Glider Pilot to PPL?

[Mark1234]

Perhaps folks here can offer a little advice; Glider pilot from the UK, recently emigrated seeks PPL.. So far I have three different answers from three different people on the viability of being able to count some/all/none of my glider hours towards doing a PPL here. I have a shade over 50hours of sailplane time, qualified to fly cross country etc.

I would expect to have to work hard on a lot of the theory, nav and suchlike, particularly as sailplane nav is a little more ad-hoc (not being good at flying in straight lines), and I'm not used to worrying about an engine.. however, 20hrs to a GFPT and 20hrs more to a PPL seems like rather more than I'd expect to need, given I'm already reasonably competant at the stick and rudder stuff... and I've done the odd dead stick landing :)

Cheers,
Mark.

[one dot right]

Can't speak for oz,but i did my PPL in the U.K from a silver 'C' and was the proud owner of the little brown book after 12 hours.(it was a long time ago):sad:

[LeadSled]

Mark 1234
All the regulations are on the CASA web site.
You need to have a good look at CAR5, particularly CAR 5.84
Make certain your Glider record is well substantiated, maybe a letter from the BGA or where you did your flying, as well as a logbook, with the letters/entries signed/certified by somebody suitably official.
You will find out that quite a lot of glider time will count, wherever you do the PPL training, you will find a rule that gives some flexibility to the CFI when it comes to assessing the various bits and pieces that make up the requirements for the PPL- What that means is quite a lot of glider time can count, but it is not fixed, it’s between you, your CFI and CASA. If you find a CFI that say otherwise, go somewhere else.
I have yet to meet a glider pilot who didn’t make mincemeat of the basic power flying standards in double quick time.
Tootle pip!!

[Andy_RR]

I've never flown a glider, but pax'd several times.

I'd say there's still a fair amount different between gliding and powered flight. If you could get a few hours concession for your glider hours, I'd still think there's a lot of value in going (quickly) through the GFPT sylabus, for your own safety as much as anything. You will wizz through some sections, but like any stude, somethings like going around, for example, need to be practiced to be relatively automatic in order to work well - I doubt you've done many of those in a glider! :)

Most people have got their stick-and-rudder stuff well sorted (if not fully polished) by the GFPT stage and between GFPT and PPL is largely navigation stuff anyway. I can't see you saving much time on this section.

IMHO your gliding will be a fantastic background, but the GFPT/PPL training is good fun and worth doing for the sake of it.

Good luck - go and enjoy it!

[outofwhack]

Mark,
Your 50+ hours in gliders will I am sure make it very easy for you to handle the practical aspects of flying powered aircraft (specially if it was amassed from short flights in poor soaring conditions in the UK). I know that I had at least 100 take offs and landings in gliders by the 50 hour point when flying in the UK! Its landings that count in my book!

I would recommend you search out a power school that favours training in tail-draggers like a Citabria or Piper cub. Gliders are after all tailwheel aircraft. You will feel right at home and you will learn more than can be taught in a nose-dragger like a Cessna. After a few hours you will have worked which instructor you are comfotable and working well with. Remember you are the customer and it should be a very enjoyable experience. if its not find another school.

I dont know what the time requirements are now but I went PPL in the UK on the basis of a Silver C. When I came to Oz they wanted to give me a restricted PPL but I argued that I had cross-country glider time in the UK in my glider log book and manager to get granted the unrestricted PPL.

But really in the big scheme of things dont worry about completing it in record time. Choose your instructor well and if you have to do 40 odds hours use it to learn more advanced skills like instrument approaches etc. It wont be in the test ofcourse

OOW