Thinking about buying a DG400

On Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 11:47:36 AM UTC-7, jfitch wrote:
On Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 6:14:07 AM UTC-7, Dave Nadler wrote:
On Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 6:59:29 AM UTC-4, wrote:
First of all, although I am a comerial pilot, my experience in pure
sailplanes is very little (don´t reach 100h). Do you recommend me to
wait to have more experience in pure sailplane before making the transition?

YES.
To be able to safely focus on engine management (and especially when things
go wrong), flying the glider must be completely automatic. Regardless of
power experience, you are not at this point with less than 100 hours.

Second point, I´m not very handy, I don´t have any type of experience
in mechanics so any problem the plane has I would have to go to a workshop.
Is that a big inconvenience?

YES.
Identify someone nearby with extensive experience maintaining the type
you expect to buy. Hint: There isn't likely to be anybody...
And maintenance of these machines by folks not intimately familiar
with the type often goes very badly.

This problem would happen to me with any type of glider that I buy.

NO.
Any motor-glider will require MUCH more (and more specialized) maintenance
as compared to a non-motorized glider.

Hope that helps,
Best Regards, Dave "YO" (multiple offender, 2000 hrs in motor-gliders)

I cannot agree that having only 100 hours disqualifies you from motorglider ownership. For the first 200 hours of flying it, simply be very conservative with motor use: do not self launch, do not attempt air starts at less than 3000 AGL and then over a landing field, etc. After all it will fly fine with the motor stowed - as good as a pure glider. You can push this envelope and squeeze these margins as you gain experience. If you are an undisciplined pilot that will take chances with the motor, then you are not a good candidate for motorglider ownership, regardless of hours. If fact you might want to reevaluate flying at all.

I do agree that the maintenance requirements for any motorglider are 3x any pure glider.

There is a big difference between "disqualification" and "inadvisable." Flying high-performance sailplanes is a skill that takes hundreds of hours to become proficient. Self-launching motorgliders requires yet another set of skills. The test of the skills only comes when the pilot is under stress and the margin for error is all but gone. My advice stands: Alfonso should get himself a pure glider and build that critical first 300-500 hours in it before acquiring an MG. The only mitigating circumstance would be if he does not have tows available.

Tom