Buying a 1-35 pros and cons?

Tim:
I owned a "C" model (fixed gear) in a syndicate for many years. I went to it with many hundreds of prior hours hours in other flapped gliders so it was hardly my first ship. But this is what I found:

Pros:
It's the best performing glider that can be reasonably left outside in the weather.

Once you learn how to do it (get instruction from a CFI who knows you and who has flown 80 or 90 degree flap gliders) it is great for off field landings.

Parts are easily available and repairs don't require an experienced composite shop

They don't depreciate much and you can usually sell it for what you paid for it.

Negatives:

The ones that have hinged canopies have seriously restricted maximum pilot weight (all that hardware up in the nose) and there is no good way to add tail weight to fix that. The ones with removable canopies are a PITA

Either type canopy can be difficult to seal well because the rear junctions are complex.

I thought roll rate response ( at least on mine) was on the weak side - the ailerons are tiny and have limited deflection (and that's coming from a high time open class pilot who is used to stodgy roll)

Be aware that they will spin aggressively if provoked and that the best thermaling flap settings are not necessarily as set up by the factory.

Good luck

ROY

I summarize the 1-35 flaps thusly: it is neither necessary nor abnormal to use full flap in a typical land-at-home situation. Sure nice to have those flaps and skid landing off-airport (7x for me).


Except in extraordinary gusty conditions &c., I settled into flying downwind at 700' and selecting full flap on base in the C model after gaining about 50 of my 300+ hours in type. Mainly because I am lazy and there's no detent other than full.

Downwind that low put me out of sight behind trees, though, and in spite of my having a radio, a student wing-runner launched an opposite-direction tow as I was turning base. Whatever.