On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 13:58:17 -0500, "Tim Mara"
wrote:

I'm sure I won't be the first to suggest it....but if you are looking for a
"good" ship in the 20-25K range there will be a lot of "really good" (some
will even be far cheaper) Libelle's, Hornets, Mosquito's, LS1f's, LS3's
Jantar's and so on and even some later gliders like ASW19's, DG300's and
now even some LS4's ect that will be in or near your price range just to
name a few .....many will even be certified with Standard airworthiness....
performance isn't everything, but all of these will certainly out-perform
your wish-list and give you solid, record proven reliability and known
habits....plus since many of these have already depreciated (and
appreciated) you'll have some known value and resale.....plus plus plus.....
tim

First, a word in defense of the PW-5. It is quite pleasant to fly
judging from one flight. Controls are light and its responsive. The
only vice I was warned about before flying it is a tendency to PIO on
aero-tow take off if you let it pop up and are then over-enthusiastic
in correcting. I didn't have a problem - got it running on the main
wheel with the nose a little raised and it just flew off. If you can
fly a modern glass two seater (ASK-21 or G103) you'd have no problem
with it. OTOH the build quality of the early ones is a bit scruffy and
the short wheelbase could well make for a choppy roll-out on an uneven
field.

Having said that I'd certainly echo Tim's advice. I made my first
Libelle flight an hour or so after flying the PW-5 and it was a
delight to fly as well as having a lot more performance than the PW-5.
Again, I was warned about poor brakes, but didn't find them a problem
though they are weaker than you find on, say, a Pegase or Discus. They
sell for $US16K -$US18K with trailer here and have to represent good
value if you can get a nice one.

Me? I'm spoilt by an enjoyable two seasons on a Pegase and so am
prepared to pay for at least an ASW-19 level of performance.

--
martin@ : Martin Gregorie
gregorie : Harlow, UK
demon :
co : Zappa fan & glider pilot
uk :