I agree US soaring pilots are above average in fitness. However,
having soared in Germany and US though, there is a difference in
average size according to my untrained eye. Nobody who has flown the
bird has said it is uncomfortable, even over long flights. However, I
think the points raised here about the Diana-2 are good ones. Thing is
though, as far as I know, none have crashed or been repaired to
evaluate for their crashworthiness or repairability VS. other models.

Though I do hear the wings can only be repaired in Poland as nobody is
trained to repair their special structure. For European buyers perhaps
not such a big deal. For US buyers a big pause. Then again, who
wouldn't properly insure their glider?

I hear a lot about the Diana-2 offering little protection to the pilot
in a crash. Maybe it's true, but maybe not. From what I read, the
cockpits of some existing German types can jackknife and then
straighten out in a flash in a crash, injuring or killing the pilot in
the process. But the cockpit still looks in good shape later. The mass
of the glider behind the cockpit is a major factor in this. The
lighter the better. Until we can examine a Diana-2 crash, or have
empirical data on the crashworthiness, it all seems speculation to me
and I don't think many take the inherent lightness into account, which
adds to safety due to lower mass behind your head.

The control surface play is certainly an issue. Someone should ask the
factory about that. Is it correctable or not? Was it down to BB or is
it fleet wide? Good discussion. I hope the Duckhawk is a similar
breakthrough in performance. That would be something!