CAP Glider Orientation Flights – 7 Best Pieces of Advice

Comprehensive Unofficial Guide to CAP Glider Orientation Flights

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) offers free cadet orientation flights to CAP cadets. These cadet orientation flights can be accomplished in a powered airplane, a glider, or a balloon. The glider orientation flights are described officially in the CAP Cadet Orientation Flight Program Guide, CAPP 60-40, together with the airplane and balloon orientation flights. CAPP 60-40 also contains the CAP glider orientation flight syllabus, detailing each individual cadet orientation flight. Each cadet is entitled to five free cadet glider orientation flights, plus another five orientation flights each in the two other aircraft categories.

This page provides a comprehensive guide how to prepare and participate in Civil Air Patrol glider orientation flights, especially the ones in Southern Florida in the format in place at the time of writing. We have put together some information for Civil Air Patrol cadets, parents, and CAP senior members scheduling and accompanying CAP cadets in their participation in CAP glider orientation flights Florida currently conducts.

Note that the information provided here is not officially sanctioned by CAP and is an unofficial guide, aiming at assisting you informally in your preparations and answering some frequently answered questions; we are not liable for any errors and omissions in this guide, are not affiliated with the Civil Air Patrol, and certainly do not speak for CAP.

CAP Glider Orientation Flight
Landing approach with extended dive brakes in a LET L 23 Super-Blaník glider of the Civil Air Patrol in the livery of the USAF Academy on a CAP cadet glider orientation flight in the Northeastern United States.

CAP Glider Orientation Flight Attendance – Summary and Checklist

CAP Forms

Required – no forms, no orientation flight!

Senior Members

  • Two senior members (SMs) are required to accompany the cadets, three are recommended.
  • Senior Member 1: Loads cadets into glider.
  • Senior Member 2: Chaperones waiting cadets. Assists SM 3 with teaching environment setup.
  • Senior Member 3 (optional): Teaches pilot ground school class to waiting cadets.

Dress Code (Clothing, Uniforms)

Please study the list below diligently, as it differs from most CAP activities and from CAP orientation flights in airplanes. Ask the organizers questions, if needed.

  • Comfortable civilian clothing with lots of sun protection (e.g. broad-brimmed hat, long sleeves and pants). Sunscreen.
  • One clothing item with a CAP logo, visibly and conspicuously identifying the cadet or senior member as a member of the Civil Air Patrol (e.g. encampment shirt, squadron shirt with logo, or hat from a CAP academy)
  • Regular tennis shoes (no boots in gliders)
  • Note 1: A CAP ID card in your wallet is not visible and does not satisfy the above identifying logo requirement.
  • Note 2: No uniforms, especially not ABUs (no camouflage – you want everyone to be visible on the airfield).
  • Note 3: Extra shade (in form of a party tent or large umbrellas) is beneficial to bring, but there are two shaded locations.

Preparatory CAP Courses

Requested from both cadets and senior members, so they can assist in launch and retrieval of gliders, but not required.

Consumables

Optional, but strongly recommended.

  • Water
  • Food (Lunch and Snacks)
  • Note: No water on airfield, no eating facilities in vicinity.

Instruction Materials

Optional. For CAP cadets to read before and after the CAP glider orientation flight day, as well as for senior members to instruct from during the event.

Location

  • Miami Gliders (commercial operator) at Homestead General Aviation Airport (X51), Homestead, FL.
  • Address (type in Google Maps): 28790 SW 217th Ave, Homestead, FL 33030
  • Note 1: This is not on the main airport road, but rather accessible via the unpaved extension of SW 280th Street to the west at the northern perimeter of the airport.
  • Note 2: Pass through the gate in the airport fence on your left (and a second gate closer to the glider parking location). Inner gate must remain closed (close it after passing through).
  • Note 3: This is not the Homestead Air Force Base (KHST).

CAP Glider Orientation Flight Attendance – Expanded Procedures

CAP Glider Orientation Flight Format

The format in which the cadet orientation flights are conducted is described in the official CAP Cadet Orientation Flight Program Guide, CAPP 60-40. Glider flights differ quite substantially from the generic description of the orientation flights in the main body of the program guide, because their duration depends strongly on the soaring conditions (weather).

The standard aerotow for a glider orientation flight is to 3000 ft AGL. If no rising air (lift) is encountered on the orientation flight after release from the aerotow, the orientation flight takes typically around 18 minutes, sometimes a little longer or shorter, depending on maneuvering, airspeed flown, and CAP cadet flying skills. If lift is encountered, the maximum authorized flight time for a glider orientation flight is 72 minutes (1.2 hours) at the time of writing.

