Pilatus B4?

Be aware that B4’s have had some corrosion problems in the wings. This is very difficult or impossible to repair. B4s also have foam ribs in the wings that mice love to tunnel through. I have seen B4 wings with buckets of chewed up blue foam falling out of the wing roots. Lastly, having asked a number of B4 owners their opinion of the plane, I can summarize their responses as “Meh�.

Speak for yourself. I owned n flew a B4 for 4 years and did about a thousand miles xc in her. They climb fine, run about as good as a 33/1 glider would but limited penetration into wind. It will however land on a postage stamp and are pretty rugged. I outlanded mine numerous times all over NV, and nary a ding.

Yes, there are two different models as far as structure and which aerobatics are permitted...

On Sunday, August 4, 2019 at 2:02:30 PM UTC-4, WB wrote:
Lastly, having asked a number of B4 owners their opinion of the plane, I can summarize their responses as “Meh�.

Well, count me as one who would disagree with "meh". In my experience, it's a reasonable glider for progression beyond a 1-26 in a club environment and has some attraction as a multi-purpose glider for both XC and initial Aerobatics training. Having owned two LS gliders (an LS4 and an LS8) and one Schleicher (ASG-29) and having flown about 2 dozen other types, I would put it in the middle third in terms of handling and top third for comfort.. It's in the same category as a 1-34 or a 1-36 but with the added benefit of being certified for aerobatics.

If your objective is to race with the big boys, then you'll outgrow it pretty quickly. But if you want a relatively robust ship that can be tied out for much of the year and used for a mix of activities, it's a good choice.

Maybe I am mistaken, but I take the definition of “meh� as “unremarkable�. Not bad, not great. Just so-so. “In the middle third� sounds about like what B4 owners have given me as their opinion on the glider.