Glider Pilot vs. Private Pilot Skills

Aceman

Aceman

Pre-Flight
Joined
Jan 17, 2024
Messages
78
Display Name
Display name:
Aceman
All,

I'm about to head out to pilot training school for glider pilots. I've already taken the written exam and I've trained in powered aircraft before (~30hrs). I'm in love with the glider because it reminds me of a fighter plane and the controls mimic the stick-n-rudder that I prefer to own when I finally do own my a glider.

During the course of my studying and many small flights with a glider/airplane and the pilots I do talk to -- I've realized that flying a glider is much more advanced than flying a powered airplane. There are much more things to worry about every second you are in flight. There are so many decisions that constantly have to be updated while flying a glider vs. a powered airplane. Weather is way more crucial in a glider than a normal plane -- not to mention landings. Furthermore energy management while in a thermal and climbing is paramount to being successful in cross-country scenarios.

Why is it that the FAA doesn't see it that way. Getting an endorsement for gliders on your license should be the other way around. People that have a glider's license should be very easy to get a private pilot endorsement since the glider pilot will be a better pilot overall. Understanding engines is literally the only variable that one would need to study extra for powered aircraft compared to all the other extra information you'd need to be a good glider pilot(i.e. weather, planning, weight and balance, aircraft performance, etc..)

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
Aceman said:
All,

I'm about to head out to pilot training school for glider pilots. I've already taken the written exam and I've trained in powered aircraft before (~30hrs). I'm in love with the glider because it reminds me of a fighter plane and the controls mimic the stick-n-rudder that I prefer to own when I finally do own my a glider.

During the course of my studying and many small flights with a glider/airplane and the pilots I do talk to -- I've realized that flying a glider is much more advanced than flying a powered airplane. There are much more things to worry about every second you are in flight. There are so many decisions that constantly have to be updated while flying a glider vs. a powered airplane. Weather is way more crucial in a glider than a normal plane -- not to mention landings. Furthermore energy management while in a thermal and climbing is paramount to being successful in cross-country scenarios.

Why is it that the FAA doesn't see it that way. Getting an endorsement for gliders on your license should be the other way around. People that have a glider's license should be very easy to get a private pilot endorsement since the glider pilot will be a better pilot overall. Understanding engines is literally the only variable that one would need to study extra for powered aircraft compared to all the other extra information you'd need to be a good glider pilot(i.e. weather, planning, weight and balance, aircraft performance, etc..)

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Yup...you just about summed it up... :rolleyes:
 
Aceman said:
I've realized that flying a glider is much more advanced than flying a powered airplane.
Click to expand...
I disagree here and I do have about 8 hrs of flight time in gliders and have solo'd as well. Sue you have to be congnisant of the weather and your energy but there is much more to learn in the powered airplane. The complexity with the motors and fuel systems for one and not including taxiing, radio calls as well. I'm sure most glider pilots are not flying into Bravo and Charlie airspace on a normal basis. Sure there are pilots that fly gliders across large areas of land but they are not flying IFR at night. I actually thought that gliders were much easier to fly then planes but tbh I don't think I got great instruction at the time.
 
ColinD said:
You're neither a certificated powered nor glider pilot at the time of posting, correct?
Click to expand...
I am not but I've passed both written tests and I have 30hrs in powered flight and about 3hrs glider.
 
SEL-IR and Glider pilot/owner here…
I started in Glider instruction for a few hours, and then switched to Airplane to get my PPL.
i agree you learn much more “stick and rudder” skills with Glider, but the FAA just doesn’t provide a good path for PPL-G to PLL-SEL incremental training/ upgrade (It is technically possible, but just not the easiest route to follow To get both). License and regulatory wise, it’s more straightforward to get PPL-SEL (if you can get the medical) and then add-on Glider endorsement, which is what I did.

the Glider flying is especially important/complimentary to when I was flying IFR a lot after I got my IR… I would file and fly IFR even on clear days, to the point that I wasn’t proficient in flying a visual pattern to land. The glider flying augments that nicely.

to your other points: there are lot of glider pilots that wouldn’t know how to talk on a radio or interact with ATC. (Strictly speaking, a radio and transponder are not required for Gliders even though it’s a good idea to have and use them). so There’s a lot of skills outside of just “stick and rudder” that are required to fly an Airplane in the national Airspace that the FAA wants you to know, as part of the PPL-SEL license path.

the costs on glider is also much much cheaper than powered airplane… as I transition to Retirement I’ll probably have to cut-back to only one Aircraft, and that will likely be my Glider that I keep.
 
