Sport Pilot Airplane Training vs. Private Pilot Glider Training

N918KT

N918KT

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Comparing the 2 types of pilot certification, which is cheaper and less time consuming to get for their first pilot certificate? Would it be even cheaper if one joins a soaring club and what costs are involved? I happened to find a soaring club near me (Brandywine Soaring Association) on the same field with a flight school with a sport pilot program and although I do not know the membership fee, with a membership it says I get free flight training and free glider usage. Is this something I should look into if I am doing flight training on a budget? Also would you say that glider pilot training is easier or more challenging than airplane pilot training in terms of difficulty? I am also interested to see what it's like to fly a glider.
 
The advantages of glider include the knowledge & experience of landing - no matter what, and understanding winds & weather.

Go take a lesson, see how you like it. Another advantage - no need to buy a headset!
 
Glider club operations are very different from commercial glider training. A club will take you a while, sometimes a long while. A commercial place will get you through quickly. The difference: in a club you really learn a lot more deeply what's involved. Because it takes longer, you'll be more exposed to different weather conditions, different seasons, different circumstances, and can get a lot of info from the experiences of other members. But, it can be easy to get frustrated at slow progression. Some people start at a club, go to a commercial place to finish up, then go back to the club.

Costs vary. Ask about membership buy-ins, dues, instructor fees (sometimes there is no charge), rental fees, and tow fees. $30 per flight doesn't sound like much, but if you do ten 10 minute training flights in one weekend, it can add up.
 
Just curious guys but to the best of your knowledge, which kind of flight training is easier to find and more widely available across the U.S.? Sport Pilot training or Private Glider Pilot training?
 
I get these sorts of questions a lot in emails and I call them to find out more information about their goals before I can answer their questions.

Talk to your potential instructors and see what they say.

In my opinion the training is not interchangeable and not all training has the same value.

I feel there is value for a powered aircraft pilot to fly gliders and some value for a glider pilot to fly powered aircraft.

I recommend training in what you want to fly.

Both Sport Pilot and glider training are hard to find in some places.

Aviation is expensive no matter how you approach it.

I feel mitigating risk should be a primary goal.

Having a sport pilot rating makes adding other endorsements easier but may not be the least expensive way to accomplish your goals.
 
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N918KT said:
Also would you say that glider pilot training is easier or more challenging than airplane pilot training in terms of difficulty?
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I would say both. ;)

First off, you can solo and get your Private/Light Sport certificate at a younger age in gliders than in airplanes. This implies that gliders are easier. The requirements for certification in gliders don't include actual sparing time, just basic soaring theory.

On the other hand, the process of keeping an unpowered aircraft in the air for most of the day gets pretty involved.

In other words, you get out of it what you put into it.
 
Different tools for different purposes. I think the glider willl always be less expensive for lots of reasons. If all you want to do is fly around and look at things the glider is just fine. And you probably will become a better stick and rudder pilot than your powered brethren.

All that said, the first day you want to fly yourself on a trip, you'll be out of luck. Thus you really need to think about your mission. Is it to go up and look at scenery, or do you want to go places? An inexpensive glider rating isn't cost effective if you want to go somewhere in an airplane.
 
MauleSkinner said:
First off, you can solo and get your Private/Light Sport certificate at a younger age in gliders than in airplanes. This implies that gliders are easier.
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This implies that the requirements were developed in the 1930's when a primary glider was something you soloed by launching off a hill while the instructor ran along side yelling instructions.
 
N918KT said:
Just curious guys but to the best of your knowledge, which kind of flight training is easier to find and more widely available across the U.S.? Sport Pilot training or Private Glider Pilot training?
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http://www.ssa.org/WhereToFly

I don't know any way of finding SP training except by calling FBOs.

After training, of course, you'll need to find a place to fly. Either club, rental, or ownership and that's another story.
 
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