Our club is looking for a cutting machine that can automatically cut out the stickers for producing licensing numbers. Right now we have the budget and since a few of our gliders need their numbers redone, we were thinking of directly getting an automated cutter.

It's a niche question, but it is also a niche Sub haha
Any recommendations or notes about this topic is appreciated!

Hello there! We are in winter mode here in the northern hemisphere, which means it is time to check our gear! For me it is also a period in which I can dedicate more time to the development of G-NAV! I am working on a comprehensive view of the ATC sectors and references, and soon I'll be improving the real time meteo information to include multiple METARs. The goal is nothing less than to cover as many of the functions in XCSoar as possible!

https://preview.redd.it/yb986dbev86e1.png?width=1560&format=png&auto=webp&s=e3ff82798f3b5779b1e34caee76c090c2991564d

https://preview.redd.it/6t3gd8bev86e1.png?width=1560&format=png&auto=webp&s=e18fdc34c18b74f7e62ea7bef643f9916fc6d81a

https://preview.redd.it/624fa9bev86e1.png?width=1560&format=png&auto=webp&s=494c94f7a2f166d5e3a50d88a87118892ecec84a

https://preview.redd.it/7erongbev86e1.png?width=1560&format=png&auto=webp&s=2e887148d8a4c4a57a0635271fb354a9c7032e0d

Curious if anyone here has made a checkride binder for use on the Glider Private Checkride?

Any other resources would be awesome too.

My idea, if no one else has, would be to feed off of the “Private Pilot Glider Checkride…Made Easy” book by Bob Wander and make a binder full of basically all information I could need to answer questions on the checkride. With tab dividers and such.

This way, I can easily just flip to the section pertaining to the question and essentially read from there.

For reference - I’m flying an L-13 Blanik.

About two weeks ago I asked this subreddit for advice on how to make a glider (here). I would like to express my gratitude to all the commenters giving me advice. After implementing some of the design changes, I saw significant improvement in flight. I sanded the wings to a more proper airfoil shape, lengthened the tail as well as slimming it down, reduced the size of the horizontal stabilizer, added a stick to the tail to prevent the styrofoam from bending, and increased the weight to shift the center of gravity.

We had 3 attempts to reach the 75 ft benchmark, and if we failed we had to write an essay titled "Why My Glider Sucked". The only good video I have of flight day was the first (worst) attempt (45 ft) so I won't bother including it. Instead here are the pictures of the final design:

https://preview.redd.it/c39b6zyj1j5e1.jpg?width=2604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=27a413b684d174b7b2d775e139f3438f3b908ab3

https://preview.redd.it/tsfrb6ik1j5e1.jpg?width=2604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4685db838fde7eb683dbdeb6e4de34ef77641fd5

I ended up reaching 60 feet, second best out of all the gliders in my class. Nobody ended up reaching the 75 foot mark, so it seemed like everybody was going to write that essay. However, he is the kind of professor that just doesn't care all too much, and he decided he didn't want to grade all of our essays right before Christmas break, so he announced there would be no essay. He's a really chill professor.

I really enjoyed this project, it was a great way to end this semester, and I learned a lot about aerodynamics and all the thought and calculation that has to go into modern aircraft design.

Hello everyone,

I am getting ready for my first ever mountain wave glider flight with a beautiful Arcus M, hopefully, if the weather holds, just around Christmas.

As many of you know, this also means getting ready to spend a fairly long time sitting at -30 degrees.

I am looking for recommendations in terms of clothing, gear, and any tips for my pre-training.

What my brain devised as a plan is the following:

1. Merino base layers: shirt, trousers, socks
2. Glove liner + some sort of gauntlet gloves
3. Battery-powered heated socks (layer 2)

My questions are:

1. I have also considered getting natural, oxidising warming packs. But with the low amounts of oxygen, would they still heat up? Does anyone have any experience with this?
2. Is it a fire hazard to have the electric socks? I know that you need oxygen to start a fire, but also I know that we have an oxygen installation so we don't die so I am conflicted.
3. What gloves do you recommend that keep you warm but don't interfere too much with your dexterity?
4. Let's talk shoes: I am considering getting something in the style of the Moon Boot, but they feel too bulky. Any suggestions? I was thinking something fuzzy-slipper like, that is not too tight on my feet but insulates well. Like a down sleeping bag for my feet I guess 😆
5. Did you bring any blankets (heated or not) and were they helpful?
6. Did you do any cold training before going? If so, what do you recommend?

