Power add-on to glider rating

[Groundpounder]

I have a friend who started his flight training, then had to quit due to a lack of money. I told him he should look into getting his glider PPL, due to the cost savings, and having a school about 20 min from his house. He'd like to get his powered rating at some point. So my question is, will a glider rating help shorten the time it takes to get a power rating? Obviously it will help with stick and rudder skills, but will the required hours be reduced at all?

Thanks

 

[Jim Logajan]

I'm trying to sell him on the glider rating not as a way to save money on his power rating, but as a cheaper alternative to getting his power rating. I figured I'd tell him it could save him some money if he decides to get his power rating, just as an added benefit.

If the ultimate goal is private pilot, airplane, then based on my personal experience it is cheaper to first do airplane, then glider. The regs tend to be airplane-centric with respect to ratings.

One other minor gotcha - getting a glider rating followed by airplane requires taking two knowledge (written) tests. Getting an airplane rating followed by glider requires taking only one written test.