On Nov 12, 10:48*am, hretting wrote:
On the other end of the scale.....if your plan is to eventually move
up the performance ladder....avoid the 1-26. The 1-26 is a specific
loved glider that borders on thumb screws and bamboo torture. If
you're the type of guy that has been driving the same VW since college
and loves how that old electric saw still works even though it sparks
enough to weld, then ya...the 1-26 is for you.
A tough find if you're patience would be the 1-34. It will cost you
double but give you more joy. You can park it outside like the 26 and
after you put a 1000 hours on it, get all your money back.
The 1-26 is a learning utility glider that comes with a group of
radicals that...and this is where they excel....are much friendlier
and easy going and like landings as much as the tows.
You will never see the boundaries of soaring from a 1-26. The key to
that will always be L/D.
I burned my Nov. edition. Had a Cuba Libre with it. Bacardi..Black
R

I know of three former, including two recent World Team members that
were former 1-26 drivers. I know that when they talk of their flights
and experiences in the 1-26, they do it with a smiles, laughs and a
continuing bond to both the bird and the community of pilots (read
personalities) who fly them. One of these three even won the
Barringer Trophy for the longest unhandicapped straight out flight in
a calendar year, just like your great winning flight in the Discus 2
last year. So R, I must disagree. It's a great teaching machine for
those who want to learn a lot about thermals, persistence, landouts in
small fields and humility, all while providing the satisfaction of
accomplishment in low performance, through badges, records and contest
showings. Yep, contest showings. 1-26s have placed high in Regionals
too.

You can always move to glass but I would encourage anyone to fly the
1-26 for a while too. Then you can look back someday with smiles,
laughs and experience, as we do. Or, you can keep it and build on
your accomplishments like Ron Schwartz and many others.

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