Jim,

Ease of use (poor word choice perhaps) means: The glider I purchased was already in my possession in Michigan (care of a very good friend). I had been flying it off and on for a year or two before purchasing. I was very comfortable and fairly competitive in it (the 29 is arguably the best current 18m glider if World Championship results are considered). The glider was ready to go, here, etc. All I had to do is write the check. This particular glider is also perhaps among the lightest 29s around (considerably lighter than most other 29s). Finally, the 29 is a very easy glider to rig, fly and manage. Parts are readily available as is knowledge from the community. The "speeds and feeds" are well known. This broad community of US 29 owners was a huge reason I ultimately chose to buy the used 29. It is a truly wonderful sailplane to fly and clearly is widely accepted to have exceptional performance in all conditions and wing-loadings. The ASG-29 is "practically" an open class glider in 18m.

That said, I did strongly consider the JS-1 (I had paperwork in hand and was close to signing) and Lak17b FES. The reason that I did not do the JS-1 is, ironically, the 18/21 meter offering. 21m is also one of the greatest strengths of the JS-1. I love the idea of 21 meter performance (60:1) and the very high achievable wingloadings. I just could not decide how much I would actually use the 21 meter. There are almost no open gliders in Michigan and they are flown even less. The Open class is small in the US right now and only 2 contests each year are held for Open (Perry and Nationals). The simple fact is that 18m is plenty of performance. And, in the USA, the 15m class is still very strong, competitive and dense with top pilots.

As for the Lak17b, I still believe that it is a really outstanding option. The Lak team is highly innovative and forward thinking. They were the first adopter of FES. FES is (without question) the safest, simplist and most reliable sustainer system of the market. I remain very disappointed that the U.S. Handicap committee has failed to adjust the Lak17b handicap to account for the drag of the FES system and not just "LOWER" the handicap due to the increased weight of the batteries. This irritates me to no end. I find the situation to be lazy and irresponsible (and plain wrong). Now that Schliecher and Schemp Hiirth gliders are starting to deliver FES equipped gliders I can only hope more serious attention be given to this issue. It has been nearly 2 years since I brought this up (still nothing has changed I believe). Sorry for the rant, back to the Lak17b. The Lak17b also has 15m tips! So you can have a 15m, 18m, Open (21m) and FES glider all in one (and a 13.5 I believe!!!). That is amazing versatility and all bases could perhaps be covered with this one glider (and a nice hangar to store all these wing extensions!). As I owned a Lak17a (my first glider), I was already impressed with the rigging ease and quality (something I miss on occasion as I continue to learn the 29). The Lak17a was a dream to fly although the rudder was small (this has been addressed with the B model). I also suspect the performance of the 17b is highly underestimated (as the 17a was).

At the end of the day we have 7 very competitive 18 meter gliders on the market right now.

1) ASG-29 - the gold standard, 15/18 only, confident resale, community, proven, available within a year new

2) JS-1 EVO - innovative, focused on 18, proven performance in both 18 and Open but not noticeably better than the 29 in 18, Jet has been pretty much perfected, under a year delivery. also, the lack of a 15m option is difficult for many hard core contest pilots to "let go."

3) VENTUS 3 - it is very hard to ignore the potential and hype (claims of 55:1, etc), get in line!...it's going to be awhile (2-4 years potentially), not proven (hype at this point, to me it must win 2 world championships in a row before its proven to be the best), there will almost certainly be bugs to work out early in the production, SH gross "weight" concerns, fuselage size ?s (supposedly the V3 will offer only 2 size options vs 3, something between an A/B ("sport")and another between a B/C). I suspect the SH chose to go with 15/18 vs 18/21 for the V3 is because the window of predicted higher performance with a 21 meter wing was just to narrow. If the V3 delivers the performance that is being "whispered" (55:1, ultra flat polar via thinner airfoils, etc) it will essentially be a highly competitive open class glider with 18m wings. That would be great because carrying 21/18 tips in a normal trailer is a PITA.

4) ASG-31 - very, very good performance, Schleicher refined, highly reliable self launch capability (unique in the 18 meter class other than than the Antares, great all around glider, surprisingly competitive in both 18/Open.

5) LAK17b(FES) - highly underestimated, offers 15/18/21 and even 13.5, FES experienced (first to introduce the technology to a production glider), easy to rig. But the LAK17b has not had great competition results, the company itself may be more vulnerable (recent ownership change), few (20 perhaps?) have been built and even fewer are in North America although those who have seem extremely happy.

6) HPH 304s - extremely well built, great performance, reliable Jet sustainer, self launch option, good U.S. Dealer who is now campaigning the glider in competition I believe.

7) Antares 18/20 Electric Self Launch - company is so goofy now that it really should not be on this list....but....the glider itself is unreal IF you are prepared to maintain it properly. An amazing used Anteres is currently on Wings and Wheels for around 170k!

I honestly think all of these gliders would be good choices. I truly do. I think they all are competitive with a good pilot. It just comes down to some slight variances in personal preference and budget. Another big factor is company stability and dealer service. Hardcore racers will continue to lean towards the ASG-29 for awhile (a safe choice, here now, by far the most affordable on average, absolutely proven performance in all conditions) or the JS-1 (if 18/Open is key or Jet sustainer is key). The Ventus 3 is very exciting. I suspect a "tiny bit" overhyped ;-). We shall see. Regardless, it will be sold in force (many deposits, etc) and clearly we will have plenty of data on its actual competition performance within 2 years. Remember, the JS-1 was supposed to crush the 29 too. Apparently that task is slightly more difficult than it looks.

The ASG-31 is the "best overall 18m glider" in my opinion because it's a highly reliable self launch with 18/21 options. It's also quite expensive and generally considered touch too heavy in 18m when it's weak. That said, possessing the abilitity to fly almost anywhere you want, at almost anytime you want is truly extraordinary! If competition was less of a focus for me, this would be my choice.

The LAK17b and Shark 304s are also excellent as well although "understated" in their marketing situations (Lak especially in the USA). The FES option on the Lak and its "Swiss Army" tip choices on the price list are very compelling. Essentially 3 or even 4 gliders in one! The Shark is very refined, very high build quality and also has a proven self launch system like the ASG-31 but only with 18m. It seems to be selling very well too.

I bought the ASG-29 and will sit on the fence for a couple years and see how I develop as a pilot and how the market develops.

I hope that helps! It burned up 15 minutes waiting for the plane this morning!