First Sailplane
Craig Lund
Hello, All:
I expect that I will set off a flurry of posts with this question but, I
want to know what sailplane you would consider to be an excellent first
time purchase with relatively low time.
My interests seem to wander toward cross country. What ship do you think
would be a good all around purchase.
BTW If you have one for sale let me know the details.
Email to cl...@bestweb.net
Thank you all in advance.
Craig
Eric June
Craig,
Some of these links might be informative for your selection process.
They helped me chose mine (Russia AC-4C):
http://acro.harvard.edu/SSA/articles/buy_1st.html
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/1850/
http://www.mcn.net/~soarmontana/russia.html
http://www.nwinternet.com/~blanikam/ba/toc.htm
http://www.agile-graphics.com/trader/
--
Regards,
Eric June
er...@kudonet.com
Hang Gliding Page: http://www.kudonet.com/~ericj/hang.htm
Basil Fairston
Craig Lund wrote
>Hello, All:
>
>I expect that I will set off a flurry of posts with this question but, I
>want to know what sailplane you would consider to be an excellent first
>time purchase with relatively low time.
>
>My interests seem to wander toward cross country. What ship do you think
>would be a good all around purchase.
I think you have to state price range here. An LS8 or a Discus are both
easy to fly gliders for a low time pilot as long as you don't put water in
at first (it makes everything happen faster) and will still be great when
you haave lots of experience. So if you have £40,000 to spare there is no
problem. Below this the choices are all dependent on price.
Basil Fairston
Hus Bos UK
Quietpilot
If you want to learn the basics of cross country and are a low time pilot, get
a Schweizer 1-26. Sure, "it doesnt have legs" as many say but it is most
forgiving on landings out, easy to repair (especially compared to a PW5) and
easy to assemble and disassemble in the field.
After you gain proficiency then consider a move up to more sophisticated
aircraft and enjoy!
Good Luck
Mark Greenstone
Ron Eaton
If you can find one, a Std Cirrus in reasonable condition would provide the
advantages of glass and higher L/D, but its cost would not be comparable to
a home mortgage. Very durable sailplane and very docile and forgiving.
Always popular, and if you would decide to move up to something more
competitive, probably very easily sold for what you might pay for it now.
--
Ron Eaton <rone...@primenet.com>
Craig Lund <cl...@bestweb.net> wrote in article
<01bd73f7$2d272b60$ba6d...@clund.bestweb.net>...
Chris O'Callaghan
Derek Piggot has some good advice in his books. Use him a source if you
want glass. I would, however, recommend a short apprenticeship (1 or 2
seasons) in a "tougher ship," a 1-34 or 1-36. Many people I know who
started their cross-country flying in glass ships lost them for a part
of the season with fuselage damage, the result of choosing poor fields.
Stall speed (Low) and the power of the spoilers (strong) is the critical
factor. Performance should be a lesser concern until you are confident
of you skills.
RHavelaar
Craig,
Everyone is looking for something different from the sport of soaring. A
perfect first glider for me may not be a good first glider for you. I can only
relay my opinion. There are many excellent sailplanes out there that cover a
wide range of price and required dedication. Beyond the initial cost of
purchase is the cost and time involved in upkeep and maintenance. Will it be
kept outside or in a hanger -- can you leave it assembled or will it be kept in
a trailer and have to be assembled every time you fly -- what other sailplanes
are in your location -- do you plan to race -- do you like gizmos and gadgets
or are you more of a purest and like your sailplanes simple -- . These are
some of the questions you must ask yourself to help decide. There is a great
variety to choose from. Antique and classic wood and tube and fabric
construction, plastic or metal -- golly gee wiz -- I love em all.
My personal favorite is the 1-26. It's inexpensive to buy, fly and fix. It is
easy and FUN to fly. It is a recognized single design class with it's own
competitions. Any badge, competition or cross country flying done in a 1-26 is
something to be proud of.
There is a regular community of 1-26er's. Check out the 1-26 Association web
site at www.serve.com/126ASSN/ The members of the Association are great
folks who practice the true spirit of soaring and are willing to share
knowledge and advise. The web site has several 1-26's listed for sale.