CAP glider orientation flight flight times tend to vary throughout the day, and are shortest early in the morning and late in the evening, when insolation is weak and thermals have not developed yet or have died down already, respectively. Longest orientation flight times tend to be in the early afternoon, when soaring conditions are best (but this can vary, too).

Long flight times are not necessarily beneficial. Staying up in a glider on a glider orientation flight in Southern Florida usually requires a lot of circling in thermals (rising columns of warm air), oftentimes as steep bank angles at noticeable g forces, which tends to promote airsickness. CAP cadets who tend to get airsick (every first-time cadet is a potential candidate and should be treated as such) should preferentially take one of the early or late flights, when thermals are not present and flying happens more in straight lines. Cadets on their third, fourth, and especially their fifth glider orientation flight should fly in the afternoon during good soaring conditions, if available, in order to be able to practice thermalling (which is part of Flight 5 in the CAP glider orientation flight syllabus, but is moved up earlier, whenever decent soaring conditions are encountered, because there is never any guarantee later). Ideally, every cadet would experience thermalling and some altitude gain in a glider on at least one glider orientation flight.

But even in the middle of the day, the weather-dependent different lengths of flights make it difficult to predict, when the next flight will happen. One CAP glider orientation flight may be long, and the next one much shorter. If a CAP cadet is scheduled, say, for the fifth glider orientation flight of the day, the actual launch time for the flight can differ by several hours.

Cadet glider orientation flying is therefore a whole day activity. Plan on being at the airport for the whole day (or sometimes for half a day, if CAP cadets are scheduled to arrive in two groups). Therefore, bring plenty of food and water, as those are not readily available of the airfield at the glider flight school location. Accompanying CAP senior members, be prepared to keep the cadets entertained with a compelling ground instruction lesson on how to fly a glider, why they are waiting their turn to go on their glider orientation flight.

If there are up to 5 cadets, each cadet will probably fly twice. If there are 6 or more, most cadets will fly only once. In general, up to ca. 10 flights can be conducted in one day, without cutting flights short artificially to save time.

All required maneuvers in the CAP glider orientation flight syllabus of the above guide, CAPP 60-40, have to be completed even on very short flights. Aerotows are too expensive to combine two glider flights into one cadet orientation flight. This is ok, as one can get through all the required glider maneuvers in 18 minutes, if needed.

CAP Glider Orientation Flights
While CAP senior members are not eligible for free glider orientation flights, they can participate in a CAP glider instruction flight with a CAP instructor pilot, if they pay for the operating expenses. High school teachers who are CAP Aerospace Education Members (AEMs) can participate in a free TOP (Teacher Orientation Program) glider flight.

CAP Forms Required for Cadet Glider Orientation Flights and Risk Assumed

CAP glider orientation flights are not without risk. Therefore, the following official CAP forms need to be filled out and signed by the cadets and their parents, before participating in CAP glider orientation flights. No forms, no flight (this is especially true for the first two forms). The forms are:

You can download these CAP forms as PDFs or in MS Word format from the Publications Library forms page on the Civil Air Patrol website. Direct links to the PDFs of the individual forms are also provided above. Print the forms, fill them out, have parents and cadets sign as appropriate, and bring them with you on the day of the glider orientation flight (no need to send them in advance).

The first form above is essentially a liability release. The pilots flying those flights satisfy CAP orientation pilot requirements, or course. Nonetheless, flying small aircraft, including gliders, is a high risk activity, which should be obvious, as it happens at fatal altitudes and fatal speeds. Statistically it is about as dangerous as driving a motorcycle and much more dangerous than driving a car (flying is safer than driving as a means of transportation only in large airliners). Risk can always only be mitigated and never completely eliminated. Flying will therefore never be a 100% safe activity, and while precautions are taken to make it reasonably safe, a certain risk is always assumed by the cadets and their parents, and they need to be aware of it.

For the same reason, no cadet should ever be forced or peer pressured into going on a glider orientation flight. Everyone has their own internal risk assessment and it needs to be respected. Participation in a glider orientation flight is not intended for character building, and a glider cockpit seat is not a psychotherapy couch. The CAP cadet in the front seat has full access to the flight controls and is out of reach of the glider orientation pilot or glider flight instructor sitting in the back seat. A cadet in panic can very easily interfere with the controls of a glider in such a severe fashion that an inevitable accident may result. A cadet glider orientation flight not undertaken out of free will and impulse can scar a cadet emotionally in a way that they may not want to get into another aircraft ever in their life.

