Many of the skills you learn when you earn a private pilot certificate on an airplane are directly converted to learning how to fly a glider. Learning first on a glider and then on a powered aircraft would provide a transfer of knowledge and skills, but it would not be as effective and efficient as the other way around. An FAA-certified flight instructor for gliders (CFIG) must endorse your student certificate so that you can fly alone. This approval occurs once your instructor believes that you have achieved the required competence.
The average time to arrive is only 10 to 12 hours, and it comprises 30 to 40 flights. The FAA maintains a list of frequently asked questions for new pilots and the requirements for obtaining a pilot's license (glider pilot qualifications) are included in part 61 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Pilot students can fly alone from a minimum age of 14 and have an approved student certificate to fly solo, at the discretion of an FAA-accredited flight instructor for gliders (CFIG). Glider pilots learn basic and advanced skills very early in their training, allowing them to quickly transition to powered aircraft if they so desire.
The FAA requires that those receiving flight training obtain a student pilot certificate before starting their first solo flight. Sailing is a pure form of flight, and for a pilot to be competent, he must develop an innate understanding of climate, local conditions and aerodynamics. Once you add a single-engine aircraft qualification to a private pilot and glider certificate, it's hard to say how much you save compared to the traditional route to obtain a license, but I am convinced that you will save. However, sailing is a common economic option for flight training outside the U.S.
In the US, as it teaches students a number of skills that are fundamental to a competent pilot. Sailing licenses are issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and, in this sense, are similar to those issued to motor pilots or hot air balloon pilots. Once you have obtained your private pilot certificate in gliders, you can, if you wish, add a single-engine aircraft qualification when you meet the additional skill requirements of the aircraft type. There is no doubt that these skills are essential to flying powered aircraft, but all too often students learn to sit in a cockpit, with their feet made of lead, allowing the propeller to drag them through the sky.
As an apprentice, you'll learn how to make the glider move smoothly from a high tow position to a low tow position without complicating the life of the tug pilot.
