On the contrary. Potchefstroom on the middle of South Africa is the
birthplace of the JS1. There are fair number of decent 15 and 18m ships
around. ASW27 - and Ventus and LAK17b - as well as a lot of JS1s...

The thing is - if you are spending a lot of money and time shipping a
glider to Africa from Europe or the USA - are you going to ship a 15m?

So - in the high energy thermal conditions - the highest wingloading and
high speed L/D is the key. The days are not that long - so you have to
go fast to get long distance.

Current state of the art and rules combined seem to favour 21m as the
sweet spot.

As noted - in Namibia, and much of South Africa, the ability to self
launch and motor home is a distinct advantage. A lot of the best soaring
country is very sparsely populated, relatively inaccessible by road, and
generally low on amenities like cold beer/water/beds etc.


--
Bruce Greeff
T59D #1771