I've got both. Got ASEL first and glider second. Honestly, to be a safe pilot, the only skills I needed to add to fly a glider was for the aero tow. Virtually everything else is required information for a powered aircraft. You don't need to be an expert in finding lift to fly a glider safely, but you do need to understand basic weather either way. You should understand energy management in a powered craft every bit as much as glider - granted many do not, but you should. I'd argue energy management is more important with a powered craft. To go the other way would require a lot more due to cross country, airport ops, ATC communications, icing, etc, etc.
 
Aceman said:
I've realized that flying a glider is much more advanced than flying a powered airplane.
Click to expand...
I also disagree with that statement, and I have hundreds of glider flights and thousands of powered flight hours. We run a glider school at Sugarbush, Vermont, and frequently solo students who are 14 years of age. They can also take a check ride at age 15, before they can legally drive. Learning to fly a glider is not particularly complicated, and most of what you learn later on has more to do with techniques for soaring, not gliding, and those are actually different. The glider is a lot simpler that even the most basic airplane, such as a Cub. There are no complex systems to manage and no complex airspace to manage. Most of the flying is done at one airport, and the weather decisions are generally made by the instructor and/or tow pilot before the student even has to make that decision.
 
Last edited:
francisco collazos said:
I disagree here and I do have about 8 hrs of flight time in gliders and have solo'd as well. Sue you have to be congnisant of the weather and your energy but there is much more to learn in the powered airplane. The complexity with the motors and fuel systems
Click to expand...
I was a avionics specialist in the USAF for 7yrs and automobile mechanic. You don't need to know all the internals of the engine in a powered aircraft so I disagree there.
francisco collazos said:
not including taxiing, radio calls as well.
Click to expand...
True about taxiing but that is something you do have to know at any airport. Those questions were on the written test as well.

francisco collazos said:
I'm sure most glider pilots are not flying into Bravo and Charlie airspace on a normal basis.
Click to expand...
That's the complexity of airspace though. I absolutely plan on flying in those airspaces whether in glider or powered plane.

francisco collazos said:
Sure there are pilots that fly gliders across large areas of land but they are not flying IFR at night.
Click to expand...
I was only talking about PPL. Not the instrument rating.

francisco collazos said:
I actually thought that gliders were much easier to fly then planes but tbh I don't think I got great instruction at the time.
Click to expand...
The other thing I would like to add is how the USAF academy concentrates on glider flying with cross-country and aerobatics.

Cross-country is a lot different as well since you have to always monitor your sink and distance to airports in case of an off-field landing. The challenge of finding good thermals in order to fly further is also something that needs to be thought about every second.
 
dbahn said:
I also disagree with that statement, and I have hundreds of glider flights and thousands of powered flight hours. We run a glider school at Sugarbush, Vermont, and frequently solo students who are 14 years of age. They can also take a check ride at age 15, before they can legally drive. Learning to fly a glider is not particularly complicated, and most of what you learn later on has more to do with techniques for soaring, not gliding, and those are actually different.
Click to expand...
I can agree with this although age doesn't really matter on when you can get a license. If a 14yr old can learn to glide, he definitely can learn to fly powered airplane. Like what is really the difficulty with a powered aircraft (not instrument or more advanced licenses)? In my training, I found landing to be the absolute hardest to master. I was constantly told to "go around" or "give more power because you are sinking" when training in the cessna. There is no such solution when landing a glider.
 
ChopAndDrop said:
SEL-IR and Glider pilot/owner here…
I started in Glider instruction for a few hours, and then switched to Airplane to get my PPL.
i agree you learn much more “stick and rudder” skills with Glider, but the FAA just doesn’t provide a good path for PPL-G to PLL-SEL incremental training/ upgrade (It is technically possible, but just not the easiest route to follow To get both). License and regulatory wise, it’s more straightforward to get PPL-SEL (if you can get the medical) and then add-on Glider endorsement, which is what I did.

the Glider flying is especially important/complimentary to when I was flying IFR a lot after I got my IR… I would file and fly IFR even on clear days, to the point that I wasn’t proficient in flying a visual pattern to land. The glider flying augments that nicely.

to your other points: there are lot of glider pilots that wouldn’t know how to talk on a radio or interact with ATC. (Strictly speaking, a radio and transponder are not required for Gliders even though it’s a good idea to have and use them). so There’s a lot of skills outside of just “stick and rudder” that are required to fly an Airplane in the national Airspace that the FAA wants you to know, as part of the PPL-SEL license path.

the costs on glider is also much much cheaper than powered airplane… as I transition to Retirement I’ll probably have to cut-back to only one Aircraft, and that will likely be my Glider that I keep.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input. I was actually talking about stick-n-rudder skills.

