FORMAT This course consists of talks and actual flying practice under the guidance of instructors. It is intended for pilots of intermediate and better skills. All courses are conducted in English.
Student pilots should at least know the basics of thermal soaring. We will work on all the skills necessary to be a good cross-country pilot. If some pilots have superior skills we will work with them on competition skills if so requested. Typically we have 12 students in the class and three instructors so that each day there are four students assigned to each instructor. These groups vary throughout the course. This arrangement has worked very successfully for six seminars in the past four years.
FORMAT The seminar takes place over seven days (normally we have an informal gathering the night before to get acquainted). The daily schedule* is typically:
The presentation consists of lecture and drawings covering all the topics in the course outline. These are presented by Dennis Pagen, mainly, with inputs from the other instructors as well as plenty of room for student questions. The discussions are organized in the order of logical progression as skills develop.
*Note: the times listed above will vary with the site and conditions of the day.
Every day it is flyable, we will get ready as efficiently as possible, then we will discuss the day’s task. It will be chosen according to the conditions of the day. The task will be chosen to be challenging but safe. The groups will be roughly divided so that pilots of similar skills will fly together. There may be different tasks for the different groups. The instructors will remain with their assigned groups as much as possible to help with thermaling, gliding and decision making. Sometimes we will go ahead to mark thermals, and sometimes we will wait for slower pilots. The whole effect is that students will have many other pilots helping throughout most of the flight. The emphasis is on improving the skills of each student. And, of course, we intend it to be FUN!
Course description Topics of discussion About Greifenburg Equipment Instructors Dennis Pagen Home