Note: The cost of learning to fly are not dealt with in this document
since the scholarship covers them, up to $1600.
Why you should read this before you
sign on:
Before you join, you should understand
the process of glider pilot training with the Geelong Gliding Club, and have an
idea of what you can expect from the club and what the club in turn expects
from you. Not every detail is covered here and you are welcome and encouraged
to ask further questions. You should obtain all the information you need to
decide if gliding is for you, to avoid investing a lot of time and effort, only
to find out later that the reality does not match your expectations.
If, after a trial flight, you decide to
give it a go - great. If you decide that the effort it will take is more than
you are willing to invest, that is OK too.
How long will it take to get to fly
solo?
There is no set minimum time or number of
flights required to go solo in gliding. A trainee pilot is sent solo when the
instructor is satisfied that the pilot is competent to make a safe solo flight.
It usually requires around 60 training flights before first solo, but the
number can range from under 40 to over 90. The ability to fly solo is an
important step on the path to becoming a competent glider pilot.
The time and the number of flights
required to learn the skills needed to fly a glider depend on many factors.
Here are some in no particular order:
How training is organized: Geelong Gliding Club, like most clubs, operates on weekends and
public holidays. This has the advantage that a wide range of gliding conditions
is encountered during training, but the training is not continuous.
Aptitude: Given normal mental and physical fitness,
anybody can learn to fly gliders. Some people seem to have the 'knack' for it
and learn fast, others are more deliberate and take longer. This does not in
itself determine who will ultimately be the better pilot - a great number of
other factors play into that.
Age: - As
a general rule, the younger the trainee, the faster the learning and mastering
of skills will be. The minimum age to fly a glider solo is 15 years, and there
is no maximum.
Training frequency: - It is easily understood that intensity of training has a marked
impact on progress. Especially during the early stages of learning to fly, it
is important to come as frequently as possible - every Saturday or Sunday would
be good. Gaps of two, three or more weeks between flights will make it
necessary to repeat earlier lessons and re-learn skills. This adds to the time
and cost of training, and is frustrating to the trainee (and the instructor).
Club camps at Christmas and Easter time are a great opportunity to accelerate
the learning process while getting to know your fellow club members in
different surrounds.
Training equipment: - Apart
from complex gliders which can be overwhelming, the type of glider used has
very little bearing on the number of launches or time it takes to learn. It is
easier to learn on one type exclusively, but not greatly so.
Instructors: - Instructors are allocated by
roster to days the club operates on, so you will fly with several different
instructors during your training. The training syllabus is prescribed and fixed
to ensure consistent and thorough learning, but instructors are individuals who
may place more emphasis on a particular aspect than another. If you hear
different things from different instructors, ask them about it. There is very
likely a good explanation for the perceived difference.
What is expected of me as a member?
Being a club member is different from being
a customer or client. A customer simply buys goods and services. As a member,
you are expected to pay fees when they are due and pay for your flying as you
go, but the club also requires your active participation in support of other
members to be successful. [It is the active participation of other members that
makes it possible for you to receive training without charge].
Participation in the sport of gliding is
somewhat of a paradox. Soaring thousands of feet above the earth on your own is
an intensely individual experience. To get there however takes a lot of team
work. To launch one trainee into the air takes 6 people [5 as an absolute
minimum] - the trainee, the instructor, the tug pilot, a wing runner, forward
signaler and someone to record flight details. Any trainee can take on any of
the last three roles.
A great part of the necessary maintenance
work on gliders and other equipment is done by club members. We do expect
everybody to participate in that work within their abilities, for 20 to 30
hours per year. Trade skills are great in the workshop but not necessary. We
have individuals trained and experienced in glider maintenance to teach and
supervise members new to the tasks. There are furthermore, as in every club,
countless other tasks which need to be done.
What happens on a typical flying
day for a trainee?
A normal day of gliding operation begins
at 9 am with preparation of the ‘pie cart', our portable base, with radio,
flight sheets and other items. All aircraft are given a daily inspection to
ensure their airworthiness. The instructor of the day will carry out the
inspection together with one or more trainees, since clearly a budding pilot
must learn to conduct such an inspection. This usually takes about 20 minutes,
although the training process can double the time. The glider is then towed to
the launch point behind a car, for which three people are needed. The launch
point location depends on the wind and can be a short distance or a 2 km walk
away. By the time the training glider arrives at the launch point the tug will
have had its daily inspection and be ready for the first launch.
First come first served is the order for
the trainees. After a pre-flight briefing, pre-flight inspection of the
aircraft and preflight checks you are ready for a training flight. Typically
two flights in succession are done before the next trainee takes their turn. If
a flight is of longer duration, it may be only one. In a full gliding day you
may hope to get 4 short training flights or perhaps only 2 when one or both of
them are longer ones. When not flying, you may help others to launch, retrieve
gliders from the landing area back to the launch point, be given some ground
instruction and chat with fellow club members. At the end of the day the glider,
"pie cart" and other equipment need to be tidied up and stored. A "de-briefing"
chat about the day's events is usually held in the clubhouse. The bigger part
of a day is actually spent on the ground, but it is the presence of everyone
there for the whole day that makes the club operation possible. You gain
gliding knowledge and skills in the glider, but there is also much to learn on
the field during the day, in the workshop, and in the clubhouse after flying
where things can be discussed in more depth.
Is it worth the effort?
Only you can decide that. Clearly, a lot
of time is spent on the ground compared to flying time, during pre-solo
training. However, few good things are achieved without significant effort and
becoming a competent soaring pilot is not one of them. The pre-solo phase of
learning to fly may take 6 to 12 months. The duration depends largely on you -
the more often you fly the earlier you get to your first solo flight. That
flight is a significant achievement, but it is only a milestone on the way to
leaning how to make controlling the aircraft second nature, assess the weather,
read the sky, efficiently gain height and fly distances, soar with the eagles,
do aerobatics, fly in competitions, and obtain the various badges of achievement
- it all depends on the goals you set for yourself and what you enjoy.
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