Good idea! He's offered to pay to install a hook on our Cessna 180, but
my insurance company says, "NO". So do I.

Dan
5J

On 2/6/21 5:55 PM, 2G wrote:
On Saturday, February 6, 2021 at 4:01:46 PM UTC-8, Dan Marotta wrote:
My gliding buddy has a '27 and we like to go on safari. That's
difficult unless we can find a place with tows. To date we've gone to
Salida, CO and Nephi and Logan, UT. He doesn't want to buy a
self-launcher yet so he's looking to borrow or lease one.

Dan
5J
On 2/6/21 9:35 AM, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Mark Mocho wrote on 2/6/2021 7:05 AM:
Sorry, but I disagree that electrics will turn "pure" sailplanes into
a fringe activity. I personally like pure sailplanes over motorgliders
and sustainers. Probably comes from 28 years of hang gliding and 20
years of gliding (45 years total). I played around with powered
ultralights, but never really wanted one. I have a self launch
endorsement in gliders (as well as two turbojet Type Ratings in jet
powered two-seat gliders), but I prefer unpowered flight for the
challenge, as well as lower complexity and lower insurance costs.
Sure, I am forced to depend on tows, but you can pay for a LOT of tows
with the differential in the price of a motorglider.

Paying for tows isn't what bothers people that buy self-launching
motorgliders. We do it because there aren't any tows where or when we
want to fly. A secondary reason, and one a sustainer can fix, is getting
home reliably. My wife thinks our motorglider is the best one we've ever
owned (it's number 5) because it always gets home :^)

It's interesting technically to talk about energy density of gas vs
batteries, but it's irrelevant to the glider pilot, who wants a good
takeoff climb rate, enough range to get home after misjudging the
weather, simple operation, and low maintenance. Increasingly, it's the
electric gliders that can provide these features.

What stops most people from owning a motorglider is cost, which has
always been true, even before jet and electric gliders came along. The
factories are selling more powered sailplanes than unpowered, so the
percentage of powered gliders is increasing, and they are selling an
increasing number of electric powered gliders, so I tend to agree with
Bob. Still, I think it's a long time to "fringe" status for unpowered
gliders.

A powered glider has much more potential utility than a towed glider,
making it easier for partners in a glider to get all the flying they
want. The simplicity of electric glider operation makes it easier to
find suitable partners, so I'm hoping (and expecting) partnerships will
increase significantly, and increase the number of people that want to
fly gliders, and retain those that might otherwise drop out.


He can always buy a towplane and hire a towpilot. This shouldn't cost more than $5-10k plus the cost of the towplane (which he could sell after the safari).

Tom