MES or Glider Rating
 

Planning to add a rating this year. MES and Glider ratings are about the same price.

Which would you do and why?

Thanks

hkdguy

Glider because it’ll make you a better pilot. If you’re already an amazing pilot, then MES because it’s more fun.

MES is useless unless you’re going to buy your own aircraft. Nobody will rent you any seaplane without an instructor because of the crazy insurance requirements.

Glider rating for sure. I just added mine on last month and had a blast doing it and you’ll also add some tools to your tool kit.

I plan to go back and do CFI-G and also try to really get a hang of some of the soaring techniques.

Glider flying teaches you an amazing amount about powered flying that no purely powered flight instructor seems to know or pay attention to. Particularly the relation between L/D max and optimum holding speed (min sink, in glider speak), and max range speeds versus wind.

Joe

Not discounting anything about the Glider rating, but I’d suggest AMES so you can apply to Seaborne Airlines. They are affiliated with Silver and fly twotters on floats in the Caribbean. That could lead to a fun flying job.

Glider ... to heck with what it teaches you ... and it does ... it’s fun.

The first time you turn into a thermal behind a hawk ... it’s love.

The plan is to eventually get both MES and Glider ratings. Already have SES.

Anyone trained for their MES?

Where’d you go? How was it?

15 years ago I did the MES on my ATP with Chester Lawson in his Widgeon. He has since sold the plane to another school in Alabama. The rate then was $420/hour dual, looks like the new school's rate is $1000. I flew 7.2 hours in 2 days (including, unfortunately, about 1.5 hours deadheading to and from the examiner.) A nice-handling plane and a fun experience. I did it with no expectation of ever using it; I just had a long-standing interest in the big flying boats (Spruce Goose, Boeing 314, Martin Mars, etc.) I had previously owned a Lake amphib for 4 years. You might find a cheaper rate at a school using the Twin Bee, but I wanted to fly a Grumman.

That plane is now owned by Charles Weldon/WaterWings Seaplanes. Charles is a great guy and instructor, a blast to fly with and the plane was a beautiful piece of history and a lot of fun to fly. As long as you have your MEL and SES rating (and proficient in both) adding the MES is a non-event. The plane was $750/hr, if I recall correctly. It sounds like a lot, but the training is quick so you’ll have very few hours on the hobbs for a commercial add on (I didn’t feel like dropping 40k for the 50 hours in the plane to add it to my ATP, haha).

I definitely recommend going for the MES if it’s something you really want. Gliders for training will always be a dime a dozen. Multi-engine seaplanes, on the other hand, are becoming more and more scarce. Get it while you can!

https://www.waterwings.com/