Learning to Soar
People choose to learn to soar for a variety of reasons; some are licensed power pilots looking to expand their flight options, some are intrigued by the sport - seeking thermals to maintain lift and time aloft and the pleasure of flight using only nature's sources, others come to gliding as an entry to powered flight - building solid airmanship skills before making the transition. However you come to the sport, MSA is a great community for learning to fly. Merlin is small enough that it is easy to build relationships with others in the community and having members at all levels of experience means there's someone close by that can share your learning experiences or another that has years of flight experience and can expand on various flight topics you are covering with your instructor.
The two most common questions that prospective students have is 'how much time will it take' and 'what does it cost'? These are good questions, but unfortunately there is no single answer. $3,000 is a ballpark cost for a Private Pilot Glider rating, but will vary based on student age and aptitude. The SSA has a nice set of pages about soaring, with the second page in the series specifically talking about learning to fly. They also have a page listing the FAA requirements for various license ratings (Private, Commercial, etc.). Note that the FAA requirements are minimums - it is unlikely that a student will achieve licensing in the minimum amount of time. That said, we can say that Merlin Soaring provides an exceptional value for the student and licensed pilot. Membership dues pay for the upkeep to our gliders. We have a set tow fee that covers the cost of the tow plane, and not much overhead beyond that.
At Merlin, we have members that are FAA Certified Flight Instructor - Glider (CFIG). Merlin's Chief Instructor, Paul Roberts, who has taught countless pilots to fly gliders oversees the training program. Instruction is generously donated by Merlin's instructors to share the sport of soaring with our students. All flight instruction occurs at Merlin Aerodrome in club gliders; ground instruction locations vary and are arranged between students and instructors.
All students must be members of MSA - please see the Membership & Board page for details on membership and a schedule for tow fees.
Instruction Books / Ancillary Items
Merlin uses Russell Holtz's Flight Training Manual for Gliders and Glider Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge for our flight and ground training efforts. Students will need to obtain copies of these manuals for use during their training - they make good post training reference manuals as well. Copies can be ordered directly from GliderBooks.com or from the SSA store. If you are beginning your flight training, you'll also want to get a log book and may want to purchase some ancillary aides such as a glider slope ruler or the Sectionals/Airspace for Glider Pilots reference card. Gliderbooks.com has these as well.
Badge Guidelines
The Soaring Society of America provides the guidelines for the A/B/C badges, as well as the Bronze badge. In coordination with the Federation Aeronautique Internationale ("FAI") the SSA is the administrator for the US for Silver, Gold and Diamond, and other FAI badges. You can see the guidelines here.
The two most common questions that prospective students have is 'how much time will it take' and 'what does it cost'? These are good questions, but unfortunately there is no single answer. $3,000 is a ballpark cost for a Private Pilot Glider rating, but will vary based on student age and aptitude. The SSA has a nice set of pages about soaring, with the second page in the series specifically talking about learning to fly. They also have a page listing the FAA requirements for various license ratings (Private, Commercial, etc.). Note that the FAA requirements are minimums - it is unlikely that a student will achieve licensing in the minimum amount of time. That said, we can say that Merlin Soaring provides an exceptional value for the student and licensed pilot. Membership dues pay for the upkeep to our gliders. We have a set tow fee that covers the cost of the tow plane, and not much overhead beyond that.
At Merlin, we have members that are FAA Certified Flight Instructor - Glider (CFIG). Merlin's Chief Instructor, Paul Roberts, who has taught countless pilots to fly gliders oversees the training program. Instruction is generously donated by Merlin's instructors to share the sport of soaring with our students. All flight instruction occurs at Merlin Aerodrome in club gliders; ground instruction locations vary and are arranged between students and instructors.
All students must be members of MSA - please see the Membership & Board page for details on membership and a schedule for tow fees.
Instruction Books / Ancillary Items
Merlin uses Russell Holtz's Flight Training Manual for Gliders and Glider Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge for our flight and ground training efforts. Students will need to obtain copies of these manuals for use during their training - they make good post training reference manuals as well. Copies can be ordered directly from GliderBooks.com or from the SSA store. If you are beginning your flight training, you'll also want to get a log book and may want to purchase some ancillary aides such as a glider slope ruler or the Sectionals/Airspace for Glider Pilots reference card. Gliderbooks.com has these as well.
Badge Guidelines
The Soaring Society of America provides the guidelines for the A/B/C badges, as well as the Bronze badge. In coordination with the Federation Aeronautique Internationale ("FAI") the SSA is the administrator for the US for Silver, Gold and Diamond, and other FAI badges. You can see the guidelines here.