Overall, I am open to any further tips if any of you are willing to share, especially if they're about flying in MTW. My experience is around 70 hours, I attained the silver badge. I will be accompanied by an instructor, so do not be concerned about my safety.

Thanks everyone. Cheers!

EDIT 1: I have planned the other typical long flight aspects like hydration, bathroom breaks, and food!

I have a PPL. I want to work towards my CPL and CFI. I have been told glider clubs are a great way to do this. There is a glider club about 30 minutes from my house. I haven't been to a meeting nor taking a ride. But I've done touch n goes at their airport and meet with a few of the members. Really nice guys.

I do know that joining a glider club doesn't mean you can show up and just fly. They expect their members to help out, clean gliders/planes, help retrieve gliders, set things up/put things away, etc.

I'm cool with that. It's purely non-profit and keeps costs down.

The Glider Club costs $600 to join plus $500 a year every year after. It's $30 for a tow and $20 for an hour of instructing.

There is also a glider school that offers Glider PPL add ons for $4000 and a commercial glider for $4500 to $5000. They say you can get it in a weekend. However, that's all up front and not pay as you go. The glider club is also further away.

What is the better choice for someone on a budget? I do want to become a glider CFI and eventually a powered CFI. I know the school is faster but I don't have $10K cash. I want to try and avoid loans as long as I can. I know dual time is huge in the aviation industry. It's what employers look at the most.

Based on these numbers, what's a ball park figure of getting my Glider PPL through the club? What about Glider CPL and Glider CFI?

What is the better option?

I need a good gliding video.

My first choice is Balleka‘s „what soaring means to me“

What other videos do you like?

hello! looking for a gift for my father this holiday season and I'm wondering about a kneeboard that's small enough to accommodate only an iPhone (less of a kneeboard, more of a phone holder so that it doesn't fall) because his old one (for an ipad mini) isn't convenient within the small cockpit of the glider. any recommendations? thanks!

Hello everyone, for our club’s end-of-year celebration, we’re planning to organize a small quiz. However, I’m not entirely sure about the answers to a few questions. Could you help me out? Thank you in advance!

Category 1: General Knowledge 2. How fast can a modern glider fly in maximum glide? a) 120 km/h b) 240 km/h c) 380 km/h d) 400 km/h (Answer: c) 380 km/h, Mü28)

3. Which animal most inspires the aerodynamics of gliders?

a) Eagle b) Albatross c) Falcon d) Seagull (Answer: b) Albatross)

Category 2: Fun Facts About Gliding 4. What altitude did the highest glider ever reach? (Guessing question) (Answer: 23,202 m – Perlan Mission II, 2018)

5. What is the record for the longest distance flown in a glider?

a) 1,250 km b) 2,520 km c) 3,008 km d) 3,058 km (Answer: d) 3,058 km – The current world record was set on June 19, 2023, by Gordon Boettger and Bruce Campbell in an Arcus J during an almost 18-hour wave flight, covering 3,058.47 km. This broke the previous record of 3,008.8 km set by Klaus Ohlmann in the Andes on January 21, 2003.)

6. How many gliders are currently registered in Germany? (Guessing question)

(Answer: Approximately 25,000)

How many screws are there in a typical modern glider? (Answer: Approximately 4,000 – a surprising fact!)

Hello! I see people online that have no pneumatic altimeter on German gliders. I have a "D" glider and re-designing the panel I wouldn't mind getting rid of the pneumatic altimeter since I already have it on several digital instruments and I have very limited space.

The EASA document where the minimum equipment is stated doesn't specify that it has to be pneumatic... Would the LX-S100 fit the altimeter requirement?

