On Dec 9, 7:23*pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Uncle Fuzzy wrote:

What is the appeal of a 'sustainer'? *They seem to be almost as
expensive as a self-launcher, without the ability to self launch.
It's great not to have to land out, but it seems like an awful lot of
money to spend and still need a tug to get airborne.

Most pilots think they are significantly cheaper to purchase, to
maintain, and to insure. They are lighter, so easier to assemble and
manhandle; they have a wider wing loading, often with both higher *and*
lower wing loadings; and typically, simpler to operate, and more
reliable. In the USA, you don't need a self-launching endorsement to fly
one.

If you can get a tow when and where you want, and don't fly in high
density altitude locations, they are a more attractive alternative to a
self-launcher. They are much more popular in Europe than the USA, in
part because launches are so much easier to get, and because many glider
* ports have noise restrictions that prohibit gas powered self-launching.

A sustainer gives you what some of us think is the "best half" of a
powered glider: the ability to fly or explore aggressively without the
worry of an outlanding and a long retrieve. Pilots that haven't flown
motorgliders often underestimate this major feature because it's not an
obvious one, while it's easy for everyone to see the advantage of
self-launching.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes"http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* * * New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" atwww.motorglider.org

Thanks Eric,
That puts it into a perspective I can understand.