Glider Tow or Para Drop opportunities
 

Hi,

Are there any glider towing or parachute drop pilot opportunities for a PPL with 200 hrs? I'm looking for some hours on a part time (e.g weekends etc)
basis to keep current and gain experience.

thanks

Glider towing positions are normally only open to holder's of silver 'C' gliding qualifications, there are occassional parachute droping opportunities.

The other option is banner towing, although there are only a few that do this in the UK. However, can I stress that banner towing is potentially very hazardous, particularly for an in experenced pilot and you have to fly very accurately for the pick up and be comfortable with slow flight.

Part time vacancies for tug pilots are usually resticted to club members as there is rarely a shortage of volunteers. The only time that most clubs take on outsiders are for the summer courses which require more or less full-time attendance. Additionally as a fair percentage of tugs are Super Cubs/Pawnees etc, you will might need tailwheel time as well.

Go and have a chat with your local gliding club. Try the british gliding assosciation website and yo'll find your nearest club. Not all clubs require 'gliding' experience, some are quite happy to take ppl pilots. Ours for example has 12 tug pilots, of that only 4 are glider pilots/experienced glider pilots(myself included). Gliding experience certainly helps but not all clubs see it as a necessity. You will need to 'muck in' however, be there from 9 -5, clean the aeroplane etc. Gliding is a real 'club' activity and you need to be part of the team.