Thanks!!

https://preview.redd.it/t5ni3ps6z93e1.png?width=270&format=png&auto=webp&s=5e9e0d17fc613885db0b8a55ef4c3c90f2d45dd5

For an engineering class I am taking, our final project is to make an unmanned glider that will soar at least 75 feet. The guidelines say that we must:

1. Use common materials (I chose styrofoam since it is what I had plenty of)
2. 3D Fuselage (can't be just a stick)
3. Wingspan between 2 and 5 feet (mine is about 4 feet)

Attached is a video of it's best flight so far. Unfortunately, on the next one, it took a hard fall and broke. However, this gave me an opportunity to redesign it. The fuselage and wings are intact, so I plan to reuse those. My main question is, how can I get it to not dive like that? I have a weight capsule in the front that contains marbles, so I figured I had too much weight up there. Any other advice is welcome and appreciated.

EDIT: Forgot to attach video

https://reddit.com/link/1gzzlyn/video/hqeflg6oc53e1/player

I'm looking at taking up ye old gliding - currently 'grounded' and reading my theory for it so I can at least get the exams out of the way when they come while I lose a bit of weight.

(I'm 18kg too heavy apparently ouch!)

So I understand that there are two methods of launching - winch and aerotow.

I wanted to know the pros/cons of each outside of costs. I know that aerotow can get you up in the air faster and result in a longer flight than winch typically.

Although I am conscious that winch is considerably cheaper at my local club (Dunstable).

When I calculate the costs of a two hour aerotow to 3000ft, it works out as £162.28 - as much as an hour of powered aircraft tuition. 30 mins flying by winch launch works out as £39.10 ... dramatic difference.

Is it possible to do the bulk of your training with winch > aerotow or will I find the typically shorter flights a barrier to my progress/ in achieving bronze?

Any input/reality check appreciated.

Hello community, I have built a solid 8-10 hours flying. Mainly in the good old Twin and fancy DG 1000s Neo. While the flying experience is different I don't think it's relative to my problem here. Anyways following the tow plane has been kinda stressful for me. Of all the flights completed I have controls about 30-40% of total tow time (full tow approx 15 mins), then my Instructor asks for fhe controls back. The problem: banking too less then too much, veering to the left and right quite often, can't keep the tow plane in the horizon consistently. To add fuel to fire; or to be frank a double edge sword: I'm flying out of NZSF and it can be pretty turbulent especially when you're going in between Torlesse and Oxford to do some ridge flying and convergence. Yet, i believe this can make you a better pilot. There ws this one time it was so turbulent we relased at 2000' (800' AGL) but the thermal were so strong we climb 6000' in around 8 minutes. When I get up there, everything is okay. I can fly decently and thermal okayish (sometimes i bank too much). There's yet to be a calm day to practice aerotow. I'd say I'm blessed to have an amazing instructor and club community. So how do we practice following the tow plane? I don't see much resources on YouTube, if you can, recommend some readings and suggestions. Looking to hear from everyone. Thanks!!

Just considering to get into gliding, and had a few questions…

What are the associated costs to learning to glide? I’m aware that launches are relatively cheap, but what about learning to glide and becoming competent ? For a PPL, it is roughly £7-9k and I can’t seem to find rough costs for gliding in the uk.

Also, what is considered competent? I believe there is an SPL, but is this required for gliding solo without check rides, or is something like the bronze endorsement enough? I can’t quite make sense of the requirements for being allowed to glide alone if that makes sense.

Just weighing up whether there is a huge difference between gliding and single prop planes.

Thanks in advance.

Anyone know where i can take a glider flight in New Jersey?? Working on PPL right now. How can i get started on gliders

Hello, I am looking for a red pellet replacement for my COSIM Variometer for my SGU 2-22. Any leads are greatly appreciated!

I often see soaring happen around my ski station in the Alps and I have seen people on YouTube cross the main ridge in winter conditions.

Is there any thermal activity or do winter pilots rely almost exclusively on ridge lift and wave soaring?

Thanks in advance. :))

I am just wondering

I have the FAA glider flying handbook but is there anything else I should pick up?