Private Pilots and gliding experience
Seems like most people appreciate the value of gliding before resorting to having an engine. I am an advocate - for those who know me you'd expect that in my role.
There is no doubt that (most) glider pilots know what the foot rests are for and are generally good at handling controls delicately and precisely. Their awareness of Met also improves their skills.
Many of our top UK competition glider pilots happen to be airline or military pilots but they all started in gliding. One is current world Standard Class Gliding Champion (2nd time round) and a BA 777 captain.
Talking of airline pilots, the incident a while back with a aircraft flying to Europe from Canada and which developed a fuel leak (abrasion on a fuel line I think) which the crew failed to ascertain (can't remember the airline or aircraft) landed safely at a military base in the Azores after a 160 NM dead engines glide. The captain was a gider pilot and it was that partly that experience that got them into a spot landing.