I'm not sure why some here are getting triggered by the post and my comments. I'm only expressing my experience with both planes and my studying of both platforms -- even if it's not 1000s of hours. I don't feel I need to have been doing both for several years in order to make a personal opinion of my own experience.
 
This is where requirements to fly a glider are worlds apart from proficiently flying a sailplane.
Flying a glider is towing (launching) up and gliding back to the airport, which is essentially all the FAA requires for a glider rating.


I would agree it is much easier to get a glider rating than power rating just because the glider rating covers only a fraction of what power rating covers. (cross country, ATC, Night) Assuming equipment and instructor availability are similar.
Gliders, in particular, the learning really (should) starts after you get your rating and you start figuring out how to do 4 hour+ 200mile flights+.

I with some regularity do 7-8hr flights and fly- predefined triangle courses over 300 miles.

I wouldn't say either one is more or less advanced, it is just different skills, and soaring skills not taught in anywhere near a structured environment as Power flying can be. That is part of the appeal for a lot people that like the self learning and social learning aspects of soaring.


Advanced Soaring is more about learning the physics, aerodynamics, Soaring Specific systems and procedures, some advanced ATC/Airspace, and lots of Soaring (pretty good) Weather. It can include Acrobatics, advance maneuvers but doesn't necessarily have to.

Advanced power flying, is lots of systems, procedures., lots of ATC, lots of bad weather, can can include Acrobatics and advanced maneuvers as well.

While there can be a lot of overlap, a lot of it is not, and I am sure I missed some things well.

And of course there are many differently levels of advancement for both power and glider. Where you want to end up or are headed is a personal preference.


Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
Aceman said:
….
I'm not sure why some here are getting triggered by the post and my comments.
Click to expand...
I Gather you didn’t know this, but … you’ve accidentally hit on one of the “hot button issues” for the pilot commmunity..

kinda like going to a boating forum and debating Power boats vs Sailboats.
or getting on Arfcom/M4carbine forums and debating direct-impingement vs piston-drive gas systems. It’s always going to trigger a religious debate.

now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going over to the Electrician’s forums and asking if I really need to twist the copper wires together before I install the wire nut, or if the twisting action of installing the wire nut by itself already sufficient.
 
Last edited:
Aceman said:
I'm not sure why some here are getting triggered by the post and my comments. I'm only expressing my experience with both planes and my studying of both platforms -- even if it's not 1000s of hours. I don't feel I need to have been doing both for several years in order to make a personal opinion of my own experience.
Click to expand...

If you have all of the answers why did you ask the questions? :dunno:

I could argue that flying a light sport tailwheel takes more talent than others as these much lighter planes take more handling skills .. plus tailwheel pilots walk with swagger for a reason. :biggrin:
 
Last edited:
Probably the most significant answer to your question is that the "blast radius" of a glider is much smaller than that of a piston aircraft.

In general, the FAA only cares a tiny bit about a pilot killing themselves, but they care more about them killing a passenger, and they care even more about them killing people on the ground. With gliders, all of that is pretty minimal risk.
 
brcase said:
I wouldn't say either one is more or less advanced, it is just different skills
Click to expand...
Agreed. At the most basic level, it’s not a question of difficulty, it’s a question of differences.

And either one can be taken to very advanced levels, even without the addition of instrument rating, etc.

There are also situations in gliders where power pilot skills and knowledge are an advantage, and situations in powered aircraft where glider pilot skills and knowledge are an advantage.

FWIW, I’m rated in both, have instructor ratings in both, and have made my living in both.
 
Getting a glider rating is not just an endorsement. Still have to pass a check ride.
 
Daleandee said:
If you have all of the answers why did you ask the questions? :dunno:

I could argue that flying a light sport tailwheel takes more talent than others as these much lighter planes and take more handling skills .. plus tailwheel pilots walk with swagger for a reason. :biggrin:
Click to expand...
I'm not saying I have all the answers. I'm only asking for experiences from both airplane and glider. I didn't make this thread to be a cheerleader for one or the other. Why would a PPL be against a PGL? That makes no sense at all.
 
