Eric Greenwell wrote:

If I am right, that the viability of the sport does not depend on cheap,
new, high performance gliders, perhaps this is a good thing: it might be
more difficult to solve that high-volume production problem than the one
of getting more people into the sport and retaining them by improving
access to the sport by other means.

The problem isn't too few gliders, it's
NOT ENOUGH GLIDER PILOTS!

To get more glider pilots, you need more instructors
(who charge low rates). One source for these instructors is
cross-training the USUA and EAA ultralight instructors, and
cross-training ASEL CFIs (at least to the Sport Pilot level).

The two ways to grow the sport are to get youth, or get
pilots from other airsports.

If I were a glider manufacturer, I'd make LSA gliders
and advertise in the Ultralight, Hang Glider, and
Experimental magazines and conventions.

Have any of you noticed that gliders weren't even mentioned in the
new Sport Pilot and LSA magazine? And there are no glider pictures
in the Sport Pilot branch color brochures and briefings...

I would have expected at least the SZD 50-3 USA distributor to have
noticed this and made some phone calls.

There is a whole group of (sometimes aging) airsport enthusiasts
who are deciding the freezing cold open air in their face
and the lack of protection on landing/crashing/crumpling
in their hang gliders and ultralights is a bad thing.

They want gliders, they just don't know about them...
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Mark J. Boyd