Student Glider Pilots

[nathan_c]

Well I guess anyone who is interested or already is flying gliders can post in here, but Im just trying to get a general idea of who/ how many people actively fly gliders? If you do, post where, so it may be possible to organize something in the future.

 

Ill start

 

-Nathan Cornwell, just started flying a few months ago, and am doing my training at Warwick, in queensland atm.

 

 

[Captain]

G'day Nathan.

 

 

 

I fly them and have one and love it.

 

 

 

How many hours do you have up and where are you at with your progress?

 

 

 

Regards Geoff

 

 

[icebob]

Hi,

 

I fly them, I have just started again after being away for 40 years and have got six hours and twenty two minutes in the book to date, flying at Camden (NSW).

 

Bob.

 

 

[nathan_c]

Ive currently got 3 minutes shy of an hour, im training with the AAFC(Australian Air Force Cadets) so i onyl go out every few weekends. Not nearly as much as I would like

 

 

[Phildo]

Hey Nath,

 

I am thinking seriously of going over to the quite side .. I have had about 5 flights over the years just for fun.

 

However, since playing around with the drifters again for a bit, I really like the idea and challenge of hunting for thermals and soaring.

 

I have made all the enquiries with Caboolture and Boonah and cant decide if I want to go that way. I gues the stick and rudder time would'nt hurt!!!

 

I'm getting closer to a midlife crisis everyday and I am looking for a bit of a 'club' enviroment for the social side and a bit of flying to boot.

 

I also love my RC planes and heli's and enjoy that heaps.

 

The problem I see with gliding is that it's an all day thing. Where as a drifter can be up and running with minimal assistence and dependance of others. And as I work shift work, weekends are a rarity and hence gliding is more of a pain as the older you get, the less time you have. And time is worth a lot more money later in life then when your younger.

 

I see your in air cadets. Good on ya bloke. I was in air cadets in Toowoomba many many years ago. I moved onto full time Navy (patrol boats) and 6 years later went into full time ARMY (Armour) for another bunch of years (Army is better!). I worked with a lot of Air Farce personnel. I'll reserve my opinions on that one but no one will doubt that they are rich cousins in the defence world with very good conditions although they work in isolated areas for much of thier careers. (Truth is, I would love to work there now).

 

Went and spoke to a few people today about it (gliding/Raa flying) .... I may run with both for a while until the wife finds out!!! (But at $450 membership and $70-90 per launch, gliding aint a cheap sport!!) You wont want to know how much I can spend at the model shop on RC gear.

 

One bit of advice, keep on flying. Dont stop when you start working and start drinking with your mates .... you can do both (just not at the same time). The key to flying is to start young when you have little commitments and expendable cash (although little pay checks to start with). It's easy to drift away from flying and god knows heaps of people do it. But keep going, even if you have 3 minutes shy of 1 hour ..:big_grin: It doesnt matter. What matters is that your in it. Time will reward you with exprience, and you cant buy that!

 

Phil

 

Fly Safe dude.

 

 

[nathan_c]

70 bucks a launch?? Damn, how long do you wanna be up their for? I pay 30 for the aero tow then 50 c a minute glider hire, so it ends up being about 45 bucks for a half an hour flight, which is all i get at this stage :P

 

 

[Phildo]

Well Nath,

 

I got a tug today a Caboolture for a 'trail flight' and towed to 4000 ft.

 

Due to the cloud inversion only got about 28mins air time. This flight cost $245.

 

I can fly my Drifter for $120 per hour, and I dont have to worry about support crew or weekend only flying.

 

As much as I love the idea of gliding, its just not economical to do, neither in time or money.

 

I would love to do a bit more gliding but I feel that Boonah may be the only (and cheapest) option. No one said flying was cheap but gliding is as you say 'recreational' and to be enjoyed by the masses. However, its a real discipline sport for the dedicated few. I respect the blokes who do it though, very high level of pilots as it would seem.

 

Enjoy your flying mate.

 

Phil

 

Fly safe.

