Glider Add-On Rating
Add a Glider Rating to the Certificate You Already Hold
For pilots who already hold an FAA Private or Commercial certificate. We train at Homestead General Airport (X51) in South Florida, about 40 minutes south of Miami.
1. Already a Pilot?
Hold a Private or Commercial certificate? You can add a glider category rating to it directly, no starting over. The add-on mirrors your existing certificate level and genuinely challenges your stick-and-rudder skills, in the best way possible.
2. Train at Your Pace
Finish in 3 days or 3 weeks, it's up to you. For the private add-on the FAA asks for 3 hours of flight time in a glider, including 10 solo flights and 3 prep flights with an instructor, then a practical test. No knowledge test for already-rated pilots.
3. Enjoy!
Come fly whenever you want. Take friends soaring over the Everglades at a fraction of the cost of renting a powered airplane. Your certificate is recognized worldwide.
Private Glider Add-On at a Glance
These are the private add-on minimums, which apply once you have logged at least 40 hours in heavier-than-air aircraft. The commercial glider add-on is a different list, below. Add-on requirements are much lighter than an initial certificate, and many pilots complete the whole process in a long weekend.
Before You Book Your Add-On
You are closer to flying gliders than you think. How close comes down to one number: the hours already in your logbook.
Which Path Applies to You
Private glider add-on. Got 40 hours in airplanes (or anything else heavier than air)? You are most of the way there. All the FAA asks for is:
- 3 hours of flight time in a glider
- 10 solo flights in a glider
- 3 prep flights with an instructor
That is one good long weekend of flying, not a second flight-school career. Under 40 hours? Start with the full course instead.
Commercial glider add-on. Two doors in, take whichever your logbook already opens:
- 200 hours as a pilot in heavier-than-air aircraft, with at least 20 glider flights as pilot in command, 3 hours of glider flight training or 10 training flights with an instructor, and 5 solo flights
- Or 25 hours and 100 glider flights as pilot in command, if you would rather build the time in gliders
Bring your logbook and we will map your fastest route into gliders.
No Written Exam Needed
Already rated at the level you are adding? Then the written you sweated through years ago stays passed: no new knowledge test for the glider add-on. Your instructor signs you off, you fly the practical test with our in-house examiner, and you walk away with a new category on the same certificate.
What to Bring
- Your pilot certificate and a government-issued photo ID.
- Your logbook. We need it to verify the heavier-than-air time that decides which experience path you qualify for.
- No FAA medical certificate. None is required to fly gliders, even if yours has lapsed.
- An IACRA account for the certificate application. Set it up before you arrive and checkride day goes faster.
- A signed liability waiver before your first flight.
- Comfortable clothes, closed shoes, sunglasses and a hat. There is a 242 lb maximum weight per person.
Not rated yet? Start with the full glider pilot license course. Questions? Read the FAQs or get in touch.