in article ,
John Morgan at wrote on 2003/10/07 11:36:

...MGs are sailplanes too...despite the cost, complexity and weight
disadvantages of motorgliders.

The point is that competition between gliders using motors and gliders not
using motors makes no sense, except perhaps in the sense of an exhibition.
Why not work up a scale of handicaps which include the 182 and invite that
ubiquitous Cessna to join as well? Just think of the potential for swelling
the ranks of the _Soaring_ Society of America.


It is apparent that, most purchasers of new sailplanes feel the advantages are
compelling. And so the majority buy new ships with motors.

And the majority will probably not use them in competition, so what has that
to do with the topic at hand?


Soaring in the US is shrinking. We can take the path espoused by some, "keep
'em separate", or we can we can take the more logical approach, embrace
change and do what's needed to stay as one.

I suspect most sailplane pilots, motorized or not, couldn't care less about
the arcane rules of competition, nor whether MGs and non-MGs go head to
head. If you equate membership size with success, then your arguement can't
pssibly have anything to do with the structure of competitive sailplane
events.

If shrinking participation in soaring and the rise of the Motor Glider are
occurring simultaneously, how would you relate those facts WRT to possible
cause and effect?



Jack