later. Getting a lot of 2-seaters to a Nephi-type event paired with people on the cusp of XC flying and experienced XC pilots could be a real boost.

9B