Richard Starke, test pilot for the JS1C, is currently working in Mojave, CA and living in Tehachapi.
I only have 40 or 50 hours of JS1B and C, all at 18m so not familiar with circumstances that could lead up to whatever caused the tragic accident in Texas.
It's a fantastic glider to fly. JS1s are flown with a reasonably mid-range CG, so doubtfully pushed aft of the limit.
Jim


On Sunday, July 20, 2014 5:37:23 PM UTC-7, nimbus wrote:
For what it's worth, I have about 5 flights in the 18m JS-1. These flights were conducted in wave and thermals and from my little experience in the JS-1, I was thoroughly impressed with it's handling characteristics, especially at slow speeds. It was extremely easy to fly and even in rotor, handled exceptionally well at slow speeds at various bank angles. There weren't any sneaky things about it throughout all flight regimes.

Personally I think it's totally coincidental that several accidents occurred in the JS-1C within a relatively short time period. I sat through Uys Jonker's talk at the convention and if my memory serves me correctly, he mentioned that during flight testing, the JS-1C was fully loaded with water, then water depleted from one wing, and then the aircraft intentionally spun into the heavy wing with a successful recovery. Pretty impressive. It's a really strong glider.

I'm not making any comparisons to other similar sailplanes. Just my take on the JS-1.



Thanks,

Gordon Boettger