CAP Glider Orientation Flight Location

Cadet glider orientation flights in Southern Florida are conducted by the Civil Air Patrol in collaboration with Miami Gliders, a commercial glider operator located at Homestead General Aviation Airport (X51) in Homestead, FL. (Note that this is NOT the Homestead Air Force Base (KHST)!). The glider operator is located at the north side of the field, not at the main airport access road, and uses the grass runway of the airport, running in east-west direction. The address is:

28790 SW 217th Ave, Homestead, FL 33030

If you type the above address into Google Maps (or click on the above link), you will be directed to the correct location.

If you arrive driving south (or north) on Krome Avenue, turn west on SW 280th Street and follow the road all the way to the end of the pavement. Then you continue straight on its extension, which is a gravel road with many potholes. As you navigate around those potholes, you will have the airport fence on your left (to the south). Take the open gate in the fence and you will arrive at Miami Gliders. You will be passing through two gates in the process.

Cadet Preparation for Glider Orientation Flights

Cadets need to prepare for the CAP glider orientation flights. The sections below describe some of the eligibility requirements and preparation. Much of it is voluntary but highly recommended.

Cadet Requirements

CAP cadets need to be current CAP members in good standing and must not have reached their 18th birthday yet, in order to participate in orientation flights. There are no exceptions to the birthday rule, so if a cadet’s 18th birthday is coming up, schedule the cadet with priority, even if it means they will come with a different squadron – a parent can accompany them, for instance. (However, there is one challenging way how to get even cadets 18 years old and older to fly cadet orientation flights, see at the very bottom of this article.)

The cadet orientation flight program guide CAPP 60-40 of the Civil Air Patrol encourages cadets to experience an orientation flight within 60 days of joining CAP. In particular, no rank or other achievements are necessary as a prerequisite to participate in a CAP glider orientation flight. As you will see in the next section, for glider orientation flights – unlike powered cadet orientation flights – not even a uniform is required.

Uniform Code for CAP Cadet Glider Orientation Flights

No ABUs (camouflage is a hazard on an airfield, because it makes it difficult to see people) or other CAP uniforms. Cadet glider orientation flights are conducted in regular clothing, which needs to be comfortable and protect from the sun, because cadets and any accompanying personnel will be exposed to the sun all day (though there are two shaded areas on the field, where one can rest in between). Footwear is regular tennis shoes, no boots in gliders (also no sandals, your child is not in a Roman legion). Björn Borg underwear, on the other hand, would go well with the tennis shoes and would educate your child about a piece of tennis history. We recommend a broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses, long-sleeved shirt and long pants, sunscreen, and possibly even gloves to protect hands. Tuck your pants into your socks to protect against any possible ticks in high grass (though we have not received reports of any, one can never be careful enough).

One piece of clothing needs to visibly identify the cadet as a member of CAP. This can be an item from an encampment or an academy with a corresponding logo, such as a shirt or a hat. A squadron shirt also works. If it is a short-sleeved item, wear it preferably on top of something long-sleeved for sun protection. Sunscreen does not last the whole day. Note that your CAP ID in your wallet is not openly visible and does not satisfy this visible item requirement.

Preparatory CAP Courses

Preferably, CAP cadets would take the online CAP Aircraft Ground Handling Course and the SSF/CAP Wing Runner Course of the Soaring Safety Foundation, before participating in a cadet glider orientation flight, so they can participate and assist in the glider launch activity, when they are not flying. Gliders need to be constantly retrieved, staged, and it is highly beneficial to have a wing runner, who assists in the launch. Miami Gliders provides staff for this generally, but the staff may be busy with other gliders, which is why it is advantageous to have our own crew for this and cadets are strongly encouraged to take these courses, even before their first orientation flight, if possible.

However, if a cadet has not taken the Wing Runner Course or even the Aircraft Ground Handling Course, do not exclude them from the activity.

We encourage CAP senior members accompanying the cadets to the glider orientation flight activity also to take these courses, so they can act as wing runners, if needed. (You will notice that sometimes cadets, even though they have taken the Wing Runner Course, are quite confused about the procedures.)

Recommended Reading and Practice

On the other hand, we do encourage cadets who have already made 1-2 glider orientation flights already to study the topics outlined in the cadet orientation flight program guide, e.g. by reading the FAA Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the FAA Glider Flying Handbook, though this is not a requirement.

