Certificates
Earn What You Fly.
From your first day on the field to your first cross-country flight — every skill demonstrated, every milestone recorded. Thirty-one certificates across three disciplines, plus three Master Awards that mark a complete journey.
31Achievement Certs
3Master Awards
11Learn Certs
10Build Certs
10Soar Certs
Learn — 11 Certificates
Ground Operations, Safety & Aeronautical Knowledge
From Day One on the Field
These certificates can be earned the moment you walk onto our grass strip. Ground crew skills, hangar discipline, weather decisions, and the aeronautical knowledge that makes every flight safer.
Cert 01
Aeronautical Ground School
Aerodynamics, regulations, airspace, and the foundational knowledge every pilot begins with.
Cert 02
Weather & Go/No-Go Decision
Reading the sky, interpreting forecasts, and making the call that keeps everyone on the ground when it matters.
Cert 03
Airfield Safety Operations
Runway awareness, traffic patterns from the ground, and the safety habits that protect every operation.
Cert 04
Hangar Safety Operations
Tool discipline, fuel handling, fire awareness, and moving aircraft safely inside the hangar.
Cert 05
Radio & Communications Operations
Standard phraseology, traffic calls, and clear comms between tow plane, glider, and ground.
Cert 06
Glider Pre-Flight Inspection
The walkaround that catches what shouldn’t fly — from control surfaces to tow hook.
Cert 07
Ground Crew — Wing Runner
The pilot’s lifeline on takeoff. Holding the wing level until the glider has aileron control.
Cert 08
Ground Crew — Rope Tender
Hooking up, inspecting, and managing the tow rope across every launch.
Cert 09
Ground Crew — Launch Director
Running the launch sequence, calling go and no-go, coordinating tow and glider crew.
Cert 10
Ground Crew — Retrieve Crew
Bringing the glider back to the launch point safely after every landing.
Cert 11
Towplane Second Seat Observer
Riding in the Super Cub. Seeing the tow from the other end of the rope.
Master Award
Learn Discipline Master Award
Awarded when all 11 LEARN certificates are completed.
Build — 10 Certificates
Fabrication, Restoration & Machine Shop
Real Tools, Real Aircraft
Every glider on our flight line was built by someone, and most need ongoing work to stay airworthy. These ten certificates teach the hands-on craft of aircraft fabrication and restoration — skills that transfer everywhere.
Cert 01
Aircraft Wood Structure
Spruce, birch ply, hide glue. The wooden bones of classic gliders and how they hold together.
Cert 02
Fabric Covering & Finishing
Stretching, gluing, taping, and doping fabric onto a structure. The skin of an aircraft.
Cert 03
Sheet Metal Fabrication
Cutting, bending, drilling, and riveting aluminum. The metal work that keeps modern aircraft alive.
Cert 04
Welding — TIG
Tungsten inert gas welding of steel tube structures. The fundamental skill behind every welded airframe.
Cert 05
Milling Machine and Lathe Operations
Turning raw stock into parts. The machine shop fundamentals behind every fabricated component.
Cert 06
Corrosion Inspection & Treatment
Finding it, stopping it, treating it. The enemy of every aging airframe.
Cert 07
Control Surface Rigging
Hinges, cables, push rods, throws. Making the airplane respond exactly as designed.
Cert 08
Landing Gear & Wheel Assembly
Bearings, brakes, tires, and the gear that absorbs every landing.
Cert 09
Paint Preparation & Finish
Surface prep, primer, color coat, clear coat. The work behind a finish that lasts.
Cert 10
Instrument Panel Wiring Basics
Connectors, gauges, bus bars, and the wiring that makes the cockpit come alive.
Master Award
Build Discipline Master Award
Awarded when all 10 BUILD certificates are completed.
Soar — 10 Certificates
Flight Training & Progression
From First Flight to First Cross-Country
These are the cockpit certificates. Every one represents an hour with a certified flight instructor, a logbook entry that counts, and a skill demonstrated. The path from your first tow to your first solo and beyond.
Cert 01
First Flight — Dual Instruction
The flight that starts it all. Hands on the stick from takeoff to landing with a CFI beside you.
Cert 02
Takeoff & Initial Climb
Holding position on tow, the climb-out, and learning what a glider feels like behind a tow plane.
Cert 03
Thermal Recognition & Entry
Reading the air. Spotting lift, entering it, and trusting what the variometer is telling you.
Cert 04
Thermal Centering & Climb
Finding the strongest part of the lift and circling tight enough to climb without falling out.
Cert 05
Speed-to-Fly & Energy Management
Knowing when to push the nose down between thermals and when to slow up. The math of staying aloft.
Cert 06
Traffic Pattern & Approach
Entering downwind, judging the base turn, and setting up the approach that lands you on the spot.
Cert 07
Landing — Spot & Rollout
Putting it down where you intended. Flare, touchdown, and rollout into a controlled stop.
Cert 08
Solo Flight Preparation
The pre-solo checkride. Demonstrating every maneuver and decision the day before your CFI steps out.
Cert 09
Flight Endurance — 1 Hour Soaring
One full hour aloft on lift alone. The first proof that you can stay up on your own skill.
Cert 10
Cross-Country Planning Basics
Picking a route, choosing fields, and planning the flight that takes you out of gliding range home.
Master Award
Soar Discipline Master Award
Awarded when all 10 SOAR certificates are completed.
Start Earning
Show up. Work. Log every hour.
Ground crew certs can be earned the first day on the field. Every cert after that follows the same rule — do the work, demonstrate the skill, log the entry.
Plan Your First Visit