Glider pilots license
Gliding is a team sport that can be enjoyed by people
from the age of 15 and up until one’s health allows. Most glider pilots just
fly for fun, for the sake of having a hobby, others do it because they like
being one with nature. Some do it on a competitive level. Gliding competitions
are basically racing competitions where it’s about flying a given task as fast
and effectively as possible. Taking the license in Denmark is done in basically
three parts:
A-Standards:
When taking the glider pilot’s license, one starts by
flying in a two-seat trainer with an instructor in the back seat. The student
is briefed before every flight and debriefed after each flight. The student
starts learning the basic things at first, and then the more advanced ones.
When the instructor feels that the student is ready to move on, he approves the
particular standard in the student’s log book. When the first 11 standards have
been passed, the student takes a brief theoretical exam and is required to take
a medical exam. Typically, by now the student has flown 80-100 flights and
logged about 15 hours, all depending on various things. When all is in order,
the big day arrives; the first solo flight. It is a big day for every pilot, no
matter what the pilot flies. Being alone in the sky and having so much freedom
is a feeling that simply cannot be replaced by any other.
B-Standards:
After
that the student has flown solo, he/she continues the course by flying on both
one- and two-seater aircraft. Most of the things that the student has learned
are repeated in a single-seat aircraft and the student now also learns more
advanced flying in the trainer. After passing the first 7 B-Standards, the
student prepares for the big exam. By now the student has passed the theory and
is ready for the flying/ practical S-exam. When passed, the student will become
a licensed pilot. By now the student has typically flown 2-3seasons, depending
on one’s ability to learn and the time one invests in the sport. The theory is
made up of these subjects:
- Human
factors and limitations for pilots
- Aerodynamics
- Meteorology
- Instruments
& equipment
- Rules and
regulations
- Flying
gliders
Personal achievements:
Solo after 49 flights / 7 flying hours.
Glider pilot’s license in 1 year.
Winch launch approved.
Tow plane launch approved.
Passenger flying approved.
International VHF license.
Simple aerobatics approved.
Nr.11 at the Danish Junior Championships (under 26),
and number 1 on one of the competition days. Registered as a ‘talent’ at the
Danish gliding union. (There were 20 people registered as talents in whole
Denmark at the time).
As ‘talent,’ one gets the privilege of practising with
the national team. Another good thing is that you can fly any of the Danish
Gliding Union’s aircraft for free or very cheap, and can participate in
competitions for free and getting highest priority in courses etc.
FAQ’s about Gliding:
Q: How does a
glider get in the air, considering
that it doesn’t have an engine?
A: There are two
ways of getting the gliders in the air, depending on which club you fly in. The
first method is to winch launch the glider by a special winch. The winch has a
cable, which is typically about 1km long. The aircraft is attached to the end
of the cable and when all is set, the winch starts pulling and winding the
cable onto the drum. This accelerates the aircraft and the pilot controls the
angle of climb. Winch launching is relatively cheap and the glider is launched
to an altitude of about 300-400m. The other way to get a glider in the air is
by towing the glider behind a light aircraft. This way you can tow the glider
to the exact position and altitude that you want to. However, as you can
imagine, this way is more costly, compared to winch launching.
Q: How does a
glider stay in the air, considering
that it doesn’t have an engine?
A:
After being launched, the pilot looks for thermals (see next question). When a
thermal is found, the pilot circles in it, holding the aircraft in the rising
air. This way, the glider will climb with the rising air, normally all the way
up to the cloud base.
Q: What is a
thermal?
A: A
Thermal is basically a mass of warm air rising. As you know, warm air is
lighter than cold air, and therefore rises. When the sun shines on the ground,
the earth gets warm. When it reaches a certain temperature, the earth releases
‘bubbles’ of warm moist air, that rise and turn to clouds when reaching a
certain height / temperature.
Q: How does the
pilot find these thermals?
A: Well, thermals
are air, and therefore invisible. The pilot normally looks at the clouds to
find thermals. Cumulus clouds are created because of the thermals. So if the
pilot flies under such a cloud, he knows that there’s a good chance for flying
into it’s thermal. Other ways of finding them, is by looking at birds. Soaring
birds such as seagulls and birds of prey sometimes fly in circles and climb to
high altitudes without ever flapping their wings. If a glider pilot sees one of
these birds circling, then this is normally a good indication of a thermal.
Birds instinctively know how to find and use thermals, and they are usually a
very good way for pilots to spot thermals.