 

 

[icebob]

Wow, $70 a launch, I got two launches on last Saterday and one on sunday for a total of $97 and total flight time of three hourse and twenty minutes over the whole weekend.

 

I must agree with other posts, glider pilots at the high end competition level are top notch and my humble flights last weekend looked quite sick compared to the one guy who launched an hour before me and I was back and finished lunch and he had just came into the circuit???? He was flying the same type of 2 place glider I went out in.

 

Bob.

 

 

[Captain]

Phil

 

 

 

The points you make in para 3 of post #7 are relevant and correct however your example in paras 1 & 2 is close to a worst case scenario.

 

 

 

If the inversion was that bad and there was no lift, then it was a waste of time going up to "soar" and was more an enjoyment flight that you would have suspected before you made the commitment to launch.

 

 

 

On the other hand (& admittedly during a Riverina summer) I have had 8 or 9 hours cross-country for a single launch of $45.00, and that needs to be taken into account when considering the +'s & -'s of sailplanes.

 

 

 

And in my view there are few thrills like turning your back on your launch point and heading off on a long cross-country flight. Then a few hours later being 200 - 300 kms or more away from home and relying on your thermaling ability to get back. Or the thrill of getting your final glide home at the end of a long day with the sun going down and the Cu's dieing ............... (or the thrill of being able to have a leak after landing following 8 hours in the cockpit).

 

 

 

Regards Geoff

 

 

[Phildo]

Fm Geoff,

 

If the inversion was that bad and there was no lift, then it was a waste of time going up to "soar" and was more an enjoyment flight that you would have suspected before you made the commitment to launch.

 

 

 

Correct. I decided to go up and just enjoy the amazing exprience of flying near the cloud base safely with an L2 pilot onboard. And yes, I agree with the comments you made about the plusses and minusses. It is meant to be a challenge to soar!!

 

 

 

Again, I would love to soar ... and feel completely at ease with the instructors who in my very limited expirence (trained, but never finished on RAA, GA - fixed and rotorwing, Gliders and Gryos) offer very professional instruction.

 

 

 

I will just have to weigh up the pro's and con's of gliding with the practicalities of RAA flying. Ideally, both would be fantastic... but the plastic wont stretch that far!!!

 

 

 

Phil

 

P.S I went to the Watts Bridge Vintage flying meet today ..... Just fantastic. It is an amazing meet that you must get to one day - mustangs, raptides, yak's by the dozen, moths, and much much more ..... entry $5 bucks. Great stuff. Phil ....

 

 

 

 

 

[Phildo]

Sorry gents,

 

But out of interest, could I ask for members to post their tug cost for a launch to 2000 feet, just for interest / comparision around the country.

 

Also could I ask for cost per minute of the glider.

 

That would be great.

 

Thanks, phil.

 

Boonah - $33.00 to 2000 @ .58c

 

Caboolture - $41.80 to 2000 @ .66c

 

 

[icebob]

Hi,

 

Southern Cross Glider Club at Camden(NSW) is 70 cents per miniute for first hour then 35 cents per minute for subsequent up to a max of $126 for 5 hours plus.

 

Must be a member of the club $360 and of the Gliding federation $190.

 

Bob.

 

 

[Phildo]

Thanks Bob,

 

What's the tug costs out of interest??

 

Phil

 

 

[icebob]

Hi,

 

I will ask when i go next, I was given by my wife(she just amazes me) the 10 flight package at $695, I purchased the extra time while there which cost me $97 extra.

 

My first and second landing after 40 years away was nearly spot on, just a little - -long - - on touch down, although at first the approach with spoilers concerned me a little, like doing a carrier landing approach without arrester wires!

 

Bob.

 

 

[Captain]

But out of interest, could I ask for members to post their tug cost for a launch to 2000 feet, just for interest / comparision around the country.Also could I ask for cost per minute of the glider.

At Tocumwal the tug costs are about $33.00 to the 1st 1000 ft then about $1.40 per 100 ft thereafter.

 

 

 

The Glider is mine, but others are on Sport Aviation's website. Great place to fly.

 

 

[Phildo]

Thanks fellas,

 

Interesting to see uniformity in pricing to a degree.

