October Soaring magazine OLC League article

On Thursday, October 2, 2014 10:11:00 PM UTC-5, Ernst wrote:
The picture (as the pictures in "Soaring Milestones") reflect the state of soaring in the US. SGS 1-26 and 2-33 are the backbone of US soaring club equipment.

It is not he lonely ASH-30Mi over the Sierra Nevada.

And we need more Tony Condon's.

EH

Really? Our US club has two 1-26s and a 2-33 in it's 10-glider fleet. And guess what, they get flown the least, if at all. The only reason one of our 1-26s flies is because it has a sports canopy! As far as the 2-33 - it just sits there, gathering dust, while the Blanik (L-13AC), K-13, K-21 and G-103 get flown every weekend.

Now, I enjoy a flight in a 1-26 as much as anyone - fun little retro ship - but for a new convert to the sport, its the shiny glass that attracts!

And as far as the 2-33 goes, the last person who flew it was myself, just to remember how much progress has been made since those ancient gliders were designed! (oh wait, they came AFTER the Blanik and K-13...ooops).

Kirk
66

The weather's getting cool in USA-land....
Does this mark the opening of 2014-15 "2-33 bashing" season?

Yes, it's a shame that an article Mark submitted was accompanied by inappropriate photos. (haven't seen that issue yet)
I do remember one issue of Soaring magazine which contained 5 identical photos of a Glasflugel 604. Three were on one page.
Evidently we don't submit enough...
Jim

On Friday, October 3, 2014 1:09:06 PM UTC-5, JS wrote:
The weather's getting cool in USA-land....

Does this mark the opening of 2014-15 "2-33 bashing" season?

No "bashing", just stating facts.

I've got a lot of time in the Golly Whomper, as Pez used to call it. First glider ride, got my private rating in it, etc. And in it's day it was the backbone of the US fleet.

I just don't think that is true anymore, and hasn't been for many years.

Kind of like the old wives tale that nobody ever died in a 2-33 crash (look it up).

But if anyone has the interest in this to prove me wrong with numbers, knock yourself out!

Kirk

I learned in a 2-33 and thought it was the coolest glider around, when I flew the 1-26 I thought I was a high-speed operator.

Not going to bash either one, but am damn happy to be in a 40+ carbon ship 30 years later, especially one that I built.

Brad

On page 12 of the October issue of Soaring there is a great article, "A Perfect Day". Take a look at the aircraft that are being used to spread the joy of our sport. It would seem that all I see are Schweizers! It is way too early to imagine our sport without the Schweizer fleet.

I was at Pierson, FL's gliderport a few weeks ago and there were three 2-33's slogging it out all day giving primary instruction. Sarah uses one at Chilhowee to give instruction. Our club is giving two check rides this weekend in our 2-33. I admit that I would rather fly our K13 but thank goodness for the 2-33's out there! The 2-33 is definitely the "backbone" of many organization's training operations.

Lane

Now, I enjoy a flight in a 1-26 as much as anyone - fun little retro ship - but for a new convert to the sport, its the shiny glass that attracts!

Have not seen the article and pics yet, but will tell you that shiny also runs off many people when they find out how much it cost.

The 1-26 allowed me to purchase my first glider while the kids were still in the house, begin flying contest, and do all my badge work through diamond.

It is important to let people know that they can get in and play for the price of an old used car instead of a mortgage.

Now flying a Silent-IN.

Kevin
92
192 (former), now has a good new home.

On 10/4/2014 7:26 AM, wrote:

Now, I enjoy a flight in a 1-26 as much as anyone - fun little retro ship
- but for a new convert to the sport, its the shiny glass that attracts!

Have not seen the article and pics yet, but will tell you that shiny also
runs off many people when they find out how much it cost.

The 1-26 allowed me to purchase my first glider while the kids were still
in the house, begin flying contest, and do all my badge work through
diamond.

It is important to let people know that they can get in and play for the
price of an old used car instead of a mortgage.

I saw shiny glass before ever seeing anything else (clubmembers' H-201 and AS
W-12 at their respective homes as I was being handheld into the sport as a
wet-behind-the-ears collich grad), next weekend viewed the club's 1-26, and a
weekend later took my first flight in their (almost brand new!) 2-33. Forty
two years later I can even remember a brief, unvoiced, spot of mental dismay
at the perceived chasm between those glass babies and the club's equipment,
but since none of the "real soaring-capable adults" seemed to notice or care,
I remained silent...and forgot about it for several years as those unsexy
metal cans introduced me to soaring's charms.

For some, it's the activity that matters, not so much the equipment.

(Does snow in the mountains count as winter yet?...)

Bob W.

Once again, RAS suffers from "thread drift." My original post was not intended to start a Schweizer bash, nor a I-learned-in-one trip down memory lane..

The 2-33 and 1-26 are most definitely a major part of the US Soaring scene- for better or worse, depending on your point of view. (The FAA registry shows over 500 1-26s and over 200 2-33s in the US.)

My point was that using the 1-26 to illustrate the OLC League, which was overwhelmingly flown by newer composite ships and scored for SPEED, is like seeing a report on Formula 1 or NASCAR with a photo of the "venerable" Deaux Chevaux (2CV) or the "timeless" Model T.

Many amiable eccentrics love these historic icons, but they ain't modern racers and should not be used to illustrate a competition in which they did not excel. My point is that it was an editorial error and, no, I do not claim to be competent enough to edit anything but my own work.

And, as old Forrest Gump used to say, "That's all I have to say about that."

On Wednesday, October 1, 2014 5:49:35 PM UTC-7, Mark628CA wrote:
I just received my October Soaring magazine with my report on the 2014 OLC League standings. It was printed with an accompanying photo of a bunch of 1-26 gliders on the ground. I had nothing to do with the photo selection, and I consider it to be an insult to the thousands of pilots worldwide who did their best to compete in this prestigious speed competition.



The 1-26 has an advantageous handicap due to its low performance. Using it to illustrate the OLC League is ridiculous. The 1-26 Association (nice guys all- no offense intended) finished 79th in the Worldwide League standings.



I would have been happy to provide an appropriate photo of a modern glider at speed to accompany the article, but I was not consulted, and I did not expect the article to be published so prominently.

Thanks to Mark for his excellent report in Soaring on the OLC results. It was well done. Too bad there have been some discussions here that seem to detour readers from the informative intent of the article. Regardless of various folks' ruffled feathers for various reasons dealing with the report and accompanying photo, it was a great OLC year and an enjoyable report.

Bob T.

Soaring magazine gives regular prominence to Schweitzer gliders,
which the rest of the world has forgotten.


At 00:49 02 October 2014, Mark628CA wrote:
I just received my October Soaring magazine with my report on the
2014 OLC
=
League standings. It was printed with an accompanying photo of a
bunch of
1=
-26 gliders on the ground. I had nothing to do with the photo
selection,
an=
d I consider it to be an insult to the thousands of pilots worldwide
who
di=
d their best to compete in this prestigious speed competition.

The 1-26 has an advantageous handicap due to its low
performance. Using it
=
to illustrate the OLC League is ridiculous. The 1-26 Association (nice
guys=
all- no offense intended) finished 79th in the Worldwide League
standings.

I would have been happy to provide an appropriate photo of a
modern glider
=
at speed to accompany the article, but I was not consulted, and I
did not
e=
xpect the article to be published so prominently.