A aviation & planes forum. AviationBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » AviationBanter forum » rec.aviation newsgroups » Soaring
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Learning to fly



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old July 7th 07, 08:11 PM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,uk.rec.aviation,rec.aviation.soaring
Larry Dighera
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,953
Default Learning to fly

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:23:32 +0100, "GB"
wrote in :

40 years or so ago, I learned to fly, at least a bit. I did some solo
circuits in gliders. I would like to come back to flying, and I was
wondering about whether to learn on powered or unpowered planes?


The answer to that question depends on what sort of flying you want to
do once you have your airmans certificate, and how much you can afford
to spend on flying. Glider instruction can be very inexpensive if you
join a soaring club, and you will get some fundamental experience in
aerodynamics and meteorology that powered flyers only get a smattering
of. However, you will be mostly limited to summer days, and costs
will be about as low as possible.

Powered flight is less of a sport, and can be useful for air touring,
but the cost of flight instruction and aircraft operation is
significantly more that soaring.

If I learn on gliders, will this be any help towards getting a PPL?


It should make your transition to powered flight significantly easier,
if that's what you meant. Actually there are several private pilot
licenses: Single Engine Land and sea, Multiengine, Glider, Lighter
Than Air, ...

I apprecaite that it's all good experience, but I have a feeling that the PPL
only counts hours in a powered plane. Is that right?


A Private Glider certificate requires instruction in gliders.

Also, any recommendations for places to learn to fly, powered or unpowered,
near North London?


I'll cross post this follow up article to the uk.rec.aviation and
rec.aviation.soaring newsgroups, and you should receive some replies
from knowledgeable folks in that location.

Finally, I am very overweight (over 18 stone). Does that rule out gliders
unless I lose quite a bit of weight?


I'll leave that question to the airmen in rec.aviation.soaring.

Thanks very much.


You may want to consider inquiring at one of the soaring advocacy
groups like the Soaring Society of America; you'll find a lot of good
information on their web site: http://www.ssa.org/ . I can also
recommend the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association web site for more
power oriented information: http://www.aopa.org/ . Unfortunately, I
unable to provide information for the similar European organizations.
  #2  
Old July 7th 07, 11:26 PM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,uk.rec.aviation,rec.aviation.soaring
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 790
Default Learning to fly

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:23:32 +0100, "GB"
wrote in :

40 years or so ago, I learned to fly, at least a bit. I did some solo
circuits in gliders. I would like to come back to flying, and I was
wondering about whether to learn on powered or unpowered planes?


...Also, any recommendations for places to learn to fly, powered or
unpowered,
near North London?



I assume you mean London in the UK and not in Canada or whatever other
contries have cities named "London" :-)

British Gliding Association http://www.gliding.co.uk/

Club locations http://www.gliding.co.uk/findaclub/ukmap.htm

There are more gliding clubs in the UK than you can shake a stick at...

But if you did mean London Canada: http://www.sac.ca/ :-)

--
Geoff
The Sea Hawk at Wow Way d0t Com
remove spaces and make the obvious substitutions to reply by mail
When immigration is outlawed, only outlaws will immigrate.


  #3  
Old July 8th 07, 12:34 AM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,uk.rec.aviation,rec.aviation.soaring
Michael Ash
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 309
Default Learning to fly

In rec.aviation.soaring Larry Dighera wrote:
On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:23:32 +0100, "GB"
wrote in :

40 years or so ago, I learned to fly, at least a bit. I did some solo
circuits in gliders. I would like to come back to flying, and I was
wondering about whether to learn on powered or unpowered planes?


The answer to that question depends on what sort of flying you want to
do once you have your airmans certificate, and how much you can afford
to spend on flying. Glider instruction can be very inexpensive if you
join a soaring club, and you will get some fundamental experience in
aerodynamics and meteorology that powered flyers only get a smattering
of.


I would say that if you are planning to fly purely for fun, go for
gliders. If you imagine using it for useful things (or if "fun" for you
means using the plane to go on vacation somewhere) then go for powered.
(Full disclosure, I'm a glider pilot.)

However, you will be mostly limited to summer days, and costs
will be about as low as possible.


I must object to this, as some of the most spectacular soaring can happen
in the dead of winter, in the form of ridge and wave soaring. I don't know
how things are in the UK, but here in Virginia even for thermal soaring
the definition of "summer" is pretty loose, and really includes a great
deal of the spring and fall.

But the general theme is still true; gliders are much more
weather-dependent. You can fly in the same weather as a VFR powered plane,
but you can't *stay up* and therefore make it really fun on a lot of those
days.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software
  #4  
Old July 8th 07, 03:44 AM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,uk.rec.aviation,rec.aviation.soaring
Larry Dighera
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,953
Default Learning to fly

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:34:35 -0500, Michael Ash
wrote in :

You can fly in the same weather as a VFR powered plane,
but you can't *stay up* and therefore make it really fun on a lot of those
days.


