Yeah, we are bored. And with snow headed for the U.S. East Coast, we're
not likely to have any soaring to think about for a while yet.

It's difficult not to pick Gerhard Waibel as the most consistent and
prolific designer of beautiful gliders (ASW 12, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 27
& 28; yeah, I know I left off the 15 but that one just didn't do it for
me). For sheer drama, the Discus 2, Nimbus 4, and ASH-25 are pretty
spectacular. I flew a Libelle 201 for many years but sorry, guys, it
was cute. Lovable perhaps, but not beautiful.

But to paraphrase an earlier poster, you never forget the gliders that
first captivated you. In my case:

(a) Len Niemi's Sisu, a V-tailed marvel from the '60s (Vintage, Sports,
or Open Class depending on how you look at it); and

(b) Diamant HBV, the 15M version with the Glasflugel 301 wings that had
far more attractive proportions than the later long-winged versions
(Vintage, Sports, or 15M Class).

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"