Glider/ banner towing requirements
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Glider/ banner towing requirements
can someone please let me know what the current minimum requirements are for banner / glider towing -- for both paid and unpaid positions.
Steve
Steve
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: a flight level far far away ...
Posts: 178
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Dont know about banner towing, but I have got a glider tugging position this season and I have a PPL and am studying for my ATPL's. You need a PPL and some gliding experience, oh and some tailwheel time would'nt go a miss at most clubs.
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: a flight level far far away ...
Posts: 178
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sorry, to be paid, you would obviously need a CPL aswell. That's if you could find someone to pay you to do what many people would do for free.
(Just thought I would add the CPL bit, before someone picked up on it !!)
(Just thought I would add the CPL bit, before someone picked up on it !!)
Last edited by flightlevel1985; 19th Mar 2008 at 22:25.
In the UK suspect most gliding clubs require a PPL plus taildragger experience (if that is what will be flown) plus gliding experience - Bronze C possibly. But clubs might vary slightly.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 1,164
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
All gliding clubs vary with requirements. For some, just a ppl is sufficient. Some will want gliding experience on top of that, some may even require a gliding instructor rating as well as ppl. Not all clubs operate tailwheel aircraft though, plenty Rallye's and Robins out there.
Dont expect to be paid anything, especially without a cpl. There are ways around it though such as the seasonal tug pilot job where you work the summer season as a tuggy and get your food and lodgings paid for. You can also be officially employed as the 'club caretaker' and be paid for your services in that way.
Dont expect to be paid anything, especially without a cpl. There are ways around it though such as the seasonal tug pilot job where you work the summer season as a tuggy and get your food and lodgings paid for. You can also be officially employed as the 'club caretaker' and be paid for your services in that way.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Agion Oros
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Banners
I am not aware of a minimun requirement for banner towing, but you realy near to be a good handling pilot and also be under the supervision a an experienced towing pilot, of which there are only a few.
Educated Hillbilly
There is a company in the Kent called Airads that deals with banner towing in the South of England. Normally just a CPL is required and all companies will train in house. Although I have never done banner towing myself (I have sat in on a few banner tows). I did work at place which did banner towing service and a low houred pilot was employed on the banner towing operation.
Banner towing is easily the most hazardous GA activity.
I only know of about three companies in the whole of the UK that are involved with banner towing.
To be truthful if you want to build hours investing in an instructors rating is still the best option, especially at the moment.
Banner towing is easily the most hazardous GA activity.
I only know of about three companies in the whole of the UK that are involved with banner towing.
To be truthful if you want to build hours investing in an instructors rating is still the best option, especially at the moment.
Last edited by portsharbourflyer; 22nd Mar 2008 at 15:08.
Dancing with the devil, going with the flow... it's all a game to me.
Join Date: May 2000
Location: England
Posts: 1,688
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Minimum requirements are just that - minimum requirements. Those jobs aren't like normal flying jobs, you need to be in the loop as it were.... and if you were in the loop you wouldn't be asking the question you just asked so some info for you, free of charge from me.......
You really need to know what you're doing for tug pilot - like most flying jobs, just because it's a lowly paid one (if at all!) it does not equate a peice of p!ss. Most clubs won't look at you unless they know you/ taught you/ respect you as a glider pilot so don't bother wasting car petrol money going down there unless you tick at least one of those boxes. Not to mention the fact most clubs use taildraggers so you need to be current and not just a bare minimum houred holder of the rating as those machines don't suffer fools gladly - they can bite at the best of times, nevermind with a glider hanging on the end of a rope behind you. It would certainly be unecomomical to buy a t/dragger rating just on the off chance you might get some tug time in.... if that was what you were thinking. Most glider tug pilots are club members with a PPL who do it for the love of flying so it's cheaper for clubs to look in-house than pay someone. I recently converted a glider pilot for exactly that purpose and the club are still loathe to call on him because they would prefer someone who's seasoned in the art.... usually the oldboy who hangs out in the club with the arse falling out his trousers. 'Clubs' by their definition are not often run for profit.
And banner towing is rarer than smurf sh!t in the UK.
