Aerotow rating UK
 

Hello,
Do you know where can I get aerotow raiting and what is cost of it? I'm living in West Midlands. I have PPL (75h) and SPL licence (130h).

I am interesting in place where after training I could fly as a towing pilot there.

Until April next year there are two ways to get it.
1. Find an FI(A) or CRI or CRI(R) at an approved flying school who has the rating and can teach it. In practice that is almost impossible to achieve.

2. Get a gliding club to teach you and complete the training by say end February 2018 so you have time to apply to the CAA and get the rating added to your licence before 8th April 2018. This route is to obtain the qualification under BGA rules and then convert it to an EASA rating under the licence conversion rules published in CAP 804. Most gliding clubs use a very similar theoretical and flying syllabus to that published by EASA.

After 8th April it will have to be an FI(A), CRI or CRI(R), however, whereas the BGA is not for this purpose an Approved Training Organisation it is expected to become a Declared Training Organisation at some point so it is likely - once that happens - for it to be able to do further training.

The theoretical syllabus takes about half a day of briefing at most. The flying training is of the region of ten tows plus some towing in a glider if not already a glider pilot. Details on EASA web site and also the BGA web site.

A CRI(R) is a CRI restricted to teaching aerotowing and not able to perform the other roles that A CRI can do.

There are lists of gliding clubs in your area on the BGA web site.

A better place to ask this question is Glider Pilot Network > uk.rec.aviation.soaring in the u.r.a.s forum. This is the main forum for gliding in the UK. The r.a.s forum is more American and the u.r.a.s.b forum is best avoided unless you want to receive insults and read bad jokes.

You will find in the UK that gliding clubs are very reluctant to let someone fly their towplane who is not already a very experienced glider pilot. Just arriving at a club and offering your services as a tow plane pilot isn't going to work. Sorry.

@Heston: the same might well apply at many places OUK, at least at my homefield too.

@T/S: a good idea to improve your ratings, perhaps check some raiting too :)

I guess you mean outside the UK? For some reason your abbreviation reminds me of the famous headline in a British newspaper "Fog in Channel. Continent Cut Off". From the days of sea travel of course.
Anyway, yes, I'm sure it would be the case anywhere, because
1) safety case - an experienced glider pilot will be much more tuned in to what the glider on the other end of the rope needs. And,
2) it's a gliding club. Emphasis on club. Like minded people enjoying themselves together. Tow pilots don't get paid by the way.

Not entirely true - at my club we've trained tug pilots without gliding experience. It's worth talking to your local club if you're keen - they might be in need of new tug pilots. The environment can be quite challenging though.

However, the OP said he had an SPL (which I'm reading as Sailplane license), so it wouldn't be a problem.

Paul

Have you done any Gliding in the UK?
You have a SPL so are already one step ahead of your regular PPL guy.
Find your closest UK club, but don't expect just to jump into the tug straight away unless they're desperate, you may find they're already trying to train up longstanding members as it is with this deadline, some clubs have waiting lists for tug pilots. Gliding as you know is a volunteer sport after all, nothing happens at lightning speed.
If you don't mind living on little to build up your hours further you might have more success getting trained up if you apply to one of the vacancies that is bound to open up at some clubs for summer tug pilots for 2018, do bear in mind you're not paid to fly, but you might get free food, accommodation and transport!

Planesandthings

The OP states 130 glider hours in his post, so an experienced glider pilot.

Or buy a tug and find a club that needs one!