On Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:41:00 -0800, noel.wade wrote:

I think you have misunderstood my last comment and the comments of
others here. No one is saying that you have to buy a DG-1000 or a Duo-
Discus or an Arcus in order to conduct training.

No, I'm with you but a lot are arguing that even an G.103 is outrageous
when a 2-33 will do. I spoke up this time because there seemed to be a
hint of 'people who learn on glass will all be flying the latest and
greatest single seaters' and I wanted to see if I'd misread the writer:
seems that I had.

Your example of an
ASK-21 is a sex-machine compared to the Schweizer gliders! Compa

I don't need to compare them. There's one of the Avenal 2-33s in my log
book. :-)

I like flying our club Juniors in winter or when there's some other
reason I'm not flying my Libelle and, as I've flown an ASK-23, a Ka-8 and
a PW-5, I reckon about there's an unfilled slot in my logbook that is the
same shape as a 1-26. I hear they're fun to fly even if they do penetrate
even worse than a Junior. Can they be winched?

The point is that even someone who knows nothing about airplanes can
tell which one is more modern and capable.

Sure, and I agree that's a no-brainer.

THEY are the exception. The average
citizen (at least in the USA) is not going to slog through all that, and
their interest-level is certainly going to be affected by how modern (or
at least modern-looking) the aircraft are. Its just human nature.

I'm probably one of them to some extent: the ASK-21 hooked me where an
ASK-13 couldn't, though to be fair that happened 10+ years after I had
the K-13 ride, I was no longer totally gung-ho about competition free
flight and was probably subconsciously looking for a new challenge.

There's a similarity: my favourite models always have been F1A towline
gliders and now winch launching is my preferred way of getting airborne,
outnumbering aero tows this year by better than 15:1.


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martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
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