I used to be able to say the highest I had flown a civilian airplane and my longest duration flight at the controls were both in an aircraft without an engine. 18,000 feet and 6 hours.

I agree with those who say they are complementary skills. Different, but you learn things in each that helps with the other.

A buddy was a parter in a Cherokee 180D. We were going somewhere and I was flying from the right seat. He started muttering "d**m you" over and over. I asked why. He then said, "D**n you, you fly my airplane 4 MPH faster on the same power setting. I was actually using the rudders. Came from glider flying.
 
Aceman said:
I'm not saying I have all the answers. I'm only asking for experiences from both airplane and glider. I didn't make this thread to be a cheerleader for one or the other. Why would a PPL be against a PGL? That makes no sense at all.
Click to expand...

One is not against the other nor do I see one as being greater than the other. I see these as simply requiring different skill sets for flying different aircraft.

I believe the fire started when you said, "I've realized that flying a glider is much more advanced than flying a powered airplane."

Perhaps you should try the "Bonanza is better than a Mooney" line the next time. :biggrin:
 
Aceman said:
In my training, I found landing to be the absolute hardest to master. I was constantly told to "go around" or "give more power because you are sinking" when training in the cessna. There is no such solution when landing a glider.
Click to expand...
The solution in the glider is that you never depend on going around, like you do in powered aircraft. That's arguably the toughest skill to master, and it has to be fully mastered before the check ride.

People aren't getting "triggered" by your comments. You gave your opinion and ASKED for "thoughts" about it. What did you expect? Everyone to agree with you???
 
Pinecone said:
I used to be able to say the highest I had flown a civilian airplane and my longest duration flight at the controls were both in an aircraft without an engine. 18,000 feet and 6 hours.

I agree with those who say they are complementary skills. Different, but you learn things in each that helps with the other.

A buddy was a parter in a Cherokee 180D. We were going somewhere and I was flying from the right seat. He started muttering "d**m you" over and over. I asked why. He then said, "D**n you, you fly my airplane 4 MPH faster on the same power setting. I was actually using the rudders. Came from glider flying.
Click to expand...

A bit over a year ago I did my 312 mile (500km) triangle and wasn't quite ready to land and was bumping up against 18,000 feet with cloud base still above me. I recently put ADS-B in my glider in part for this situation, so I called ATC for an IFR clearance to go higher. I had never done an IFR clearance in a glider before. They cleared me to 22,000, Turned out I was only able to climb about 19,500.

When I landed my friend tells me he thinks that is a state record. I was surprised as I and others have been higher in the wave window, I have been to 22,000+. Just never thought to claim a record.
So now given the chance I can try to beat my own record
The previous Idaho record was set in something like 1962.


1705529183443.png

Brian
N1720
 
One's not better/harder than the other, they're just different. No go around in a glider really focuses the mind on landing. Going XC focuses the mind on landing options. However, no "more right rudder!" on take off, no fly heading XXX is very different in powered. I started in hang gliders and was expecting transitioning to power to be a breeze. Not so much, nearly crapped my pants on first powered take off, landing was a trial (you have to flare a hang glider HARD to have good landing) and all the instrument feed back was a lot compared with "aim for that mountain".
Getting into a pi$$sing contest on which one is harder is fairly pointless.
 
I enjoyed my glider training. Got my 7 hrs, was signed off for checkride and the examiner cancelled at the last minute. Got orders overseas and never finished.

Can’t say the flying was particularly challenging. Fun, enjoyed doing spins but not much of a challenge for basic thermal flying. You’re not having to manage an engine. W&B is dirt simple with only two seats. They are very stable and landings are super easy at the slow touchdown speeds.

Flying in position on the tow plane takes getting used to but after a little bit of flying the box (wake), it becomes second nature. Yes, you have to learn how to use the rudder with all that asymmetrical drag associated with turns but any decent powered airplane CFI should be teaching that as well. Do you have to know weather? Yep but it’s not hard to determine if you’re still within gliding distance of home plate and it’s not hard to tell if the thermals are starting to die off. A powered pilot still has to be proficient in gliding for SE failure procedures as well.

IMG_8786.jpeg

IMG_8785.jpeg
 
Unless it's a motor-glider, post impact fires are incredibly small.
 
