.....I bought a 5M this last spring for roughly the amount of money that
would get me an LS-4. However, the 5M allowed me to fly twice the hours of
my previous high hour season because I could fly from an airport 10 minutes
from my house as opposed to 2 or 2.5 hours from home. For me, the increased
number of hours greatly makes up for the relatively small performance
reduction because I feel I am making more rapid progression in my quest to
be a soaring pilot.


What's missing here is the camaraderie and sharing your passion with
like-minded individuals at the gliderport. This is important for some,
and less so for others. I admit that I would find a 2.5 hour drive "a
haul".

Tony V. "6N"