add on rating recommendations

Hello all. I'm a newbie just getting interested in soaring. Power pilot with 1200 hrs, enjoying a RV4 currently but would like to get an add on soaring rating. I live in central texas and Texas Soaring is not too far away but I have about 10 days off in August and was considering a full time school and doing the rating at one time.

I tried "search" but obviously wasn't too successful.

It seems that Minden is considered a great soaring destination but I wanted advice on a good place to do a 5-10 day add on rating.

I have also read about Estrella but thought Minden might be nicer than Arizona in August (coming from Texas).

I'm really open to anywhere in the US/Canada that would be nice experience.

BTW, glad I found this forum, it is surprisingly active and I know there is a ton of experience and wisdom here.

On 7/9/2012 1:15 PM, bryanrene wrote:
Hello all. I'm a newbie just getting interested in soaring. Power
pilot with 1200 hrs, enjoying a RV4 currently but would like to get an
add on soaring rating. I live in central texas and Texas Soaring is not
too far away but I have about 10 days off in August and was considering
a full time school and doing the rating at one time.

I tried "search" but obviously wasn't too successful.

It seems that Minden is considered a great soaring destination but I
wanted advice on a good place to do a 5-10 day add on rating.

I have also read about Estrella but thought Minden might be nicer than
Arizona in August (coming from Texas).

I'm really open to anywhere in the US/Canada that would be nice
experience.

BTW, glad I found this forum, it is surprisingly active and I know
there is a ton of experience and wisdom here.


Not very far north, but above 6,000' msl and closer to TX is Sundance Aviation
(glider FBO) in Moriarty, NM (on I-40, a tad east of Albuquerque).

(505) 832-2222 Open year-'round; examiner on staff; Rick Kohler
proprietor/good person; very experienced operation with what you're wanting to
do. The link below works for non-SSA members (at least it did for me when I
wasn't logged in...).

http://www.ssa.org/sport/wheretofly.asp

Have fun!

Regards,
Bob W.

On Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:15:13 -0500, bryanrene
wrote:

Bryan,

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your decision to take up
soaring.

I'm a CFI-G(lider) down in Houston, flying with Greater Houston Soaring
Association. We wouldn't be a great choice for a 5-10 course, since we
fly mostly on weekends.

Earlier this year, I went out to Estrella and did some aerobatic
training. I was really impressed with their operation, and one of my
students from Houston went there to "finish up" his add-on quickly. He
also was impressed.

It will be hot there (probably hotter than Minden), but if all you are
going for is the flying I think it would be worthwhile to check them out.

Another option, if you want to stay here in Texas, is Burt Compton's
operation in Marfa. I haven't been there, but a number of our members
have. Burt's schedule seems to be a bit "iffy", but if you and he
coordinate ahead of time and he's available on the dates you have in mind,
he comes well regarded.

--Stefan


Hello all. I'm a newbie just getting interested in soaring. Power
pilot with 1200 hrs, enjoying a RV4 currently but would like to get an
add on soaring rating. I live in central texas and Texas Soaring is not
too far away but I have about 10 days off in August and was considering
a full time school and doing the rating at one time.

I tried "search" but obviously wasn't too successful.

It seems that Minden is considered a great soaring destination but I
wanted advice on a good place to do a 5-10 day add on rating.

I have also read about Estrella but thought Minden might be nicer than
Arizona in August (coming from Texas).

I'm really open to anywhere in the US/Canada that would be nice
experience.

BTW, glad I found this forum, it is surprisingly active and I know
there is a ton of experience and wisdom here.






--
Stefan Murry

I transitioned from Power to Gliders (then later on went and got my
Commercial rating). My club isn't very well-organized so I wound up
going to a couple of commercial operations for those ratings. I've
also visited a few since then (for contests and such). Many of the
good commercial operators in the western US are going to be beastly-
hot in August; but I'd recommend the following (in no particular
order):
Williams Soaring (central California, about 2-3 hours' drive inland
from San Francisco, CA)
Estrella (about 30-45 minutes south of Phoenix, AZ)
Sky Sailing (about 1-1.5 hours east of San Diego, CA)

Williams is probably the largest and is run by the Mayes family
(husband, wife, and teenage sons are all hard-workers and have a good
staff). Its not the cheapest place to get your license; but they
arguably have better equipment than the others. I haven't flown _at_
Williams; but the Mayes family ran the National Championships that
just finished last week and I was mightily impressed with their skill,
organization, and generosity of spirit.

Estrella is run by Jason Stephens and a small crew of very capable
folks. Jason is a multi-time aerobatic champion in gliders and has a
lot of enthusiasm for the sport. I had a good down time there,
finishing up my commercial glider ticket.

Sky Sailing is where I got my private glider rating after making the
switch from power. Its a somewhat-isolated desert valley location
with a pace and a feeling all its own. But the Willat family are
accomplished glider pilots who teach well.

One word of caution: Training to fly gliders is *not* the same as
soaring! You may be surprised to see some of rudimentary trainers and
short flights that make up the training regimen. Sadly, soaring is a
skill that takes a bit of time and effort to build up to. But it is
WELL worth the time and effort, as long as you stick with it!

Best of luck, and feel free to post here if you have more questions!

Take care,

--Noel

On Monday, July 9, 2012 3:15:13 PM UTC-4, bryanrene wrote:
Hello all. I'm a newbie just getting interested in soaring. Power
pilot with 1200 hrs, enjoying a RV4 currently but would like to get an
add on soaring rating. I live in central texas and Texas Soaring is not
too far away but I have about 10 days off in August and was considering
a full time school and doing the rating at one time.

