Hi Bob,

Well said! I too highly respect these individuals who put their hearts and
souls into their sailplanes! Well done!

Paul Remde

"Bob Whelan" wrote in message
...
Talk is cheap, while skepticism is free...well, except perhaps for a
diminution of imagination.

I remember when news of Greg Cole's Sparrow Hawk first appeared on RAS.
There were the predictable skeptics:
- he'll never deliver anything;
- he'll never deliver at U.S. ultralight weight;
- it won't have the predicted performance if he does deliver;
- it'll cost too much in any event;
- insurance woes will kill it;
- it'll be too fragile;
- it's not 15 meters;
- etc...

Never mind the man's publicly-known technical background and professional
resume of the time. Since then he has not only delivered, but done so at
a rate that helps sustain a technology-intensive business in what remains
a low-volume market. I, for one, am impressed as all get-out, at many
levels.

Now - in the same understated manner in which he acknowledged the
existence of Sparrow Hawk hardware/airframe development - Greg Cole has
informed the U.S. soaring world of his second (as known to me, anyway)
sailplane/hardware under development. And - as with the Sparrow Hawk -
Greg Cole has not only imagined a ship 'outside the box* of conventional
soaring thought' but begun seriously acting upon his imaginings. He has
my deep respect and sincere wishes for continuing business success...and
would have even were we not from the same country.

He's not alone in so having that, BTW; I'm no less impressed with the work
of Attie Jonkers and Danny Howell (as known largely to me via the same
convention) and the tremendous belief and years of effort of Bob
Kuykendall (as known to me mostly via RAS). Throughout its history and as
well demonstrated still today, soaring has attracted some remarkable
people!

Personally, I'm less skeptical about the Duck Hawk than I am hopeful
sufficient numbers of them will wind up in the hands of soaring pilots
with sufficient imagination and talent and wherewithal to begin expanding
'everyone's' commonly accepted realm of soaring possibilities. Ditto Danny
Howell's Lighthawk.

While I doubt any of the men mentioned here dream and design and create
mostly for reasons of receiving 'Attaboys!' I'm genuinely pleased to be in
a position to give them mine. I can hardly wait until the first Duck Hawk
airframe is completed, even though I'll almost certainly never be in a
position to pilot it.

Bob - anticipatorily - W.

* 'Outside the box' - Am I the only one who remembers from the Albuquerque
convention Greg Cole's intention (then, anyway) to stress the Duck Hawk
for 'useful' dynamic soaring speeds and maneuvers (and concomitant
stresses)...as in enabling it to be capable of dynamically soaring (say)
the fringes of the jet stream?