I should probablly know this cause I'm a pilot too....  ..... but whats a PPG check ride? 

Congrats.. a very unique accomplishment ..    

So.. once licensed, you can take a passenger for a ride, right ?

Brett_Henderson wrote on May 27^th, 2010 at 7:27pm:


Yes, it's just like the PPASEL in that regard... and like a PPASEL, it will allow me to rent a glider for solo flight. It'll also make me eligible to eventually do the commercial and CFI glider ratings.

Brett_Henderson wrote on May 28^th, 2010 at 6:11am:


It depends on conditions... if there's lift, we're soaring. If there's no lift, we're gliding. 

By all means, let me know if and when you might be in this area. I'd be happy to take you for a ride and let you try your hand at flying the 2-33. It can be a little frustrating at first with no glider time, but you'd quickly appreciate its ability to perform. For an older, heavy, draggy design, the 2-33 performs well and is pretty easy to master.

When you fly in, if your descent and approach into 47N is a horrific, headliner-bumping terror ride, that means there will be good soaring. 
Surprisingly, though, once you're off tow and actually "coring" a good thermal, it's usually  a pretty smooth ride. Other than the near-constant turning, the only thing that's ever bothered me is in gusty conditions, when the wind is tearing up thermals and trying to upset the glider.

A "sleigh ride" on a cloudy calm day is a nice intro to gliders, but  on a good soaring day, despite the physical effort and strain (it's called a "sport" for a reason), it's still fun, in the long run. I wasn't sure how much I'd like this soaring thing until the first time I gained a couple thousand feet and made it to cloud base... it's pretty amazing.

Even if we can't glide, you should definitely visit 47N... cheap fuel for this area, and just a cool airport to hang out at.