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(Hijacked) Bang for the Buck
In my experience, owning a higher performance glider
just means that you land out further away! Admittedly I fly in damp little Britain, so the further you go, the more likely you are to encounter a poor airmass. Derek C -------------------------------- At 19:18 30 January 2006, Bob Whelan wrote: In a discussion of (performance) bang for the buck, was writ... The difference in what you get today in comparison of what you've got 20 years ago is not just 'a bit'. I didn't know 'a bit' had a precise numerical definition! (it was understatement). I think you were agreeing with me in general. Plus you get more for your money Certainly you'll see it in your absolute cross-country enjoyment. At the risk of anality (and not to pick on a statement probably originally written somewhat from a contest perspective), for any newbies pondering 'cross country enjoyment,' understand there ARE differing views on what *constitutes* 'cross country enjoyment.' Sure, on any given day longer distances are great for bragging rights, and also serve wonderfully as motivation, but... My own view is that cross country ENJOYMENT (at least in the continental U.S. is NOT strongly related to either L/D, or its close cousin, 'penetration.' I've had as much fun flying XC in a 21:1 1-26 as I have in a ~35:1 1st-generation 15-meter glass ship. IMHO, fun in XC relates to one's comfort in *safely* doing it. Distance/speed 'merely' fall out in the wash. Since my first (inadvertent, safe) XC ca. 1973 in a 1-26 to my most recent, I've seen many participants come and go, and I've seen many participants lust-after/purchase flat L/D in what seemed to me to be a hope of avoiding *any* landouts in their pursuit of 'fun XC.' I've also seen some of these folks seriously bust their ships when conditions/their L/D didn't work out. There's a lot to be said for becoming comfortable in picking fields in less costly, lower performance ships than *hoping* to never have to make an OFL in a high-dollar, flat-gliding latest-n-greatest drool machine. Worrying about distance before understanding how to pick - and being comfortable picking - safe, likely-to-be-damage-free landing fields, is to have one's priorities out of sequence, methinks. Regards, Bob - YMMV - W. |
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