Albuquerque Soaring Club

Example Training Syllabus

 

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The following is a list of subjects that would be covered on the way to the Private Pilot Glider rating. Some of the items are taught in ground school and some are covered in the flight portion of your training.

 

_1. FAR Part 1, 43, *61, *91, & NTSB 830

    _a. *Eligibility Requirements     

    _b. *Medical Requirements

    _c. *Personal Logbook

    _d. FCC Station License

    _e. Glider Pilot Certificates: privileges, and limitations

    _f. Glider and tow pilot recency of experience requirements

    _g. *Airworthiness and registration certificates

    _h. *Maintenance requirements and records

    _i. *General operating rules

    _j. Flight rules

    _k. Accident Reporting

    _l. FAA Advisory Circulars

 

_2. *Glider Flight Manual

    _a. *Operating Limitations, equipment list

    _b. *Performance charts, tables, and data

    _c. *Weight and balance

    _d. *Ballast and it's effect on performance

 

_3. *Glider Assembly, disassembly

 

_4. Flight Preparation and Planning

    _a. *National Airspace System

    _b. *Controlled airspace

    _c. *Special use airspace

    _d. En route checkpoints

    _e. Go ahead points

    _f. Using lift sources and speed between lift sources

    _g. Terrain considerations

    _h. Selecting landing areas

    _i. Personal equipment

    _j. Aeronautical Information Manual

    _k. Navigation, aeronautical charts

    _l. Cross country emergency procedures

 

_5. Personal Equipment

    _a. High altitude

    _b. Varying Terrain

    _c. Long Distances

    _d. Climatic conditions

    _e. Oxygen systems

    _f. Parachutes

 

_6. Flight Instruments and Associated Systems

    _a. Magnetic compass

    _b. *Yaw string

    _c. *Airspeed Indicator

    _d. *Altimeter

    _e. *Variometer

    _f. Inclinometer

    _g. Total energy compensator

    _h. Gyroscopic instruments

    _i. Electrical system

    _j. Landing gear

    _k. Avionics

 

_7. Soaring Weather

    _a. *Recognition of critical weather situations and conditions suitable for soaring flight

    _b. *Basic VFR weather minimums

 

_8. Pilot weather reports and forcasts

    _a. Procurement and use of aeronautical weather reports

    _b. Area and terminal

    _c. Winds and temperatures aloft

    _d. Severe weather watch bulletin

    _e. Surface analysis chart

    _f. Weather depiction chart

    _g. Radar summary chart

    _h. Composite moisture stability chart

    _i. Significant weather prognosis

    _j. Effect of density altitude and wind on performance

    _k. Severe weather outlook chart

    _l. SIGMET's and AIRMET's

    _m. NOTAM's

    _n. PIREP's 

    _o. Wind sheer reports

    _p. Making go-no-go decisions based on weather

 

_9. Stability Charts

    _a. Pressure and temperature lapse rates

    _b. Atmospheric instability

    _c. Thermal index

    _d. Thermal production

    _e. Cloud formation and identification

    _f. Frontal weather

    _g. Other lift sources

 

_10. Hazards Associated With Thunderstorms

    

_11. Preflight

    _a. *Line inspections

    _b. *Tiedown. Control lock and wheel chock removal

    _c. *Ice and Frost removal

    _d. *Written checklists

    _e. *Flight controls

    _f. *Proper assembly and disassembly

    _g. *Personal equipment

    _h. *Tow rope, weak links, towline inspection, releases.

    _i. *Launch equipment inspection - tow hitches, releases

    _j. *Structural damage

    _k. *Noting discrepancies

    _l. *Ground handling

 

_12. Launches, Aerotow and/or Ground tows. (this syllabus covers aerotow only)

    _a. *Pre-takeoff checklists

    _b. *Takeoff

    _c. *Aerotow, including airspeeds

    _d. *High and Low tows

    _e. *SIgnals

    _f. *Safety precautions

    _g. *Release procedures

    _h. *Slack towline procedures

    _i. *Boxing the propwash

 

_13. Aerotow, Abnormal Procedures

    _a. *Towplane power loss during takeoff

    _b. *Towplane power failure at altitude

    _c. *Glider release failure

    _d. *Towline break during takeoff

    _e. *Glider and towplane release failure

    _f. *Porpoising

 

_14. Precision Manuvering

    _a. *Straight glides

    _b. *Turns, shallow, medium, steep

    _c. *Spirals

    _d. *Flight at various airspeeds

    _e. *Imminent forward and turning stalls

    _f. *Full stalls, forward stalls

    _g. *Collision avoidance

    _h. *Ground reference

    _i. Spin entery, spins, spin recovery technique

 

_15. Critical Performance Speeds

    _a. *Never exceed speed

    _b. *Minimum sink speed

    _c. *Maneuvering speed

    _d. *Rough air redline

    _e. *Speed to fly

    _f. *Best glide speed

 

_16. Traffic Patterns

    _a. *Co-existing traffic patterns

    _b. *Rules

    _c. *Pre-landing checklist

    _d. *Collision avoidance

    _e. *Wake

    _f. *Windshear avoidance

    _g. Radio communications procedures

 

_17. Normal Landings

    _a. *Use of dive brakes, spoilers, and flaps

    _b. *Accuracy approaches and landings

    _c. *Faulty approaches 

    _d. *Side slips, forward slips, turning slips

 

_18. *Crosswind Takeoffs  & _*Landings

    

_19. Downwind Landings

 

_20. Off Field Landings

 

_21. Emergency Procedures. Including

    _a. Descents with high drag devices

    _b. Equipment malfunctions

    _c. Towline break procedures

 

_22. Exercising Judgment

    _a. Aeronautical decision making and judgment

 

_23. Soaring Techniques

    _a. *Thermal Soaring

    _b. *Ridge and slope soaring

    _c. Wave soaring

    _d. Mountain soaring

    _e. *Convergence soaring

 

_24. Recovery From Unusual Attitudes

    _a. High speed spirals

    _b. Excessive bank angles

    _c. Excessive pitch angles

    _d. Crossed control stalls

    _e. High sink rates

 

_25. Medical Factors

 

_26. Pre-solo Written Test

 

_27. Flight Test

    _a. Flight test requirements

    _b. Written test requirements

    _c. Use of distractions during flight test

 

ADDITIONAL FLIGHT

    _Control functions

    _Yaw string

    _Use of trim

    _Aileron drag

    _Shallow, medium, and steep turns

    _Spins

    _Benign spiral mode

    _Low "G"

    _Unassisted takeoffs

    _Landing pattern

    _Left and right hand landing patterns

    _Accuracy landings

    _Wheel brake

    _Rope breaks, land straight ahead

    _Rope breaks above 200 feet

    _No instrument flight

    _Radio procedures

    _Student training area

    _Flap usage

 

*requirements for solo flight.