Cadets will be given the opportunity to manipulate the controls of the glider on glider orientation flights above 1000 ft AGL. While some basics of aerodynamics and piloting an aircraft are explained to the cadets during the initial briefing of the day (after the safety briefing), this time is far too short to explain everything and the cadets will retain only a fraction anyway. Prior education, and even flight simulator practice on their home computer, are highly beneficial for the cadets performance on glider orientation flights.

Indeed, cadets who have played with a flight simulator at home regularly before, for instance, do noticeably better on glider orientation flights than their counterparts. If you are looking for a flight simulator specific for glider flying, which is known for its relative realism and even allows participation in online soaring competitions, we recommend Condor. You may also wish to read our comprehensive learn-to-fly article, which explains how to become a pilot efficiently, and use it as a guide to prepare more seriously for your CAP glider orientation flights.

How about CAP Cadets who are 18 Years of Age or older?

There is one intriguing, albeit somewhat challenging, way how cadets 18 years or older can still participate in CAP cadet orientation flights.

Qualified CAP cadets who are CFIs may conduct CAP cadet orientation flights. This is true for glider orientation flights as well. And gliders offer a decisive advantage: according to federal regulation 14 CFR 61.129(f)(1) a pilot only needs 25 hours of flight time and 100 flights as pilot in command (PIC) in order to obtain a commercial pilot certificate with a glider rating (compare this to 190-250 hours in an airplane). This commercial pilot certificate is a prerequisite to obtaining a flight instructor (CFI) certificate, which then according to CAPR 70-1 4.4.3.1.1. qualifies a cadet to serve as glider orientation pilot on cadet glider orientation flights. (Note that CAP senior members at least 21 years of age do not need to be CFIs to be orientation pilots; either a commercial pilot certificate or 100 glider flights as PIC on a private pilot certificate are enough according to CAPR 70-1 4.4.3.1.6.)

This is a very achievable goal, and financially quite affordable, especially if the required aeronautical experience is acquired through a glider club or by flying a motorglider (100 PIC flights can be done in a motorglider in two days, by performing stop-and-go landings in the traffic pattern); this is evidently much faster and cheaper than doing it with aerotows (where doing 100 flights in a row is quite a time consuming ordeal and expensive). Care must be given, though, that the pilot becomes proficient at aerotows as well, when choosing the motor glider training option.

We make no guarantees, however, that CAP will actually appoint such a qualified cadet, who is a glider CFI (CFI-G), as orientation pilot to fly CAP cadets. An appointment as orientation pilot by the wing commander is required, so this depends on the individual Civil Air Patrol wing and ultimately on the wing commander.

What comes after CAP Glider Orientation Flights?

As alluded to in the previous section, CAP glider orientation flights can serve as a natural segue to commencing glider flight training towards a private pilot certificate. This glider flight training can be either conducted at a commercial operator, such as Miami Gliders, or a glider club, or through Civil Air Patrol (with a CAP instructor pilot or at a National Flight Academy).

Below, we provide a list of possible glider flight training locations in Florida. Note that none of them are associated with the Civil Air Patrol, except for Miami Gliders, where you can do your flights with a CAP instructor pilot on a CAP sortie (for which you will still have to pay full price, other than for instruction).

For a nationwide list of glider clubs and commercial operators, we recommend you consult the Where to Fly map on the website of the Soaring Society of America (SSA). Please note that not all soaring locations are listed, only those which have registered with SSA.

Florida Glider Clubs

Florida Commercial Glider Operators

Right Rudder Aviation distinguishes itself by possessing a Pipistrel Alpha Trainer motor glider, certificated in the FAA glider category, which is excellently suited for completing and logging many glider flights extremely quickly and cheaply (for instance, if you need 100 flights as PIC to meet the aeronautical experience requirements for a commercial pilot certificate with glider rating). Motor gliders for rent like this are quite rare; if you live in the area, we encourage you to consider taking advantage of this opportunity.

Other Organizations/Companies Providing Gilder Flight Training in Florida

Both Civil Air Patrol and Academic Flight currently choose to use Miami Gliders equipment in Florida (CAP does own its own gliders in other states, but at the time of writing does not have a glider in Florida). CAP also organizes annual National Flight Academies (NFA) for cadets. Most of them use airplanes, but several provide glider training and allow the cadets to solo a glider (some even fly a balloon). The Cadet Wings program provides funding for a private pilot certificate (preferentially to CAP cadets who have already soloed and passed the FAA Knowledge Test for the corresponding aircraft category). For more information about cadet flying in CAP generally consult this page.