Commercial Glider

[OleGuy]

Worded strangely, yes. Difficult to accomplish, definitely not.

Here's how it went for me. Soloed after 10 dual flights. Got 20 solos, then 3 test prep dual and an endorsement for the checkride. Bam, commercial glider pilot.

10 flights dual will probably be quicker than the 3 hours, a rope break at 200' agl counts as a flight and you'll do a few of these pre-solo. most flights pre-solo unless you're really working on thermaling technique are .1~.5 .

I was told "sole manipulator" doesn't entitle to log PIC on a new category.

A rope break at 200' agl is considered a flight. I think i had 12 of those solo.

While in service I worked at a commercial glider operation at Leesburg and then later at Warrenton for a couple of years. If you can fly taildragger you can fly a towplane. Got the CFI-G in the process (back then you were required to have two different type tows- winch tow at Wallops Island was an experience). We had two tow planes and 8 gliders and ran them all day every weekend. In all that time I never even SAW a rope break! That speaks volumes about the operation you used! Closest thing I had was the tailwheel broke and locked up the rudder on t/o, had to abort at 60 kts and was lucky the CFI in the glider was sharp.

 

[Prof. ATP]

Tell me if I'm missing something. I am a ATP (ME) Single Engine privlidges. CFI airplane single and multiengine land and instrument. To get my glider cert. I need say for example 3.5 hours of dual in a glider and say 5 flights or 10 flights and 2.5 hours. THEN 20 solo flights? Seems to worded strangely.

All you need is 20 solo flights for an add-on. I did it in an intensely fun long weekend (23 flights, actually), with a little previous experience. Come nice weather, a local glider operator claims to be short of commercial glider pilots to give tourist rides, which I am checking into. Sounds like more intensely fun weekends...