wrote:

Well, the PW-5 did not failed. It was designed to meet the
requirements and concept promoted by the FAI. That concept called for
glider with L/D in low 30-ties. So, it wasn't the glider as much as
the pilots who failed by demanding more performance and not
understanding the concept. The "One Design" class will fail again in
the future regardless of what kind of glider is used for that specific
purpose. And that is sad.

I kind of agree with Jacek. The PW-5 did what it was supposed to do;
instead, I suggest it was the World Class idea that failed. I believe
the promoters of the World Class one-design concept badly misjudged the
interest in a one-design class, and what most pilots wanted out it, and
hoped for, was a new glider for half the going price. The price turned
out not as cheap as the promoters thought it would be, but worse, it had
to compete with plentiful gliders in the used market.

I don't think the results would have been much different if the Russia
had been selected. I suspect even fewer World Class gliders would have
been sold had the requirements called for something with the performance
and looks of, say, a Std Cirrus, because the higher price of the glider
would have made the cost difference with used gliders even greater.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
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