Lessons Learned from Transitioning to Gliders

Abstract

Learning to fly gliders has been a dream of mine since a very young age. Ever since I can remember, I have been gazing up into the sky and watching the airplanes soar high above this earth. My deep love and passion for aviation stems from multiple generations of pilots in my immediate family. Having loved ones so involved in aviation often made me think about some of the less appealing statistics of our industry. In 2015, the National Transportation Safety Board published a notice stating that over 40% of all fatal accidents in the general aviation category of flying can be attributed to the pilot’s lack of control of their airplane (NTSB, 2015). This alarming statistic is what motivated me to explore ways to reduce the overall percentage of these “loss of control” accidents. This thesis takes the form of an easy-to-read manual to help certificated pilots of powered aircraft transition into gliders.