1-26 for first glider, or not?

On Nov 12, 10:48*am, hretting wrote:
On the other end of the scale.....if your plan is to eventually move
up the performance ladder....avoid the 1-26. The 1-26 is a specific
loved glider that borders on thumb screws and bamboo torture. If
you're the type of guy that has been driving the same VW since college
and loves how that old electric saw still works even though it sparks
enough to weld, then ya...the 1-26 is for you.
A tough find if you're patience would be the 1-34. It will cost you
double but give you more joy. You can park it outside like the 26 and
after you put a 1000 hours on it, get all your money back.
The 1-26 is a learning utility glider that comes with a group of
radicals that...and this is where they excel....are much friendlier
and easy going and like landings as much as the tows.
You will never see the boundaries of soaring from a 1-26. The key to
that will always be L/D.
I burned my Nov. edition. Had a Cuba Libre with it. Bacardi..Black
R

I know of three former, including two recent World Team members that
were former 1-26 drivers. I know that when they talk of their flights
and experiences in the 1-26, they do it with a smiles, laughs and a
continuing bond to both the bird and the community of pilots (read
personalities) who fly them. One of these three even won the
Barringer Trophy for the longest unhandicapped straight out flight in
a calendar year, just like your great winning flight in the Discus 2
last year. So R, I must disagree. It's a great teaching machine for
those who want to learn a lot about thermals, persistence, landouts in
small fields and humility, all while providing the satisfaction of
accomplishment in low performance, through badges, records and contest
showings. Yep, contest showings. 1-26s have placed high in Regionals
too.

You can always move to glass but I would encourage anyone to fly the
1-26 for a while too. Then you can look back someday with smiles,
laughs and experience, as we do. Or, you can keep it and build on
your accomplishments like Ron Schwartz and many others.

7K

Well 7K....he lives along the east coast of central Fl. where I flew a
club 1-26 for years struggling to make it back to the airport through
the marine air, or not being able to reach the soarable conditions
while others were having a ball. I suppose he could ridge soar on the
300' high garbage dump along I-95.
My advice remains..... the 1-26 was created as a utilty glider to give
minimal results. They made a bunch of them. Sugar coating it to create
some soaring holiday is bad advice to Jim.
And finally, every world champion and Barringer Trophy winner started
off in crap, then they soloed, and then......
The 1-26 CAN be fun, when owned by a club or someone else. I sense Jim
is hungry for something better. The VW is rusty.
R

On Nov 13, 2:33*pm, hretting wrote:
Well 7K....he lives along the east coast of central Fl. where I flew a
club 1-26 for years struggling to make it back to the airport through
the marine air, or not being able to reach the soarable conditions
while others were having a ball. I suppose he could ridge soar on the

I meant east coast if the USA (west central FL). But I'm not sure it
makes much difference


-tom