Aceman said:
I'm in love with the glider because it reminds me of a fighter plane and the controls mimic the stick-n-rudder that I prefer to own when I finally do own my a glider.
Click to expand...
I'm not going to address all the other aspects as others have explained it well. I just wanted to comment on the above, though rare in standard aircraft like Cessna an Piper, that "fighter like" feel can be found in many homebuilt aircraft... RVs and Pitts are classic examples, but there are many others. Gliders are just cool for other reasons, too.
soarohio said:
Getting a glider rating is not just an endorsement. Still have to pass a check ride.
Click to expand...
You need a checkride for Private glider privileges. But you can exercise Sport Pilot privileges in a Light-Sport glider (I'd imagine most fit the LSA limits) with just an endorsement from one CFI and a proficiency check from another CFI; it's not a "checkride" with a DPE, though it serves the same purpose.
 
dbahn said:
The solution in the glider is that you never depend on going around, like you do in powered aircraft. That's arguably the toughest skill to master, and it has to be fully mastered before the check ride.

People aren't getting "triggered" by your comments. You gave your opinion and ASKED for "thoughts" about it. What did you expect? Everyone to agree with you???
Click to expand...
Not at all. Just getting personal jabs. The 2nd post proves what I'm seeing.
 
I'm a commercial glider pilot, and I agree. Also, single engine airplanes for harder to fly than twin engine airplanes because twins have an extra engine so you don't have to worry about the engine dying. Just like amphibians are easier to fly because you can land everywhere. Of course helicopters are the easiest because they just kind of hang there and you just move the stick in the direction you want to go.
 
Salty said:
If a clarifying question is a personal jab to you, you’re in for a rough life.
Click to expand...
Yea, I didn't look at it like that since I explained my own position in my OP.
 
Aceman said:
Not at all. Just getting personal jabs. The 2nd post proves what I'm seeing.
Click to expand...
The thing with the second post is, he pointed out that you are professing controversial opinions comparing two topics that you have no expertise in. In other words, you don't know what you don't know at this point in your flying life.

If you had limited the scope of your post to "I just started to fly gliders, and I feel like there's a lot more to think about minute-to-minute compared to powered aircraft," you'd probably have a different discussion and likely more people would agree with you. I mean, I think I would - while I have very little glider time (and therefore acknowledge that I don't know what I don't know), I have solo'ed in a glider, and do feel that you are constantly evaluating the micro-climate around you, making sure you can make it back to the field, etc. In my many thousands of hours of powered flight, yes, a lot of it is "autopilot on", and while emergency landing sites are in the back of my mind, it's nowhere near the same level. Whether I'm in an updraft or downdraft isn't particularly relevant for most of my powered flying. So I think I probably would have agreed with you if you had stopped there.

But you didn't. You then went on to say "Understanding engines is literally the only variable that one would need to study extra for powered aircraft".

Uh-huh.

Just brainstorming off the top of my head here, these are topics that are necessary to know for powered flight but not gliders (or not as much for gliders):
Takeoff distance/performance
Vy/Vx/will I make it over that obstacle?
Short field/soft field takeoffs
More detailed CG/loading - can Uncle Bobby sit up front or in the back? Do we need to put the luggage in the nose compartment or in the back?
Fuel system
How much fuel to carry vs range and weight
Other airplane systems - hydraulics, landing gear, air conditioning, heating, electrical, radios, anti/de-ice systems, magnetos, leaning, and what to do in the case of failure of any of them.
Other emergencies, like fire. Engine failure - how to restart.
XC navigation (yes, I know some gliders make XC flights. But certainly not to the same extent.)
XC flights across numerous weather systems.
How to use all the avionics onboard.
Carb icing/induction icing/airframe icing.
ATC communications (same comment as XC nav).
How to go around.
How to taxi.
Ground operations at busy B, C, D airports.
All the additional preflight and runup checks and so on.
Etc.
 
Last edited:
RussR said:
The thing with the second post is, he pointed out that you are professing controversial opinions comparing two topics that you have no expertise in. In other words, you don't know what you don't know at this point in your flying life.

If you had limited the scope of your post to "I just started to fly gliders, and I feel like there's a lot more to think about minute-to-minute compared to powered aircraft," you'd probably have a different discussion and likely more people would agree with you. I mean, I think I would - while I have very little glider time (and therefore acknowledge that I don't know what I don't know), I have solo'ed in a glider, and do feel that you are constantly evaluating the micro-climate around you, making sure you can make it back to the field, etc. In my many thousands of hours of powered flight, yes, a lot of it is "autopilot on", and while emergency landing sites are in the back of my mind, it's nowhere near the same level. Whether I'm in an updraft or downdraft isn't particularly relevant for most of my powered flying. So I think I probably would have agreed with you if you had stopped there.

