(Bob Kuykendall) wrote in message . com...
Earlier, Eric Greenwell wrote:

The one somewhat-troubling exception that occurs to me is full-on,
no-holds-barred competition. I believe that where the stakes are high,
there can be competitive advantage in a light, very small glider of
15m or slightly less. What we're talking about is a glider for a 5'2"
pilot of about 108 lbs who doesn't mind launching at 11 lbs/ft^2 in a
machine that provides about as much crash protection as a motorcycle
racing suit.


George Moffat was way ahead of you; he brings up this exact subject in
"Winning on the Wind"! His instant solution? Woman contest pilots!

He also had an interesting discussion about the potential of a 13
meter racing class, but unlike the current emphasis on handicapping,
he wanted a really strict one-class ship (much like the theory behind
the PW-5). This came from his experience in sailboat racing.

I think all this discussion about exporting Sparrowhawks to Europe
misses a huge point - European (and probably the rest of the non-US
gliding community) has a strong XC and racing bias. So a glider that
doesn't fit into an existing racing category, or has less XC
capability, will be a tough sell. Club class perhaps, but then you
are competing against much less expensive used ships.

The US on the other hand, seems (IMHO) to have a substantial anti-XC /
racing majority - which would explain the "success" (?) of the
Sparrowhawk and PW-5 over here.

Finally - To me the argument is backwards: I don't want a 13 meter
ship that has the performance of an LS4, I want an LS4 (size, comfort,
handling, cost) that has the performance of an LS6!

Kirk
Ex-partner in an LS4, currently flying an LS6 (and missing the -4s
huge cockpit and wonderful ailerons)