Hi everybody,
The discussion in this thread seems to revolve around
two points, which I feel require adressing.

(1) Antares might be great, but it is too expensive.

-If you look at the bottom line price of the Antares
20E, and then compare it to a similarily equipped glider
from another leading manufacturer, then the price difference
is not that big. As with all state of the art high
performance gliders, the sum which has to be paid is
not insignificant, but compared to other areas of aviation,
or automotive industry for that sake, you get a hell
of a lot of product for the money you pay when you
buy a glider. ..A lot of love goes into these machines.
Furthermore, when money really IS an issue, then one
might want to concider one more point: It might be
a good idea to invest in a toy which maintains a good
resale price. As with most pieces of equipment, this
is not always the 'el-cheapo' version.

(2) Antares 18T should come as an electrical self sustainer.

-The Antares 20E has an electrical propulsion system
because in the view of the designers, an electrical
propulsion system was the propulsion system which
fit the requirements for a self launcher the best.
For a self sustainer, the requirements are entirely
different, and at the current point in time, an internal
combustion system fits the requirements best. If one
today sets out to design an electric self sustainer,
one would basically end up with a Antares 20E with
shorter wings, smaller engine, and possible far to
short range. But most importantly: the price would
be that of the 20E. There is no market for such a plane.


...Just my two pennies worth..

Andor