So in the USA you have commercial glider pilots who are not instructors but it's "easy" to get a CFIG rating (certified flying instructor, glider ???) if you've got a power CFI (certified flying instructor???) rating?
Very strange. It ain't like that in the UK.
Sedbergh,
Let me try and translate from my local American dialect. "Easy" translates to no written exam required. Before you get to the easy step of adding on a glider commercial or instructor rating, you first have to get the power commercial or instructor rating. Which requires instruction, aeronautical experience, a signoff to take the written exam from an instructor, pass the exam, get an instructor recommendation for the checkride, and pass the checkride which consists of both an oral exam, where the examiner can ask you about anything and you demonstrate your academic knowledge, then the flight part of the checkride where you demonstrate your ability. So, a commercial power guy who wants to add a commercial glider rating already has down most of the hard academics, but has to learn the soaring ones to pass the oral exam. Same thing with the CFI rating. And, I submit that the flying part is not that hard, to be able to fly on tow, do some thermaling, fly to commercial standards, land, etc. I also am a staunch believer that to be good at soaring takes a lot longer. And, I think you need to spend the time to become good at soaring before you can become an effective glider CFI. Personally, I didn't rush to get my glider commecial rating, because I felt I still had a lot to learn. I will probably go for it next year. But I'll do the power commercial first, becaus then I won't have to take another written exam to get the glider commercial. If I had the glider commercial, I would have to take a written to get the power commercial.
I would also agree that although it's easy to go from power to glider, it doesn't necesarily make sense. But in some ways it does, because that first commercial rating, or that first CFI rating, there is a lot of work and experience that goes into it.
CFI = certified flight instructor
CFIG = certified flight instructor, glider
I'm curious, maybe one of you guys can tell me what it takes to be a glider instructor in the UK. I find the differences interesting. But, I bet that US and UK licensing differences aside, I bet in a pub we would still have plenty in common and a lot to talk about, just like my soaring buddies here stateside.
-- IFMU