On Sat, 02 Sep 2017 07:01:38 -0600, BobW wrote:

BTW, what an irony that the PW-5 is getting so many nice reviews NOW,
after over 20 years. In the late 1990's the returning refrain on r.a.s.
was: "Does the PW-5 still suck?" Some of us remember it...

Heh (he chuckles, while contributing to thread drift)...temporary - if
years'-long-lasting - insanity? Short-sighted, too, when considered from
the group health aspect of the sport. Waiting with bated breath to see
how much of it's still around...

An entirely personal view, based on initial impressions:

I had my first flights in both a PW-5 and a Std Libelle on the same day
at the same club (not my home one).

Neither flight was really good for getting a rounded opinion of the
gliders because there was almost no lift, so both were sled rides after a
tow. I thought the PW-5 was nice handling, though I could relate to my
club's boss CFI's comment that it flew a bit like a paper bag. The
Libelle obviously had better performance but both seemed easy enough to
fly. I was in the market for my first glider at the time, so was flying
everything I could get into.

As a result of that day, the Libelle went onto my 'wants' list but the
PW-5 did not, though I was pleased to have flown it. Besides, the PW-5
isn't nearly as pretty as a Libelle.

On reflection and on looking at UK prices, the PW-5 was always a bit
expensive for what it was. It has very similar performance to a Ka-6e but
for a lot more cash, both then and now, and is not as rugged as an SZD
Junior, which has slightly performance. However, I think it is a good
enough glider to act as an alternative to a Junior or an ASK-23 in the
British/European club environment, where these, along with a G102, are
often used as a new pilot's initial single seater and will often be flown
by them up to silver C standard.

I think you'll find that the competition pilots were the PW-5's main
detractors and who can really blame them: stepping out of a contemporary
Standard Class toy to go racing in a much slower machine with a glide
ratio of 32 and no water would be a bit of a shock.


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martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
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