L 33 Solo Gliders

Nick -

I purchased a PW-5 before I soloed. I took 6 solo flights in our club ASK-21 and then soloed my PW-5 and never turned back. I loved the PW-5.

It is a perfect glider for a new pilot. Easy to rig, flies beautifully, climbs on mouse farts, and very forgiving. I did all legs of the silver badge, 3 contests, and almost 100 hours in the PeeWee before moving up into an 18m ship.

I have rigged and de-rigged an L-33. I'm told they fly beautifully but they are a pain to rig / de-rig vs a PW-5.

Lou

But you have to pay people to take photographs of the PW-5, as it is so ugly that the camera may be damaged.

One of our club members observed that it "looks like a pot-bellied pig wearing orthopedic shoes."

On Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 8:46:19 PM UTC-5, wrote:
But you have to pay people to take photographs of the PW-5, as it is so ugly that the camera may be damaged.

One of our club members observed that it "looks like a pot-bellied pig wearing orthopedic shoes."

Yeah... Indeed very funny to read, and I remember very well 20+ years ago on this newsgroup someone would ask every few days: 'Do the PW-5's still suck?' But IMHO it was that kind of mood created around this glider which killed the idea of the World Class aiming at making soaring popular again (MSPA as inspired by MAGA, lol). So now we can ask and discuss here on r.a.s. again and again 'What can be done to attract more people to our beloved sport?' Self-destruction mode, full-speed.

Since its normal to answer questions not asked on RAS, I throw this out there. The ASW 15 is a very suitable glider for a beginner, especially the ones that don't have the off-center release. Very easy to rig and fly. east to land short due to great spoilers. It just so happens I have one for sale that, due to a low max gross, would be great for anyone under 184 lbs. - like a 14 year old!

Well here in France it seems all gliding clubs have been asked to
close voluntarily for now....Covid-19.
So, back to the "thread". I think the advice to get some spin
training is missing the whole point. Obviously ALL glider pilots
should have spin training: they all do don't they? Or am I missing
something about glider training in the US of A?
My point is that it's irrelevant to be able to recognise a spin in the
final turn: you're probably going to die.
Now I know the plan is that all circuit manoeuvres are flown at
appropriate air speeds, angles of attack etc BUT pilots are human
and humans make errors. Who has not had a "Jesus" moment?
So, given that pilots make errors, why put your son in an aircraft
that spins readily? Choose a glider that is reluctant to spin and
gives lots of warnings; plenty of suitable gliders mentioned in
earlier posts.
Certainly spin training is a good idea but it's not a criteria for
choosing a glider.

Or the US contestant.Â* I forgot the name, but have a t-shirt.Â* I thought
it was a better prospect from the performance standpoint, but it was a
day late in being submitted and was, therefore, disqualified.Â* Ah, the
good old days when people stuck to the rules...

Or did I remember it incorrectly?

On 3/15/2020 4:05 PM, wrote:
That PW5, now theres an ugly sailplane. I wish the Russia had won that competition back in the day.

--
Dan, 5J

On Saturday, March 14, 2020 at 11:33:59 AM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote:
In the W&W Claasifieds there is a L33 Solo listed for 13K Canadian, that about 9400 USD.
I read Dick Johnsons flight report and he liked it, he was concerned that it had very little aerodynamic stall warning and would readily drop into a spin. He thought it best if low timers had real spin training before taking it out.
He also measured the performance at 31/1
For those who have owned these...
Are they easy or difficult to rig?
How have they held up?
Can you leave them tied out for the season? [ There all metal except for the rudder which is fabric]
Is the 31/ 1 LD sufficient for day in day out XC?
Are they nice to thermal?
Are they suitable for beginners with proper spin training?
Do you guys give them the overall thumbs up or thumbs down?
Thanks in advance!
Looking for a 1st ship for my 14 yr old son.

I owned and flew an L-33 for about 3 years and 500 hours. It never once stalled without warning or spun. I was able to complete my Gold distance and Diamond Goal flight in it, flying in Kentucky. Overall, I really liked the glider and only sold to move up in performance.

On Monday, March 16, 2020 at 12:31:58 PM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
Or the US contestant.Â* I forgot the name, but have a t-shirt.Â* I thought
it was a better prospect from the performance standpoint, but it was a
day late in being submitted and was, therefore, disqualified.Â* Ah, the
good old days when people stuck to the rules...

Or did I remember it incorrectly?

On 3/15/2020 4:05 PM, wrote:
That PW5, now theres an ugly sailplane. I wish the Russia had won that competition back in the day.

--
Dan, 5J

From a post (not mine) in ras 17 June 1994:

"In aerokurier 12/92 was a report of the World Class Glider competition which
was executed in September 1992 in Oerlinghausen, Germany.

The requirements set by IGC we
- construction after JAR22
- performance like a Ka6
- minimum airspeed = 65 km/h
- price about 30,000 DM

There were 83 announcements to this competition. At least only 44 designs were
sent to the IGC. The IGC selected 11 designs for the eliminating contest in
Oerlinghausen. On this contest only 6 prototypes were presented:

- Velino (Italy)
- PW5 (Poland)
- Russia I, Russia II (USSR)
- Cygnet 1C (USA)
- L 33 Solo (Czechia)
- SZD-51-2 Junior (modification) (Poland)

The PW5 was designed by students of the University of Warzawa (correct
spelling?) with financial support of the PZL Swidnik helicopter factory. The
modification of the SZD-51-2 Junior was from PZL Bielsko, the traditional
glider factory in Poland.

The Russia I didn't reach the requirement because the min speed is above the
requirement. So the designer stretched the wingspan from 11.1m to 12.6m which
became the Russia II.

The Cygnet 1C did not fulfill the JAR22 construction requirements and was
excluded from the contest very early.

On the last day the only German contribution to the competition arrived: the
minair from a group of students from the University in Hamburg. But it had no
registration and couldn't be flown.

This is a brief summary of this competition extracted from an article."

Originally Posted by Dave Walsh[_2_]

At 15:33 14 March 2020, Nick Kennedy wrote:
In the W&W Claasifieds there is a L33 Solo listed for 13K
Canadian, that
about 9400 USD.
I read Dick Johnsons flight report and he liked it, he was
concerned that
it had very little aerodynamic stall warning and would readily
drop into a
spin. He thought it best if low timers had real spin training
before
taking it out.
He also measured the performance at 31/1
For those who have owned these...
Are they easy or difficult to rig?
How have they held up?
Can you leave them tied out for the season? [ There all metal
except for
the rudder which is fabric]
Is the 31/ 1 LD sufficient for day in day out XC?
Are they nice to thermal?
Are they suitable for beginners with proper spin training?
Do you guys give them the overall thumbs up or thumbs down?
Thanks in advance!
Looking for a 1st ship for my 14 yr old son.

Never flown one but why would you buy a glider that readily spins
at any price? It's not like there are no alternatives.

Typical smarta#s answer that ****e# people off. Come on. This person is asking whether anyone has any info confirming this.

Gatineau Glidong Club in Ottawa Canada operates three L-33 Solos for club use over about 15 years. They were very nice vice-free gliders safely flown by low time club pilots. We still have a clean example for sale on W&W at a good price if you're interested. The club eeplaced them with a pait of Juniors.

Ian IN