Soaring – August 2019

http://www.ssa.org • August 2019 • Soaring 29

I

was sitting in my sun room in
Cedar Crest, NM, cogitating and
reminiscing about past flying. More
specifically about towing gliders. This
got me to thinking about when I first
performed that particular act. I knew
it had to be a long time ago – a very
long time ago. Over 50 years, 54 to be
exact. This was long before the regula-
tions were written which list the cur-
rent requirements for becoming a fed-
erally approved tow pilot.
Come to think of it, this was before
there were such things as glider CFIs,
as one could instruct in gliders based
on one’s commercial glider pilot’s li-
cense ... back when it was called a
license and not a certificate. Back
when the FAA issued you a license
number that was not your social secu-
rity number.

When the folks at 800 Indepen-

dence Avenue (FAA Headquarters,

Washington, D.C.) started taking

glider flight instruction a bit more se-

riously (around 1966), and created the

glider CFI rating, I was grandfathered

in by virtue of my mentoring and on

the strength of my commercial glider

ticket, and so was elevated to the

exalted position of CFI-Glider.

Now here is one for the books. On

the day I was to take my airplane CFI

checkride, one of my glider students

was also there to take his glider CFI

checkride. What are the odds? Well,

I’ve not only digressed, but wandered

Tow Pilot

W. G. Hill

Sundance Aviation’s 91 Victor at the ready-line for

another tow at Moriarty, NM. (Photo by W. G. Hill.)