I’m new to the sport and am thinking about getting my first glider
this summer. I was hoping that you guys would all put your 2 cents in
and help me sort through all the wonderful why A is better than B…
Some things I’m concerned about are

I’m 6’2” and mostly torso. When I sit in a DG 1000 I take up a LOT of
the cockpit. It’s not uncomfortable, but I don’t think I would go any
smaller…

I’m paralyzed from about the waist down – so I will be using a hand
controlled rudder (even more reason to have a good sized cockpit) –
Also, pushing myself around all day in my wheelchair has made my
shoulders a bit wide… And, because I sit on my butt all day long, it
would be nice if I could fit a 1-2” pad under my butt while flying –
to prevent pressure sores on those long flights.

Ease of assembly: since I can’t do it myself – I’m sure to be asking
others for help – and I’m sure people won’t hate me as much if my
glider is not a pain to put together…

Motor: If I land out, it might be a really bad day for me. Sitting
in the glider waiting until crew arrives could be a big bummer… not a
total necessity, but a good thing to keep in mind.

Flaps: I think I’d rather not have them… I’m not sure how often you
adjust them in flight, but I’ll have right hand stick, left hand
stick, trim, spoilers, radio to worry about operating with my hands
already. I figure one less thing would be ok… But, if they really
help out maybe I should get them – I’m not too sure on this one

Type of flying: I made it out to avenal for a day last week and had a
blast, while I will do a fair amount of hanging around my local
airport (crystal) my main goal will be cross country and racing.

$: this is most likely the most important thing… I would like to
keep it around the $50,000 or so mark. I would pay more if there is
an engine in there (I’ve seen some DG 400s in the 60s…) and if I can
spend $30,000 and get 95% of a $50,000 ship, i'd rather do that

Any input would be great, or if you have questions that I haven’t
thought of that would be great too.

Ships I’ve considered
ASW 20
ASW 24 (how do these handle – fast thermaling speed?)
Genesis 2 (big cockpit – but how does it fly)
Discus (with large fuselage)
Ventus
DG 303 elan
LS-3
PIK 20E
DG 400
Ventus CM

Thanks again for any help -