Soar
Into the Sky.
This is the cockpit discipline. Stick and rudder. Tow release. Thermal. Pattern. Landing. Soar is what the ground crew certificates and the shop floor certificates were preparing you for — the moment you sit down in the front seat with a certified instructor beside you and learn what a glider actually feels like in your hands.
Three skill arcs. One pilot.
Soar is not one set of skills. It’s three arcs that overlap and reinforce each other — the mechanical control of the aircraft, the energy management that keeps you aloft, and the judgment that decides when and where and whether to fly. Every cockpit cert touches at least two of them.
Aircraft Control
Takeoff, tow position, coordinated turns, traffic pattern, approach, landing. The mechanical mastery that turns a passenger into a pilot.
Energy Management
Thermal recognition, centering, speed-to-fly, glide ratio. The math and the feel of staying airborne on lift alone — the soul of soaring.
Pilot Judgment
Cross-country decision-making, field selection, go/no-go calls, situational awareness. The skills that don’t show on a checkride but show every flight.
First flight to first cross-country.
Every glider pilot walks the same six stages. The pace varies — some make the jump in a season, some take years. The order doesnt. Each stage builds on the one before it. Each stage is logged. Each stage is signed off by a certified flight instructor before you move to the next.
Ten competencies. One logbook.
These are the cockpit skills the Soar discipline teaches and tests. Each one shows up on the FAA practical test for the Private Pilot Glider certificate. Each one is logged in the FAA pilot logbook you receive at first flight. Every hour earned here is an hour toward your certificate.
- Takeoff and tow position behind the Super Cub
- Coordinated turns, slow flight, and stall recognition
- Thermal recognition and entry
- Thermal centering and sustained climb
- Speed-to-fly and energy management between thermals
- Traffic pattern entry and pattern discipline
- Spot landing and rollout
- Emergency procedures and rope-break response
- Cross-country route planning and field selection
- Pilot decision-making and situational awareness
Every flight logged. Every signoff earned.
Earned in order · All count toward the Soar Master Award
These are the ten certificates in the Soar discipline. Unlike Learn and Build, Soar certificates are earned in order — each builds on the one before it. Every cert represents an hour with a certified flight instructor and a signoff in the FAA pilot logbook.
Every Soar hour counts.
The Soar discipline is structured to feed directly into the FAA Private Pilot Glider certificate. Every flight is logged in an official FAA logbook. Every hour with a CFI counts toward the certificate’s minimum requirements. The Master Award is not a substitute for the FAA certificate — it is preparation that gets you to the checkride ready.
From the moment you sit in the front seat, you share responsibility for the flight. Pre-flight inspection, weather decision, go or no-go — the CFI teaches and signs, but the pilot in the seat owns the flight. That responsibility starts on day one and never leaves.
Show up. Sit down. Take the stick.
There is no medical certificate required for a glider intro flight. There is no minimum age. There is no charge for the instruction itself — only the tow plane fee. Walk onto the field on a flight day, and if conditions allow, you fly.
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