But you didn't. You then went on to say "Understanding engines is literally the only variable that one would need to study extra for powered aircraft".

Uh-huh.

Just brainstorming off the top of my head here, these are topics that are necessary to know for powered flight but not gliders (or not as much for gliders):
Takeoff distance/performance
Vy/Vx/will I make it over that obstacle?
Short field/soft field takeoffs
More detailed CG/loading - can Uncle Bobby sit up front or in the back? Do we need to put the luggage in the nose compartment or in the back?
Fuel system
How much fuel to carry vs range and weight
Other airplane systems - hydraulics, landing gear, air conditioning, heating, electrical, radios, anti/de-ice systems, magnetos, leaning, and what to do in the case of failure of any of them.
Other emergencies, like fire. Engine failure - how to restart.
XC navigation (yes, I know some gliders make XC flights. But certainly not to the same extent.)
XC flights across numerous weather systems.
How to use all the avionics onboard.
Carb icing/induction icing/airframe icing.
ATC communications (same comment as XC nav).
How to go around.
How to taxi.
Ground operations at busy B, C, D airports.
All the additional preflight and runup checks and so on.
Etc.
Click to expand...
Thank you from someone who didn't have the energy or enthusiasm to create a list (and a good one at that), fearing that someone sticking to a controversial decision will just pick a disqualifier for each item. :eek:
 
Aceman said:
Yea, I didn't look at it like that since I explained my own position in my OP.
Click to expand...
You have a lot of good answers/discussion here, you may need to improve your post ignoring skills.
 
@Aceman, thank you for an amusing first post. Did you know that there is a theory in psychology called the "Dunning Kruger" effect? The gist of it is that the people who know the least about a subject are the ones who believe most firmly in their opinions.

(BTW I have a commercial ASEL ticket, 1,000++ hours, and an instrument rating. I also have logged enough glider time to qualify for the commercial checkride but due to a damaged glider (someone else) I never did take the ride. I have often said that I think a little glider experience during PP training would be a good idea. It's flying boiled down to its essentials. So I think you're on a good path.)
 
MRC01 said:
On a related note, last month the FAA published a circular on the various ways pilots mis-manage their engines causing in-flight loss of power. This spans operational procedures to maintenance.
Click to expand...
Yeah, with such great tips as "rebuilding at TBO is cheaper than rebuilding at 200 hours past TBO, so rebuild at TBO"... even if it is statistically cheaper, lets just forget about the "free" 200 hours we just got out of the good running/proven engine...:rolleyes:
 
I had a few 'students' (I think the FAA wants us to call it 'Learners' now?) that were glider pilots first. MAN can these people fly! The energy management and overall 'staying ahead of the airplane' is exceptional. I may have gotten lucky, but these students fly better than some multi-hundred hour instrument people

..
Aceman said:
Understanding engines is literally the only variable that one would need to study
Click to expand...
.. to quote Airplane! it's 'an entirely different kind of flying'


there is a lot to managing a powered plane.. it's not just the engine. There are many differences. If this were true the ACS would reflect that :)

..and yes, I too have glider time. Absolutely love it. But one of my missions with flying is being able to get from A to B quickly.
 
I have 600 hours glider time (and am a CFIG) with many of those hours cross country and contest time. It's a very challenging and enjoyable SPORT.
I have another 5,000 hours in powered planes (and am a CFII). I consider most of those hours to be a challenging and enjoyable way to TRAVEL.
I flew gliders before power planes so have a bias. I think those that get the glider rating as an add on are missing a lot . It's such a short course even the best instructor can't get into all the nuances of what makes soaring special. No way can you explore how to find blue thermals, how to climb in wave, how to ridge soar, how to optimize cross country speed and distance. All you really get to do is figure out how to do an aero tow and land the darn thing. If the FAA says that's good enough for the rating, that's fine with me. But a high percentage of those do it just to have it on their certificate and never get serious. They've not seen a reason to get serious. They probably do get some better appreciation of stick and rudder skills which is a good thing of course.
To address the OP one isn't more "advanced" than the other. They're different. A glider, even the best of them, isn't a fighter, but the latest and greatest are pretty darn sophisticated. The glider altitude record is 76,124'. The glider distance record is 1,869miles. I think that's pretty impressive. So I think both gliders and power aircraft have much to offer those who like to fly. Do both. Get good at both. Have fun with both.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top