choice. LS3, ASW19 as second choice. If not too expensive, flapped
gliders (LS3,ASW20) are preferable but a little more demanding for
beginners.

ASW 20 for a beginner who just soloed?
Bold... very bold.


I know of power pilots who are newly transitioned
to slippery retract airplanes (Bonanza V35, for example).
They ask me about flying them IFR. I tell them that
for the first dozen flights in actual (usually
just climb or approach though a 1000 foot thich stratus layer),
I just flew with cowl flaps open and the gear down. Then
it flew sorta like a Cezzna 172.
More stable, harder to forget the gear, and less airspeed
change with pitch. After I get more
experience I complicated things and was able to
fire off a speedy checklist...

An ASW-20 has flaps, spoilers, and retract gear.
One can simulate gear with a little gear knob
with lights found at Sporty's.
Maybe fly around with the gear down all the time for
a half-dozen, just using the "simulator?"
And have your partners check to see if the gear
lever is down for landing (you owe them a round
if it ain't

Is there a flap setting in the ASW-20 that one
can use for the entire flight? If one
left the flaps at +8 for takeoff, slowly flying around,
and then landing, would this be fine? Or is it like the
PIK-20 where one sets -8 flaps till rotation then
0...

I noticed the mini-nimbus flight manual
(which I was able to read online) seems to allow flaps
+8 for takeoff (given certain C.G.s and weights),
+8 for slow aerotow,
+8 for slow and thermalling flight
+8 for landing.

So in the mini-nimbus
this "set it and forget it" seems at least
possible for a few familairization pattern tows.

If one can set flaps and fly them for the whole
flight that way, then it seems one could fly a
half dozen "pattern tows" with flaps at the same setting
and the gear down, and get familiar with trim and
spoiler use without immediate added complexity
of retract and flaps.

www.soaravenal.com/041903.htm
outlines one experience of a newbie
to using flaps and retract simultaneously.
I believe he (or perhaps it was someone else)
also had a few inexpensive nascent ground loops as well...

I have Bob Wander's single-seat transition and
it seemed to mention nothing about this gradual
approach to familiarizing oneself to complex
single-seaters. Perhaps I am off in left field...

It does seem, however, that buying into a parnership
with a sleek ASW-20 would be great if combined
with the discipline to follow a regimented
training plan that avoids use of flaps and gear,
if this is an option. And perhaps a similary sized
"test pilot helper" to fly it right before
hand and set the trim just right for takeoff.