Learning to Fly Gliders Overview:

This glider flight-training manual provides you with a clear picture of the decision-making skills and flight maneuvers you must master to become a competent soaring pilot.

Learning to fly well is a big job. As with many big jobs, the best way to accomplish it is to break it down into a series of little jobs, so that you can concentrate on one job at a time. This book does that for you. I have organized the book so that each section treats a specific area of flight training. Within each section, not only is a big job divided into lots of little jobs, but the little jobs are presented in progressive order. Structuring each section in this way provides you with a step-by-step approach to building your flying skills. It also affords you the opportunity to look ahead and prepare for your next lesson before you get into the glider.

In each lesson, you learn the objective, why the objective is important for you to learn, and how your instructor will present the material to you. Most lessons also list common student errors, so that you will be forewarned against them... as well as not too discouraged if you find yourself temporarily frustrated by them. Finally, each lesson contains a descriptive completion standard, so that you can measure and record your progress, and take justifiable pride in your accomplishments.

Author:  Bob Wander
 

Table of contents
Introduction
How to use this book
Notes to instructors
Section 1: Pre-flight and ground handling
Glider familiarization
Pre-flight, ground handling, airport familiarization
Flight instruments
Glider assembly and disassembly
Primary flight controls
Other flight controls
Scanning for traffic
Shallow banked turns and short straight glides
Section 2: The The basics of free flight
Medium banked turns
Area familiarization, staying upwind
Straight-ahead stalls
Steep banked turns
Slow flight
Stalls from coordinated turns
Stalls with airbrakes
Crabbing during cruising flight
Flying in lift
Selecting cruise airspeed
Section 3: Takeoff and aerotow
The takeoff checklist
Introduction to flying the aerotow
Flying the aerotow with stick and rudder....
Shifting through the wake
Boxing the wake
Takeoff and aerotow
Introduction to premature aerotow release
Slack rope on aerotow
Premature release and abbreviated pattern
Low release and downwind landing
Crosswind takeoffs
Takeoff without a wing-runner
Section 4: Pattern and landing
The landing checklist
Introduction to the landing pattern
Normal pattern and landing
Introduction to the forward slip
Forward slip in the pattern
Introduction to the sideslip
Crosswind patterns and landings
Accuracy landing
Landing over an obstacle
Section 5: Advanced free-flight maneuvers
Precision turns
Spiral dive entry and recovery
Incipient spin entry and recovery
Zigzag turns
Unusual attitude recovery
Appendix
Minimum requirements for solo flight
Preparing for your Private Pilot Glider Practical Test
Earning your A, B, and C Badges
Bronze Badge requirements
The Soaring Society of America
For further reading
Progress record (student copy)
Progress record (instructor copy)