Also -- it is safe. It will let you land out in a pasture, hay field or even a
corn field and neither you or the glider will get injured. The 1-26 is an
honest, no nonsence little glider and when you decide to move on to something
with higher performance, there is a ready market for the 1-26. Who knows, you
may decide that the 1-26 is so much fun that you don't need or want another
sailplane.
Happy hunting -- whatever sailplane you buy -- hope to see you at cloudbase
someday
Ron Havelaar
Tore Skaar
Craig Lund wrote:
> Hello, All:
>
> I expect that I will set off a flurry of posts with this question but, I
> want to know what sailplane you would consider to be an excellent first
> time purchase with relatively low time.
>
> My interests seem to wander toward cross country. What ship do you think
> would be a good all around purchase.
The PW-5 is definite a sailplane for you.
The ease of handling on the ground is exellent.
When going for x-country, the ease of getting the aircraft out of the field
makes a outlanding a piece of cake.
--
Tore Skaar
PO Box 1179
N-9201 Bardufoss, Norway
The Midnight Sun Air Show: http://www.trollnet.no/trollhula/airshow/
MikeGray....@xtra.co.nz
Quietpilot wrote:
>
> If you want to learn the basics of cross country and are a low time pilot, get
> a Schweizer 1-26. Sure, "it doesnt have legs" as many say but it is most
> forgiving on landings out, easy to repair (especially compared to a PW5) and
> easy to assemble and disassemble in the field.
A good way to learn cross country flying in your own glider is to fly
with a group of friends (experienced and new) on a good "easy" day. If
you are flying a glider with PW5 performance when others have LS4,
liebel, LS3, etc, you will slow the group to such an extent that it is
simply not practical for them to wait for you.
Cross country gliding is hard enough even for an experienced pilot when
flying a low performance glider, ask one. It will make a new pilots job
near impossible.
Good luck
Mike
Kizuno
Craig,
This topic comes up every few months on this newsgroup. For previous threads
on exactly this topic, search the r.a.s. archives at:
http://webpages.netlink.co.nz/~rajiv/ras-archive/
BTW, I've had a Std. Libelle for 9 years now as my first glider. Great in all
ways except for poor dive brakes (but I'm great at slipping!)
Kemp
Al
I'll second the Libelle as a great machine for soneone as their first sailplane.
I bought one last year as my first sailplane and had great fun in it.
I would not hesitate to recommend it also its one of the best bang for your buck
machines you can get.
I sold mine this Feb and moved to a Kestrel 17 (another Great Glasflugel ship) but
still remember the great times out climbing all who came!!
Al
David Woodhouse
> <snip> Sure, "it doesnt have legs" as many say but it is most
> forgiving on landings out, easy to repair (especially compared to a
> PW5) and
> easy to assemble and disassemble in the field.
I do not believe that there is any basis for your comment about the ease
of repair of PW-5's. Also, I have landed out in both aircraft. After the
PW-5 land out, I was back at the club, ship re-rigged and finishing my
second beer in less time than it took to de-rig the 1-26. (What size
wrench does it take anyway?)
Try to keep the posts as factual as possible. The poster is going to use
our input to make a very major decision
David Woodhouse
Quietpilot
Good point, and well taken in all fairness, Dave. But I was trying to make the
assertion (and not very clearly) that metal and fabric is easier to repair than
glass.
MG
Richard Brisbourne
In article <35497A4B...@eunet.no>, Tore Skaar <tore...@eunet.no>
writes
>
>The PW-5 is definite a sailplane for you.
>The ease of handling on the ground is exellent.
>When going for x-country, the ease of getting the aircraft out of the field
>makes a outlanding a piece of cake.
>--
"Little gliders are great for getting out of fields you wouldn't be in
in the first place if you were in a big glider".
Most "second generation" glass gliders (say LS4 onwards) have excellent
approach control and are easy to de-rig. The standard class ones at
least are mostly easy to fly.
--
Richard Brisbourne
Bert Willing
Which definitely is nonsense.
Bert