Purists are from Pluto, Motorgliderists are from Mars - #2

Didn't make it to a new thread on the first attempt...
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I moved this to a new thread, as it seemed to go in a different direction than Bob's original
conversation starter.
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Guy Acheson wrote on 4/9/2021 8:51 PM:

There is no way to compare a pilot with an engine to a pilot without an engine.
We (you excepted, of course) do it all the time - easy peasy.

Completely different world view.
Not the ones I know, and after 26 seasons with a motorglider, I know a LOT of motorglider pilots.

Completely different set of choices regarding difficult weather.
See above.

Not on the same planet.
All the motorglider pilots I know started in unpowered gliders, then after many years, switched
to motorgliders, which they then flew mostly like they did before. Having a motor can encourage
taking more risks with the weather with some pilots, but not the "off the charts" extent you
seem to think. You can sometimes see similar behavior in an unpowered pilot that has a great
crew eager to do a retrieve. Henry Combs was the epitome of this behavior, more adventurous
than almost any other pilot (motorized or not) I've known, but there were/are number of them in
the Crystal Squadron following in his wing wake, and all without motors.

My view is most motorglider pilots don't take much advantage of the exploring that is more
available to motorglider pilots; that is, they continue to fly like they did when they were
"purists", and are just happy to have a launch when desired, and getting home in time for dinner.

--
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

--
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