VFE.
You really need to know what you're doing for tug pilot - like most flying jobs, just because it's a lowly paid one (if at all!) it does not equate a peice of p!ss. Most clubs won't look at you unless they know you/ taught you/ respect you as a glider pilot so don't bother wasting car petrol money going down there unless you tick at least one of those boxes. Not to mention the fact most clubs use taildraggers so you need to be current and not just a bare minimum houred holder of the rating as those machines don't suffer fools gladly - they can bite at the best of times, nevermind with a glider hanging on the end of a rope behind you. It would certainly be unecomomical to buy a t/dragger rating just on the off chance you might get some tug time in.... if that was what you were thinking. Most glider tug pilots are club members with a PPL who do it for the love of flying so it's cheaper for clubs to look in-house than pay someone. I recently converted a glider pilot for exactly that purpose and the club are still loathe to call on him because they would prefer someone who's seasoned in the art.... usually the oldboy who hangs out in the club with the arse falling out his trousers. 'Clubs' by their definition are not often run for profit.
And banner towing is rarer than smurf sh!t in the UK.
VFE.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 1,164
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
salmabambi,
Dont be too put off by VFE's comments, there are plenty of clubs out there that will take you without the ticks in the boxes. For a lot of clubs, they dont have enough glider pilots who additionally hold a power license and rely on some PPL guys to come and fly the tug for them. At our club we have probably 10 tug pilots on the books just now, only a few of them are experienced glider pilots. The rest have no gliding time, simply power guys who pitched up and asked if they could fly the tug. A couple being less than 100 hours too. Of course the club did a bit of background checking etc on these people but that ws basically it. If it wasnt for these additional tuggys then we wouldnt be able to fly, simple as that! Probably best to find out where your local club is and go have a chat with them. Try the BGA website - www.gliding.co.uk you'll find a list/map with all the UK clubs.
And tailwheel aircraft arent anything to be feared, just treat them with a bit of respect, thats all. Oh and the rope attached at the back actually helps keep you straight. Just be mindful as well that its trailing behind you when you come into land!! Perhaps you've many hundreds of hours already of course in TW types??
Dont be too put off by VFE's comments, there are plenty of clubs out there that will take you without the ticks in the boxes. For a lot of clubs, they dont have enough glider pilots who additionally hold a power license and rely on some PPL guys to come and fly the tug for them. At our club we have probably 10 tug pilots on the books just now, only a few of them are experienced glider pilots. The rest have no gliding time, simply power guys who pitched up and asked if they could fly the tug. A couple being less than 100 hours too. Of course the club did a bit of background checking etc on these people but that ws basically it. If it wasnt for these additional tuggys then we wouldnt be able to fly, simple as that! Probably best to find out where your local club is and go have a chat with them. Try the BGA website - www.gliding.co.uk you'll find a list/map with all the UK clubs.
And tailwheel aircraft arent anything to be feared, just treat them with a bit of respect, thats all. Oh and the rope attached at the back actually helps keep you straight. Just be mindful as well that its trailing behind you when you come into land!! Perhaps you've many hundreds of hours already of course in TW types??
You should probably be specific about the regulations you want to know, in the original question. What applies varies vastly from one region to another. Whereas in the UK you can tow gliders with the private, in the USA even logging the time is considered compensation (regardless of pay), and can lead to FAA enforcement action.
Dancing with the devil, going with the flow... it's all a game to me.
Join Date: May 2000
Location: England
Posts: 1,688
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sorry if I came across as a little negative. The response was probably as a result of seeing fresh faced newly minted graduates popping out of integrated courses thinking that towing a glider/ banner and instructing is a doddle, dare I say beneath them, and as a result causing minor offence to our gliding friends. To diminish those who have earned respect within that field by under estimating the skill required is to drop a rather large ricket. I made that mistake when I enquired about flying a glider tug a few years back and it's only with hindsight and subsequent experience in other fields that I now realise how arrogant (and naive) I may have appeared at the time. 
Learn form my mistake and you go for it!
VFE.
Learn form my mistake and you go for it!
VFE.