 

I will go for another flight this coming w/e to get a feel for it again. Damn addictive stuff these gliders. Dont know what it is.... but I feel I want more!!!

 

My problem is as a shift worker - I only get MAYBE 2 weekends of a month if lucky.

 

I am concerned at my ability to help out at the club on the rostered days, and of course my availability for the whole day (I'm a copper - shifts change daily and call outs happen.)

 

Phil.

 

 

[nathan_c]

Sorry for the late reply guys,

 

$70 dolllars? Thats a bit steep. Either you got a really expensive place to fly, or you got towed to a unusually high altitude?

 

I get towed to about 2000 ft AGL, which ends up being 3500 ft, and it costs me approx $30, and thats every time I fly.

 

So for whoever asked about prices around the country,

 

Warwick - approx $30 to 2000 ft AGL.

 

On another note, Phildo, if you are flying around Caboolture and Boonah, why not head out to warwick one time? You would have to look them up to see when they are there, because I have only been out on cadets trips so far, but they are all a great bunch of guys. From what I have been told, Warwick is alot better then Boonah anyway, as you have altitude restrictions there where as you dont at Warwick. Anyway, ill be quiet now and let this post sink in

 

 

[Phildo]

Warick eh???

 

May just do that Nath.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

 

 

[Ardydublu]

Word from SA

 

Hi Guys, Just a quick note on some gliding down here in SA. I have just this year resumed flying at Murray Bridge after a 28 year absence previously flying at Gawler. MBGC only has one club glider and several privates, all motorgliders. The club Grob 109 is $20 per hour airframe plus $60 per hour engine time charged by the minute. I'm also flying RAA and have a GA licence as well, but I really can't go past the sheer joy of gliding for recreational flying. I keep looking at the yet to be certified Stemme S6RT and can't help thinking it is the closest thing to the perfect compromise.

 

Glider Pilots Keep it up longer!!!;)

 

 

[Phildo]

Glider Pilots Keep it up longer!!!

That's only because they're on the viagra from Friday arvo !!!!

 

Seriously, I would have to agree.... gliding is something, although time intensive, that really appeals to some, me included.

 

The simple pleasures of life .. eh?

 

Phil

 

 

[Guest airsick]

I keep looking at the yet to be certified Stemme S6RT and can't help thinking it is the closest thing to the perfect compromise.

You ever looked at the Pipistrel range? I fly a Virus but if you want something more like a true glider then check out the Sinus. They aren't as good as true gliders but they are a hell of a lot cheaper than a brand new Stemme and a really good compromise in terms of price, performance and gliding capabilities.

 

 

[Ardydublu]

You ever looked at the Pipistrel range? I fly a Virus but if you want something more like a true glider then check out the Sinus. They aren't as good as true gliders but they are a hell of a lot cheaper than a brand new Stemme and a really good compromise in terms of price, performance and gliding capabilities.

Absolutely have and I confess I have it bookmarked and revisit the site often. My comment and yours probably only differ in the 'perfect compromise' area that you have included price, I was only looking at gliding/powered performance compromise. I may well finish up going that direction purely because of price, but I'm not quite ready to make a commitment yet.

 

 

[Guest airsick]

Keep an eye on them too Ardy, the performance is about to get even better. I think the new model comes out in November sometime.

 

If you're ever over this way (Canberra) drop me a line and I will take you for a quick fly.

 

 

[icebob]

Hi Airsick,

 

Thanks for that, my wife is also pushing me in that direction, she has about 130 hours on motor gliders and about 300 in fixed wing(GA), looks like I am being cornered(help - well a weak help at that).

 

Can I please get a little more detail from you about your aircraft? She herself was talking about leasually trips to central Queensland and that sort of thing from Sydney, is that reasonable?:confused:

 

Bob.

 

 

[MrH]

Hey Airsick,

 

If I'm ever over Canberra way would you take me for a fly?

 

I dream of the Pipistrel aircraft & have photos in my office to look at when work gets me down - Tattslotto just hasn't done it for me yet, though:crying:

 

H