DON'T Build a Primary Glider

....that was the title of an article written by Peter Bowers more than
half a century ago.

Thanks to the help of Mr. Neil McNeight the article is now included in
the MISCELLANEOUS folder in the FILES archive of the PRIMARY_GLIDERS
Group on Yahoo.

Most of you know Pete Bowers as the designer of the 'Fly Baby' but he
was also an aviation historian. His opinion on any aspect of aviation
is well worth your due consideration.

To paraphrase the article, Mr. Bowers contends that while primary
gliders were suitable training devices in Europe, the conditions which
made that so did not exist in the United States, where dual
instruction was the preferred method of imparting basic piloting
skills.

I believe Mr. Bowers' opinion was valid. In 1956 (when the article
first appeared) me and another fool bought a high-time Piper 'Cub' for
$700. We kept the plane at my friend's farm and fueled it with
tractor gas, which I believe cost about twelve cents (!!) per gallon,
since it was not taxed (...and was about two bits a gallon at the
Hancockk station near my home). Those conditions were NOT
exceptional. High-time trainers were commonly available and there was
no shortage of places to keep such a bird.

That was then.

In 1956 the population of the United States was about 170,000,000. In
2006 it was about 300,000,000.

In 1956 the median income was about $4,500. In 2006 it was about
$28,000

In 1956 a gallon of gas cost 23 cents. In 2008 it cost about $4.00
(Note the year. I couldn't find data for 2006)

The conditions that made Pete Bower's article valid in 1956 are no
longer valid in 2006. Not only are the conditions no longer valid, as
a nation we are POORER than we were in 1956.

This also applies to PRIMARY GLIDERS. Mr. Bower's contention that
primary gliders could not be justified was based on 1956 data. Fifty
years later that data is no longer valid, which means primary gliders
CAN be justified.

-R.S.Hoover