In article ,
(Flyhighdave) wrote:

Would be interested in hearing any & all experiences and thoughts on the
Lak-12. Thanks!

I've been very happy with mine, based at Minden. I rig it in March and
de-rig in October. If you can fly a Pegasus you can fly a LAK-12, and
it won't even do an over-the-top spin entry; no wonder the Russians used
to put newly rated pilots into them for their first XC flights. Easiest
ballast system ever and best price for performance on the market. You
won't find the same fit and finish as with a German glider, but that's
the trade off; more like a carbon fiber open class Schweizer. The
Nimbus 2 and the ASW-17 definitely reflect more attention to detail and
higher priced labor invested.

My advice is to buy one where someone else has already installed oxygen
and a decent panel of instruments, offering half way between a stock
glider and what they've got into it. the other technique is to buy a
stock glider and equip it as you wish, which will cost much more money
(VOE), but then it'll be to your own specification.

Ken
San Jose, CA

PS: when you go to rig/de-rig a LAK-12, all your friends will develop
improved mental abilities: they'll suddenly remember root canal
appointments, hear wive's calling, claim they have a bad back (even
though an *entire* LAK-12 wing weighs only 30# more than the inner panel
alone of the very fine ASW-17), etc. ;-)