Originally Posted by
n5296s
It seems to me, as others have said on the thread, that gliding is more about lifestyle than about flying - it really has to be a consuming passion (and it helps to be somewhere that gets some lift). Whereas powered flying is something you can structure around the rest of your life.
n5296s
n5296s,
I have heard more than one professional pilot say that soaring is the only real flying there is. But when your first experience is stuck in a sleigh ride, it is hard to appreciate the truth in that statement. And if you really appreciate the utility of something like a C182, it is hard to find any utility in a glider, because there is none. Partly it is lifestyle, but I feel I'm in the soaring for the flying. Partly for the challenge, partly because now that I'm established it is cheap. Between tow and rental fees at my club I'm paying about $30-40/hour on the average. When I fly my own glider I generally shoot for direct costs of $10/hour. But, when insurance etc is factored in it ends up more like $40-50/hour to fly my own ship. The advantage to owning a glider is not financial. The advantage is that when it is good, and I have the time, it's there for me for as long as I want. Last time I flew the pitts it was $180/hour dual, and I think it's gone up.
I have met many people who have decided soaring is not for them for similar reasons that you stated. Nothing wrong with that!
-- IFMU