Become A Pilot
M-ASA instructors provide training to club members at no cost, on a volunteer basis. You only have to pay for the tows and glider rental costs. M-ASA has scheduled operations each weekend and Federal holidays from the second weekend in March through the third weekend in November. This means that members are scheduled as Tow Pilots and Operations Directors for each scheduled flying day. Instructors are not scheduled, therefore, the student must coordinate their training schedule with his assigned instructor. Students have priority on the tow list before noon on each operating day.
M-ASA’s Chief Flight Instructor administers the training program. Each new member is assigned to a primary instructor, based on the students preference and the student load. Once this is done, the student contacts the assigned instructor.
Credit: Darryl Wheeler/Gettysburg Times
The student and the primary instructor will work together to ensure that all of the training requirements are met. The primary instructor is the only person who may solo the student, although when the primary instructor is not available the student may receive training from any of the available club instructors. Prior to solo, and at several other times during training, student pilots are required to fly with another instructor as a cross check of his progress.
A folder is kept for each student with copies of written examinations and other information on student progress. The primary record of student progress is the student’s logbook. M-ASA recommends the logbooks sold by the SSA as the type used for glider flight recording. However, if the student already has a logbook, these can also be used.
Primary instruction is provided in our two place training gliders. After solo, student pilots may check out in one of our single place gliders.
Student progress in primary flight training will vary depending largely on how frequently he or she is able to fly. Typically students who fly more frequently advance more quickly. However, consistency of training is equally important. Students should arrange a training schedule which they can stick with over the entire season to ensure that progress is made steadily through the completion of primary training.
Credit: Darryl Wheeler/Gettysburg Times
Required Materials
M-ASA has recently standardized its training syllabus and adopted the Russell Holtz textbooks as the material used by our club for training new glider pilots. These books were written specifically for the student pursuing a Private Pilot Certificate with a Glider rating, although they are also a useful aid for preparing for a Commercial or Instructor rating, or for preparing for a Flight Review. The volume Flight Training Manual for Gliders covers flight training, while the Glider Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge covers the knowledge training. https://www.gliderbooks.com/?store-page=Books-c33210338
M-ASA keeps copies of the standard text books at our airport. These copies are for reference and use while at the airport and are not to be removed. Students are encouraged to start their own library of soaring related texts which should include the standard texts that are applicable to them and should also include other books such as the SSA Soaring Flight Manual, and other titles.
At minimum, students should obtain and study the following:
These books can be purchased from any of a number of aviation supply businesses. Many can also be downloaded from the FAA web site by clicking on the links provided for your convenience. These links are current as of 12/1/2019. Since FAA issues updates to these documents periodically, it is your responsibility to locate the latest version of these documents from the FAA sites. The following link points to the FAA page with an index of FAA Handbooks and Manuals.
P-40 Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) and Washington DC Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA)
Students must also develop awareness of the flight restrictions that relate to our proximity to Camp David that is just 8.5 miles away, and to the Washington DC. These are described in the following link. P-40 TFR and Washington DC SFRA Training