Not to mention the nights. :-)
  #5  
Old July 8th 07, 11:57 AM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,uk.rec.aviation,rec.aviation.soaring
GB
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Learning to fly


"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:34:35 -0500, Michael Ash
wrote in :

You can fly in the same weather as a VFR powered plane,
but you can't *stay up* and therefore make it really fun on a lot of those
days.


Not to mention the nights. :-)


Thanks to all who replied. You have helped me to make my mind up about one
thing. I am only interested in flying 'for fun', so I'll go the gliding
route. You seem to get a lot more time in the air for your money with a
glider. Now to tackle the weight issue.



  #6  
Old July 8th 07, 12:40 PM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,uk.rec.aviation,rec.aviation.soaring
D
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4
Default Learning to fly

You seem to get a lot more time in the air for your money with a
glider.


A lot more hanging about waiting to get a launch as well. I have never
really "got" gliding, being a die'd in the wool power chap. Too much down
time for me.

I'd recommend the NPPL M

David


  #7  
Old July 8th 07, 04:23 PM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,uk.rec.aviation,rec.aviation.soaring
Rob McDonald
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4
Default Learning to fly

"D" wrote in
:

You seem to get a lot more time in the air for your money with a
glider.


A lot more hanging about waiting to get a launch as well. I have
never really "got" gliding, being a die'd in the wool power chap. Too
much down time for me.

I'd recommend the NPPL M

David


My experience with soaring is that you are always doing something when you
are not flying. Socializing with club members is part of the experience,
and much more common in my experience than in power-plane flying clubs.

Right now I fly my own plane for pleasure, and occasionally for business,
but I look forward to the day when I can return to soaring. Flying to the
soaring club appears to be a good justification for owning a power plane
:-)

Rob

Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.usenet.com
  #8  
Old July 8th 07, 04:42 PM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,uk.rec.aviation,rec.aviation.soaring
Cubdriver
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 253
Default Learning to fly

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:34:35 -0500, Michael Ash
wrote:

I must object to this, as some of the most spectacular soaring can happen
in the dead of winter,


Assuming that paragliding is similar, one of the great treats of
skiing at Aspen is watching the fliers play off the open slopes
(pistes to the lad in the UK) and forests.

I've never seen a hard-shell glider doing this, perhaps because the
airport is near 8,000 feet and the tow plane would really have its
work cut out for it.

The paragliders just ski down the mountain a few hundred feet, then
pop the chute out of a very large backpack.


Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942
forthcoming from HarperCollins www.flyingtigersbook.com
  #9  
Old July 8th 07, 06:34 PM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,uk.rec.aviation,rec.aviation.soaring
Shawn[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 58
Default Learning to fly

Cubdriver wrote:
On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:34:35 -0500, Michael Ash
wrote:

I must object to this, as some of the most spectacular soaring can happen
in the dead of winter,


Assuming that paragliding is similar, one of the great treats of
skiing at Aspen is watching the fliers play off the open slopes
(pistes to the lad in the UK) and forests.

I've never seen a hard-shell glider doing this, perhaps because the
airport is near 8,000 feet and the tow plane would really have its
work cut out for it.


Glider towing is done out of Telluride and Buena Vista, both above 8000
feet, and Salida at 7000 feet. Tows out of Front Range glider
operations are routinely higher than 8000 feet as well.


Shawn
  #10  
Old July 9th 07, 12:44 AM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,uk.rec.aviation,rec.aviation.soaring
Dan G
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 245
Default Learning to fly

On Jul 8, 6:23 pm, Peter wrote:
Rob McDonald wrote

My experience with soaring is that you are always doing something when you
are not flying. Socializing with club members is part of the experience,
and much more common in my experience than in power-plane flying clubs.


The social scene seems to be a way of life. It's OK if you want that,
not OK if you don't. But one needs to be clear that this is the
choice. I looked into gliding and it was obvious one would spend the
whole weekend hanging around.


I think it depends on where you're flying. I understand that in the US
you can book lessons with instructors and turn up a set time, fly, and
go home again.

In the UK you get instruction for free but have to spend the whole day
on a cold field being bored for twenty minutes of flying. In theory
you can entertain yourself by doing some other jobs e.g. helping
launch gliders, driving winch retrieve etc. but if you do that people
will quickly come to expect it of you, and you'll rapidly find
yourself part of a small group which does all the work while everyone
else shirks.

And people wonder why UK gliding is shrinking faster than the
icecaps...

A couple of clubs have got their arses into gear and introduced
booking systems and are indeed reaping the results (more members
flying than they know what to do with), but those clubs are very much
in the minority (introducing something new implies the old system was
inadequate, and it's very hard for people to admit that they were
inadequate).


Dan

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Learning to fly GB Piloting 19 July 17th 07 09:40 AM
Question about Learning to fly? Dwayne Smith Piloting 11 November 27th 05 04:51 PM
Learning to fly... JohnWN in Burke, VA Soaring 7 October 25th 04 01:09 PM
Learning To Fly? John General Aviation 2 June 20th 04 01:53 PM
Re-learning IFR Jim Instrument Flight Rules 9 November 25th 03 08:38 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 03:49 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 AviationBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.