I read Mr. Greenwell's comments with the same respect I usually have
for his comments. I have to disagree with him on this one. Instructors
and some seasoned pilots told me what a man-killer a 1-35 was. With 27
total flight hours, I flew it, and I still wonder just what they were
referring to. I have 128 hours in a 1-35 and now own a PIK-20B...
ooooohhh... those nasty flaps! If I listened to every warning from
every misinformed person that doesn't like the subject glider, for
whatever reason, I would have never taken that first ride in a
Pratt-Reid so many years ago. Just because a guy or lady can be an
instructor doesn't mean he or she is an expert or even a good pilot.
Conversly, just because someone is a good pilot, doesn't mean that he
or she can be a good instructor. Stories about not having the elevator
hooked up and the like are very helpful, and they make us all more
careful pilots. Stories about the supposed bad behavior of a particular
sailplane model only damage our sport. I saw some recent, veiled
references to the 1-35 and it's supposed bad habits in Soaring Magazine
and they didn't print my reply. I think that's sad, especially for
someone that might really enjoy flying one, and for someone that has
one for sale. I have 1 flight of 2 hours in a Standard Cirrus. What a
nice ship it was... but then... I'm not in the habit of flying
hands-off...

Just my $.02 worth.

Jack Womack
Clovis, NM