In article ,
Eric Greenwell wrote:

I don't know why people keep saying things like this. You can *not*
significantly grow gliding by people buying Ka-6's or 1-26's. They
aren't *MAKING* them any more, there is a only a very limited number
around,

And yet they are very cheap, which is why I suggest there aren't enough
pilots interested in gliding. If hang glider pilots were falling all
over each other to move into low cost gliders with substantially better
performance than their hang gliders, we'd see higher prices. I don't
think it is the glider _supply_ that is lacking, it is the _demand_ for
gliders that is missing.

Yes, that's a good point.

Perhaps the hang glider pilots simply don't *know* about these cheap
gliders? Or perhaps they value being able to climb an arbitrary peak
and jump off too much? In which case they're not going to be happy with
less than a self-launching glider.


and if you made new ones they'd cost as much or more as a PW-5
(whcih is better than either of them, albiet marginally in the case of
the K6) anyway.

I agree. But do you think there would be more people starting gliding
lessons if they could buy a new LS4 for $40,000 US instead of $50,000?
Or even it it was only $30,000? I don't think there would be any more
starting pilots, though we would probably keep a few more. It will take
a lot more than that to get the LS4 volume up to where the $30,000 price
is possible.

Personally, I think a new PW-5 or similar for $15k is a pretty damn good
thing. It seems that others don't think so. I'm wierd I guess.

I fly a Janus (and have flown DG1000 and Duo) and they're nice, but for
flying cross country I actually *prefer* a PW-5 (and I was flying one
yesterday). Sure, you can't go as far or as fast but you can still
challenge youself and there are plenty of days when the PW-5 can stay up
but the Janus can't (yes I know the reverse is true in some
places/conditions).

OTOH I've never flown a single-seater with more performance than a
Libelle (about 65 hours in Libelles, Std and Club), so I probably don't
have a clue what a *real* glider flies like anyway. Is an LS-4 *that*
much better than a Libelle?

--
Bruce | 41.1670S | \ spoken | -+-
Hoult | 174.8263E | /\ here. | ----------O----------