Kirk Stant wrote:


True. But based on what I have seen out here, unless you have a group
flying similar performance gliders, you will lose some (a lot?) of the
"individualist" beginning XC pilots. If you are lucky enough to have
a critical mass of Sparrowawk (or similar) ships, then those lucky
pilots will have a lot of fun, no doubt about it.

It depends on the person and culture of organization, I think. Thirty
years ago, I learned in and flew with a club where even pilots of
similar skill and gliders did not fly "together" (meaning in sight of
each other, or within a mile or two), but with radio contact as they
scattered in different directions to explore on their own.

We still fly this way: individuals doing their own thing in the company
of friends. This kind of social flying doesn't require the pilots have
the same abilities or similar gliders, so the pilot in the Ka-6
participates just as well as the pilot in 18 meter motorglider.

And I've seen people get that high performance ship, scare themselves
with a high speed landing in a field, and go back to floating around the
airport in it. The glider and the pilot need to be matched to the
situation; it's not one size fits all, for sure.

I've seen that here several times - with such docile ships as ASW-19s!
I suspect the problem is training - the curse of the 2-33 strikes
again! Anyone who says a modern Std ship (which includes the LS4) is
any harder to fly than a 1-26 is delusional and/or poorly trained.

The LS4 isn't harder to fly, I'm sure, but a landing it in a farmer's
field is more difficult and intimidating the new pilot. The larger size
and especially the higher landing speed are the cause. Every time I've
landed our club's Blanik, I would think "this is SO easy compared to a
glass ship!". And that's from a pilot with 2000+ hours in glass ships.

snip

You have a lot company, as there are lots of pilots can't see past their
habits and preferences to that big picture.


True, but that knife cuts both ways - there are a lot of "advocates"
of specific ships/classes/types of flying that think that there way is
the only way.

These pilots are included in my "lots of pilots can't see past their
habits and preferences to that big picture" remark.

snip

Self launch seems to me to trade convenience for solitude -


It's not a trade - options are increased, none are removed. Fly from the
glider port at the same time as your friends, fly from airports where
the soaring is great but there are no tows, fly with other motorglider
pilots: it's the pilot's choice if he flies alone.

I like the company of other gliders!

So do I, and as do most of the motorglider pilots I know. I know one
that gives tows mid-week when there aren't any other towpilots, then
self-launches when the tow line is empty!

Again, thats a typical US
"lonesome cowboy" attitude (and there is nothing wrong with that!) -
unlike the european social approach to soaring.

With over half the German manufacturers' production being motorgliders,
the Europeans must be buying a lot of them!

--
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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA