[therider]

I know my friend who flies cessna 172/182 has to fly once every 3 months to stay current and to fly solo. What is the case with hang gliders ?

I know as a new hang-one pilot I can't stop dreaming about the next weekend to go practice on the training hill, but what about after I get my H2 ? H3 ? How often do people fly to keep their landing skills sharp ?

[Nicos]

As much as you can

[FlyBig]

I would say 50 hours a year. Of course it varies greatly depending on skill. Often I find pilots who only fly once a month or less are scary to watch.

[CHassan]

I can go several months, and still safely pilot my glider. I know guys who take years off, come out for an early tow, then smoke the rest of us when it gets good.

I also know guys who come out maybe once every couple of months and scare the crap out of us. You know the pilot who takes off and you instinctively pull out the phone and dial 911 and hover your finger over the send button.

Some pilots have it, some pilots have to work at it.



****EDIT****
I've got maybe 10-15 hours since last year this time. I would still feel comfortable going out and launching strong mid day conditions. If we could ever get any around here this year.
So I would not say 50 hours. To many pilot specific variables in there.

[gasdive]

The HGFA requires no time for a student, 5 hours a year for a restricted and 10 hours a year to maintain an intermediate or advanced rating. Those who don't have the required time must undertake a check flight with an instructor or safety officer.

For instructors who carry students, they must have 10 tandem flights in the six months prior to the renewal, do a check flight and log 25 hours on type in the previous 2 years.

Instructors who don't carry students they have to do 25 hours on type in the previous 2 years and 24 student days of teaching.

I'm not sure if anyone completely agrees with those standards but that's what the committee has come up with as a minimum for us.

I didn't fly at all for 20 years and while I did the whole course again from scratch, I don't think I really lost much. I was able to ground handle, preflight, launch well, fly accurately close to terrain and land no-steppers right from the first day. I did a day on the dunes and then a high sledder into a 10 knt cross/tail no step spot landing within a metre of where I was planning to land.

My skills were actually ok, but my confidence was below zero. I was terrified the whole time. I'm still nowhere near as confident as I was when I was a 5 hour pilot! I really think currency is important for maintaining that confidence that's really very important. Even if you are making some mistakes, it's better to make decisive mistakes than be paralyised by fear and allow events to unfold with you as a passenger.

=:)

[CAL]

since i have taken it up again i have always been able to fly at least once a week, there are times when i miss a week, i learn something new every time i fly, so the more i fly the more i learn, i have noticed in life the more practice the better you get, so it is up to you, if you want to get good you need to put in the time, there is so much to learn you will never get bored with this sport at any level, as far as how many times you need to fly to stay safe it would be hard for me to say, because generaly i have always got in a flight per week, not sure how i would do if got less time, i would say it depends on the glider you fly and of coarse your natural skills as a pilot. for my personal skills i would need at least once a week on my WW U2 if i needed to cut down on my flying time, i would consider getting a more forgiving glider, even though my u2 seems quite forgiving right now, but i am quite current on it .

[TomGalvin]

I don't think how many hours is the relevant, but how much launch and landing practice you get. Personally, I need to be flying weekly to be doing those well consistently.

[AIRTHUG]

I can offer both ends of the spectrum; I'm a H5 and have been hang gliding pretty much my whole life... While I try hard to fly at least once per week, in the winter I might fly once a month, sometimes with longer gaps than that

I feel a little rusty setting up and breaking down, but once I hook in I feel right at home. I do consciously try to step back how hard I push it when I'm not super-current...

On the flip side, I'm a new P2, and if I don't at least kite the bag every few days I'll feel rusty the next time I do... So it's very very different.

There's no substitute for currency, but it seems the more experience, the longer the muscle memory lasts between refresh sessions

[therider]

Great tips. I am currently trying to do once a week, and I think even after tow and higher altitudes, I will come back to the training hill at least once a month for launching and landing practices.

[ksykes]

[jjcote]

Living in New England, and flying as much as weather and schedule allow, I have yet to get more than 19 days or 21 hours in a single year. This year I'm at 14 days and a little over 17 hours so far. I'm not happy about it, but 50 hours in these parts is something that only a very few people ever manage in a good year. Living closer to a flying site than I do would help.

[Willmrx]

[Skyhighwoman]

Will and you forgot what u say all the time - The more u fly the better u get.



I need to fly more.

[ChattaroyMan]

After a 29 year absence it has taken me a year of regular flying to get so that I can see "current" happening next year (back in the form I was in 1981) .... if I continue to fly often. Often equals AT LEAST weekly or better April through Oct/Nov. I expect to improve upon past skill level at this rate starting June-ish of 2012.

[TheCzech]

[CAL]

[therms]

i think its very important that your glider is matched to your skill and hour imput im very much a recreational flyer or weekend warrior,so unless that changes i will always fly a intermediate/high performance intermediate wing,im not out to impress i no i may never own a litespeed........dont care

[gasdive]

[jj colorado]

Your GA pilot friend only needs to do three take offs and landings within 90 days to take any passengers flying, and that is a very practical requirement. Note that the FAA doesn't care at all if you fly for 15 minutes or 15 hours. It is the three take offs and landings that are required.

The more you fly the better, but I find flying at least once a month will keep me fairly current. But if I only flew once a month then after a while I'm sure my skills would start to drop off.

Like the FAA reg, the flying time is not the issue. It is keeping good form on take offs or landings that matters.

[FormerFF]

It depends on what you are planning on doing. Are you going to fly a single surface glider in glassoff conditions,or are you going to fly an older high performance glider in a thermally midday, and go into a high density altitude LZ. The former takes a lot less practice.