Good sailplanes for tall pilots?

I am 6'4" tall. I weigh about 200-210lbs clothed. My height is fairly evenly distributed between legs and torso. My arms are rather long, though.
Please help me start developing a shopping list for a decent glider that I can enjoy owning and flying without cramps or impeded control movements. This would be my first foray into ownership, but I expect to own multiple in the future.

Factors to consider:
1. Prefer 2-place to single-seat, but I'm open to both.
2. If 2-place, must be FAA type-certified with standard airworthiness certificate. No experimentals. I want to be able to give commercial rides, instruction, and CAP cadet o-rides. Solo ships can be experimental, but not amateur-built.
3. Will consider self-launchers, sustainers, and motorgliders, but not looking to get into that price range.
4. Will consider antiques & open cockpits, if they have a provenance.
5. Not concerned with competition.
6. Acro would be a plus.
7. Will consider something life-limited (e.g., Lark) if I can get it super-cheap to use as a disposable platform for a couple hundred hours to better identify what I really want from a glider.
8. Priced under $30k, $10-15k is better.

My experience:
Highly active airplane pilot, IFR, 1000+ hours. Low-time glider pilot (100 hrs).

Here's what I have flown:
L-23: Fits okay, not very charming to own.
ASK-21: Tight, but doable
G103: Tighter than the ASK-21, prefer to avoid
Bergfalke: Antique wooden open-cockpit novelty; not a candidate.

I'll be trying out a SGS 1-23 and an LS-1f this weekend. There are several KA-6 models for sale all over right now (did they just get hit with an AD or something?), so some targeted opinions on these 3 would be timely.

Cheers

The HP-24 would fit you just fine, I guarantee it. It has 18m tips and FES as options. You also get to do all your own inspections and maintenance.

https://www.facebook.com/HP-24-Sailp...t-200931354951

Thanks, Bob K.

www.hpaircraft.com

I'm 6'1" with a long torso. I wasn't even CLOSE to fitting in the LS1-f.

I tried a discus B the other day.. Couldn't close the canopy.

I've flown and ASW-24.. but with no seat back, and no chute. Still wasn't comfortable.

I hear the HPH 304 is big. Going to try that.

I feel your pain. Just keep trying.

JP

Look at the Genesis 2... Very roomy cockpit. And there was one on wings fairly recently...

I'm 6'2", 220lbs, my standard cirrus fits me well with a strong 303 chute and a two inch backrest pad. Less than $20k and good factory support, I like it a lot.

Good lift,
Scott.

Mosquito, Jantar & Pik-20 have enormous cockpits.

I'm 6-3 and fit in the above with room to spare.

Nick.

DG 100/101 ( 1 piece canopy) or 300...
Roomy cockpit, reclined position. A friend of mine about your size fit well into his DG 100, without a chute though, and it had the 2 piece canopy...

I'm 6'4" tall 195 lbs.

I fit well in my LS3-a. I have been comfortable during long flights. My longest is 8+ hours.

The LS-4 has the same size cockpit as the LS-3 I believe.

Since you are snug in the G103, the roomiest cockpit
out there is the Genesis.

Also try Ventus 2bx or 2cx, make sure it is the "x"
I know a couple tall pilots who fit well in these.

However the ventus will be 3x the price of the Genesis.

On Thursday, September 8, 2016 at 6:12:37 AM UTC-5, joesimmers wrote:
Since you are snug in the G103, the roomiest cockpit
out there is the Genesis.


Now that I think about it, I recall that the G103 had some crazy thick pads in the seat. At the time, I was fairly new to gliders, so it didn't occur to me that the pad thickness could be changed out. I think what I should do is:
1. Test the seat with no pads. If it's too tight, then that ship is off the list.
2. Test it with whatever pads the owner has. If I still fit, great. If not, then I know that a thinner pad will probably allow me to fit.
3. Research the availability of thinner pads for the glider described in #2 above. As long as I don't have to pay $2k for some custom-stitched job, I can get along.

Now parachutes are another story. Unless I have an acro bird, I do not plan to wear one. I hate them. And the thickness of a chute is likely to create insurmountable fit problems. Does anyone want to rebut these points? Or do I seem reasonable?