Best cross country ship class

On Tuesday, October 22, 2013 10:09:51 AM UTC-6, Waveguru wrote:
I hate it when green pilots confuse the level of performance with the level of fun...
WaveG,
Why do you hate this so much? Do you just let it simmer or do you get up into peoples faces? (Kidding!) I think alot of this depends on where a guy is flying. As a newly minted Pilot I loved boating around the coastal mountains of California in a 1-26 and 1-36. There were days during the Winter where 1-26es and hang gliders were the only things that would stay up. In strong desert conditions they were not so much fun. I bought a 20 for my 1st ship and found it very straight forward to fly. There have been pilots on the Yahoo group who have made the transition with as little as 35 hours (Disclaimer; Be VERY diligent about checking yourself out). After 9 seasons I transitioned to a 27 and it is in most respects easier to fly. With all due respect as a loud mouthed ugly American (Kidding again, thats from the hand on the release thread that got out of control) I think we are confusing the OP. Both of the ships he mentioned would be fantastic XC ships for beginners or veterans. I would follow BB's advise and head to Williams for some transition training and see if the 27 suits your ambitions. Lastly, One of my mentors suggested I buy an old beater for my 1st ship in case I damage it. I ignored this and bought a very clean plane and yes, I did have to buff out some scrapes and repaint the bottom of the nose once (Thats what the off season is for). It's just part of soaring and if you are worried about this go fly power.