1-26 for first glider, or not?

I think that anyone who has ever given a 1-26 a fair appraisal has
liked it. It's definitely a fun little ship to fly! It made this pilot
look good several times when he was staying up when glass couldn't.
And, as Ron Schwartz has shown, it has good XC potential in the right
hands.

Where I didn't like the 1-26 was (a) in the seating and (b) in the
cold. The one I flew (an E model) had a chair type plywood seat that
was really uncomfortable for me after 2-3 hours. The 1-26 Association
has articles showing how you can pad the seat; if you buy one I'd
highly recommend doing so.

The other issue I had was flying in the cold - this was because of the
breeze coming from the tow hook. Flying in 35 degree F weather, my
feet lost all feeling after half an hour. Again, if you buy one you
can use a simple flap of material to kill the breeze.

-John