In article ,
Robert Ehrlich wrote:
Eric Greenwell wrote:

Jon Meyer wrote:

Are you therefore saying that the world class must
have less than 15m span just so that it cannot be construed
as being equivalent to one of the existing classes?

No, I'm saying it must be smaller to be cheaper. Bigger costs money.

I think that such a suggestion is completely contrary
to the aims of the world class, which are in my opinion,
very good.

Here was an important goal: "substantially lower costs than then-current
new gliders". It's the first one on the list in the history section of
the World Class Soaring Association (www.wcsa.org/history.htm).


At that time the LAK-12 was still in production and met the goal:
substantially lower costs than then-current new gliders". Although
size is certainly a factor of the price, it is not the main one.

The WC requirement that the glider have construction plans
public and open to anyone for building seemed like a good way
to ensure the manufacturer wouldn't "gouge", but this seems to
have backfired. I don't think this requirement should be
put forth in 2009. Perhaps this will encourage more entries...
Perhaps make the plans and such public and buildable by
anyone, but have no requirement that it is easy to build...
Thus allowing the Sparrowhawk and others to compete...

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Mark Boyd
Avenal, California, USA