The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

Similar problem here in the UK where people are obsessed with telling trial lessons about high-performance gliders and how competitive gliding involves flying hundreds of km faster than an F1 car.
Then they're put in the front of a K13 with an old fuddy duddy.

On Saturday, March 13, 2021 at 9:22:15 PM UTC, Mark Mocho wrote:
One other possible reason for a decline in new students in the US is the rather common scenario of getting somebody interested in the sport, telling them all about the great cross country flights we make and showing them the modern crop of high-performance aircraft we fly. They get excited about the concept and commit to taking lessons. Then, the club or FBO tries to stick them in a Schweizer 2-33 and they back out. I've known several folks who refused to take lessons in something that looks like Fred Flintstone built it. Fortunately, they went over to the commercial operator and started in a Grob 103. Better, but still not a Duo Discus.

One guy commented that it was a typical "Bait and Switch" ploy. He was laughing, but he was also serious. I totally understood. I did the same thing when i took lessons in 1999 from Sundance Aviation in Moriarty, NM. I refused to get in a 2-33 until the Albuquerque Soaring Club insisted I get checked out in it before I could fly their G-103, an aircraft I had flown 52 times and logged over 40 hours in (including initial training flights and a lot of pattern tows.) So, I am stuck with three flights in the 2-33 in my logbook. I was hoping I could avoid ever sitting in one.

On Sunday, 14 March 2021 at 08:45:15 UTC, wrote:
Similar problem here in the UK where people are obsessed with telling trial lessons about high-performance gliders and how competitive gliding involves flying hundreds of km faster than an F1 car.
Then they're put in the front of a K13 with an old fuddy duddy.

The UK appatently has 89 AS-K 13s and 82 ASK 21s, of which one is self-launching and not owned by a club. 52 Duo Discus, mostly privately owned of course, but the larger clubs own one or two each.

Many years ago our club had a Janus, for soaring and cross country training, but they didn't spare it rest of the time. It did plenty of evening trial flights. I remember at one time it had 5000 launches and 2000 hours (which made me criticise someone who said it never paid its way)