My next ship...

On Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at 12:37:06 PM UTC-7, krasw wrote:
On Wednesday, 25 October 2017 05:46:02 UTC+3, Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
I am looking for my next glider, and wanted a little advice from my friends on RAS. First a little background;

I have about 500 hrs on a Ventus C. I fly mostly in CA and NV in the Sierras. I am interested in 500K+ XC and some regional contests. I like to compete, but will never take the risks necessary to be really competitive.

My list of wants (not requirements) include; Flaps, auto hook-up, roomy safety cockpit, easy to rig and trailer, water in the wings and tail?, 15m and possibly 18m for fun, high performance, price around $70K +/- $10K

Current candidates in no particular order include:

Lak 17a
ASW 27/27b
Ventus 2CX
DG 800 or 808s
HPH 304 CZ
LS-10?

Recommendations?

Thanks in advance,

Matt H

Most glider pilots fly for fun so forget 15m gliders and go for 18m V2CX or LS10 if budget allows. They perform noticeably better than rest of the group in every possible weather scenario. Others are step down or sideways performance-wise, though probably nicer to fly than old Ventus. (304 seriously?)

I heard there were very few LS-10s around, but I would put that on my list for sure. Not sure about price though.

Where Matt flies, a '27 is definitely the best choice. With a '27 you get high wing loading and great performance for the money. You get absolute competitiveness in 15 class. Most importantly, you can land a 15m ship on many desert strips where you cannot safely land an 18m ship. 18 meter and open class ships are for places where farm fields are the most common landout -- not the case in northern NV.

I heard there were very few LS-10s around, but I would put that on my list for sure. Not sure about price though.


Yes, only 3 LS-10's in USA and one LS-10 prototype.

Mine's not for sale, one just sold from Virginia, one with a sustainer engine is out in California, and the prototype is at Bermudah Hi in S. Carolina.

Great handling and performance, but of course I'm prejudiced.