Why not go somewhere with wonderful weather in August? Say Vermont... 80 degrees and sunny by day, 60 degrees at night. Extremely pleasant in August. Excellent instruction 7 days a week. Examiner in the neighborhood. Why suffer the heat?

http://www.sugarbushsoaring.com in the Mad River Valley http://www.madrivervalley.com/

Originally Posted by bryanrene

Hello all. I'm a newbie just getting interested in soaring. Power pilot with 1200 hrs, enjoying a RV4 currently but would like to get an add on soaring rating. I live in central texas and Texas Soaring is not too far away but I have about 10 days off in August and was considering a full time school and doing the rating at one time.

I tried "search" but obviously wasn't too successful.

It seems that Minden is considered a great soaring destination but I wanted advice on a good place to do a 5-10 day add on rating.

I have also read about Estrella but thought Minden might be nicer than Arizona in August (coming from Texas).

I'm really open to anywhere in the US/Canada that would be nice experience.

BTW, glad I found this forum, it is surprisingly active and I know there is a ton of experience and wisdom here.

Seminole Lake Gliderport in Clermont, Florida. Commercial operation capable of doing what you are trying to do.

On Monday, July 9, 2012 1:15:13 PM UTC-6, bryanrene wrote:
Hello all. I'm a newbie just getting interested in soaring. Power
pilot with 1200 hrs, enjoying a RV4 currently but would like to get an
add on soaring rating. I live in central texas and Texas Soaring is not
too far away but I have about 10 days off in August and was considering
a full time school and doing the rating at one time.

I tried "search" but obviously wasn't too successful.

It seems that Minden is considered a great soaring destination but I
wanted advice on a good place to do a 5-10 day add on rating.

I have also read about Estrella but thought Minden might be nicer than
Arizona in August (coming from Texas).

I'm really open to anywhere in the US/Canada that would be nice
experience.

BTW, glad I found this forum, it is surprisingly active and I know
there is a ton of experience and wisdom here.




--
bryanrene

http://www.bigqaviation.com/ at Mid-Way Midlothian is close and capable and can probably meet your needs unless they are going to Uvalde to help out with the World Gliding Contest in August.

So, after you get this rating, where will you fly? Locally, Big Q can rent a two seater or a couple of single seaters, or provide tow services if you buy a glider.

I think you can rent in San Antonio also, but a club or chapter will probably provide more opportunity generally. You might be interested in visiting TSA to watch a contest day, launch or finish, as there is a competition there July 9-18.

Frank Whiteley

Welcome to the forum and more importantly the world of Soaring. I will take a different approach and say that location is less important than the CFIG that you fly with. Like you, I started with a power rating and came to Soaring later in life. I worked with Jan Driessen to earn my add-on rating. Jan is the Chief Flight Instructor at Soar Truckee this time of year and works the late Fall and Winter months at Seminole Lake Gliderport. Jan is GREAT to fly with, has a ton of experience and keeps it fun.

My other recommendation would be Burt Compton at Marfa Gliders. I flew there with Burt last summer and he has the same qualities as Jan. Loads of experience, fun to fly with and first rate equipment. Additionally, if you are a student of Soaring history, there is something magical about flying at Marfa where so much of our Soaring history has taken place.

You cannot go wrong by flying with either of these two OUTSTANDING individuals.

Brian K. Lott

On Monday, July 9, 2012 3:15:13 PM UTC-4, bryanrene wrote:
Hello all. I'm a newbie just getting interested in soaring. Power
pilot with 1200 hrs, enjoying a RV4 currently but would like to get an
add on soaring rating. I live in central texas and Texas Soaring is not
too far away but I have about 10 days off in August and was considering
a full time school and doing the rating at one time.

I tried "search" but obviously wasn't too successful.

It seems that Minden is considered a great soaring destination but I
wanted advice on a good place to do a 5-10 day add on rating.

I have also read about Estrella but thought Minden might be nicer than
Arizona in August (coming from Texas).

I'm really open to anywhere in the US/Canada that would be nice
experience.

BTW, glad I found this forum, it is surprisingly active and I know
there is a ton of experience and wisdom here.




--
bryanrene

That son of flubber dude has a great point. Vermont is beautiful this time of year. Sugarbush also has an ex hippie that instructs up there (and may just be flubber). Tango Lima will treat you right and might even turn you into a race pilot.

XF

Originally Posted by bryanrene

Hello all. I'm a newbie just getting interested in soaring. Power pilot with 1200 hrs, enjoying a RV4 currently but would like to get an add on soaring rating. I live in central texas and Texas Soaring is not too far away but I have about 10 days off in August and was considering a full time school and doing the rating at one time.

I tried "search" but obviously wasn't too successful.

It seems that Minden is considered a great soaring destination but I wanted advice on a good place to do a 5-10 day add on rating.

I have also read about Estrella but thought Minden might be nicer than Arizona in August (coming from Texas).

I'm really open to anywhere in the US/Canada that would be nice experience.

BTW, glad I found this forum, it is surprisingly active and I know there is a ton of experience and wisdom here.

you might consider Eagle Sport Aviation Club (http://www.eaglesport.org/). For a one time fee of $500 fee with no monthly dues. The Eagle Sport Aviation Club (ESA) is a nonprofit educational organization of aviation enthusiasts. The glider operation is just north of Orlando Florida at the Pierson airport (2J8), so you’ll be able to bring the family and take in all the attractions.

The rates are really good (last time i checked about $60 a flight, that includes use of a Schweizer 2-33, a tow to 2,000 feet and flight instruction), so might it save you the some money. Plus you would be a member for life and anytime in the area you can come out and fly the gliders as well as the piper J-3 cub or Pitts S-2B. You could get a tail wheel endorsement in our J-3 Cub at the same time. We have an beautiful Schleicher ASK 21 that just cost a little more.
Great club.
For more information use the contact information on the web site.