The Reformed Smoker Challenge

Dude, L/D makes a difference.
Period.


Yes, a 1000K is a good flight, sorta depending on where you fly from. Some are easier, some are harder.
I pride myself on doing all SSA badges from my home field from solo to 2 diamonds (missing diamond altitude) and looking to finish that and a 1K distance from "home".

No, not all was in a 1-26, most was.......I bow to Ron S. and others, for for that medal........

"All I have ever heard since starting soaring in 2012 is admiration and damn-near worship of the ship and the pilots that fly them XC."

Pete your own words tell the story. Since you are new to the sport you came in within the "glass" age and probably have never had the opportunity to fly a 1-26. If you ever do, and if you jump off the cliff like some of us and try to go xc in one, you will then understand why there is a pretty healthy respect for the guys who do remarkable flights in these little machines.

However, I can't agree with your assumption that making a run in an Arcus is a remarkable achievement. Sure I'd love to take one of those ships for an xc romp, but there is absolutely no correlation between a 500k flight in one of them and even a 500k flight in first generation glass like say a 201 libelle or let alone a 1-26. The skills needed to do that in an old libelle or even older 1-26 are many levels higher than what is needed in todays super ships.

Pete, I sure hope you get a chance to give these little ships a try. You will find the xc challenges are very rewarding and the group of guys that fly them are really great. They freely share the knowledge they have gained over the years and are super helpfull. You will not run into any semblance of snobbery whatsoever among their ranks.
Dan

On Friday, December 29, 2017 at 4:12:33 PM UTC-8, wrote:
"All I have ever heard since starting soaring in 2012 is admiration and damn-near worship of the ship and the pilots that fly them XC."

Pete your own words tell the story. Since you are new to the sport you came in within the "glass" age and probably have never had the opportunity to fly a 1-26. If you ever do, and if you jump off the cliff like some of us and try to go xc in one, you will then understand why there is a pretty healthy respect for the guys who do remarkable flights in these little machines.

However, I can't agree with your assumption that making a run in an Arcus is a remarkable achievement. Sure I'd love to take one of those ships for an xc romp, but there is absolutely no correlation between a 500k flight in one of them and even a 500k flight in first generation glass like say a 201 libelle or let alone a 1-26. The skills needed to do that in an old libelle or even older 1-26 are many levels higher than what is needed in todays super ships.

Pete, I sure hope you get a chance to give these little ships a try. You will find the xc challenges are very rewarding and the group of guys that fly them are really great. They freely share the knowledge they have gained over the years and are super helpfull. You will not run into any semblance of snobbery whatsoever among their ranks.
Dan

The challenge (with an intended joke of a name) is not about 1-26s, 2-33s, PW-5s or even OS/X high sierra. It's more about:
I'd sometimes be met on landing the ASH26E by a friend carrying two cold beers. He'd check the temperature of the engine bay doors before handing one over, and rightly so!
May the Schwartz be with you,
Jim

On Friday, December 29, 2017 at 6:14:54 PM UTC-8, JS wrote:
On Friday, December 29, 2017 at 4:12:33 PM UTC-8, wrote:
"All I have ever heard since starting soaring in 2012 is admiration and damn-near worship of the ship and the pilots that fly them XC."

Pete your own words tell the story. Since you are new to the sport you came in within the "glass" age and probably have never had the opportunity to fly a 1-26. If you ever do, and if you jump off the cliff like some of us and try to go xc in one, you will then understand why there is a pretty healthy respect for the guys who do remarkable flights in these little machines.

However, I can't agree with your assumption that making a run in an Arcus is a remarkable achievement. Sure I'd love to take one of those ships for an xc romp, but there is absolutely no correlation between a 500k flight in one of them and even a 500k flight in first generation glass like say a 201 libelle or let alone a 1-26. The skills needed to do that in an old libelle or even older 1-26 are many levels higher than what is needed in todays super ships.

Pete, I sure hope you get a chance to give these little ships a try. You will find the xc challenges are very rewarding and the group of guys that fly them are really great. They freely share the knowledge they have gained over the years and are super helpfull. You will not run into any semblance of snobbery whatsoever among their ranks.
Dan

The challenge (with an intended joke of a name) is not about 1-26s, 2-33s, PW-5s or even OS/X high sierra. It's more about:
I'd sometimes be met on landing the ASH26E by a friend carrying two cold beers. He'd check the temperature of the engine bay doors before handing one over, and rightly so!
May the Schwartz be with you,
Jim

Did he check the hood of your car after a retrieve?

I guess if you are saying you started the motor on your 26E and then tried to hide the fact from friends, maybe getting you into a 27 improved your candor. On the few times I've used the engine on my 26Mi for a retrieve, I've made a point of starting it right over the runway, right over my friends (in their 27s) sitting down there waiting for a towplane to come and get them. I call on the CTAF that I am "attempting an engine start" just in case they are looking away. They never come over to feel my engine doors, and I am usually several beers ahead by the time they get back anyway.

LOL nicely put

JS wrote on 12/29/2017 6:14 PM:

The challenge (with an intended joke of a name) is not about 1-26s, 2-33s, PW-5s or even OS/X high sierra. It's more about:
I'd sometimes be met on landing the ASH26E by a friend carrying two cold beers. He'd check the temperature of the engine bay doors before handing one over, and rightly so!
May the Schwartz be with you,
Jim

I'm often met on landing by my crew, who puts the tail dolly over boom. I pop it
into place, and then we push the 26E to the tiedown. She's all smiles that I made
it back and never feels the engine bay doors. She says "This glider is the best
one we've ever had, because it always makes it back!" After 40 years, 20 of them
retrieving, and now 20 of not retrieving, she really, really likes the one with
the motor.

Priorities - get them right, and your honey will be there with you...

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf