Best place to get gliding lessons?

[EvValentin808]

I'm from Thailand, and they don't have sailplanes here.(they have paragliding but i don't like that)

Just curious, I want to fly sailplanes and want to get lessons, but where should I get them? I want to train where they'rs friendly hospitality and high safety record. Thanks...

[Brad[_2_]]

On Jul 15, 3:25*am, EvValentin808
> wrote:
> which one should I go for? All are reasonably priced, and self
> launching....
>
> --
> EvValentin808

Apis Bee, hands down!

Brad

[[email protected]]

On Jul 15, 6:25*am, EvValentin808
> wrote:
> which one should I go for? All are reasonably priced, and self
> launching....
>
> --
> EvValentin808

A friend of mine has an Atlas TS-10 which , without going into
details, is a nightmare. I would recommend not considering purchase of
one of these. We are doing significant work to correct major problems
on his glider.
I don't like to badmouth stuff, but this is pretty bad.
UH

[Mark Jardini]

I have an Apis M and I am very pleased with it.

It is a very capable and forgiving ship.

Mark

[EvValentin808]

I have an Apis M and I am very pleased with it.

It is a very capable and forgiving ship.

MarkIsn't it expensive, compairing to the other two? Alatus is 18000(24000 for self-launch), Atlas is around there, and the Apis 41000-85000?

Price in EUROS

[EvValentin808]

On Jul 15, 6:25*am, EvValentin808
wrote:
which one should I go for? All are reasonably priced, and self
launching....

--
EvValentin808

A friend of mine has an Atlas TS-10 which , without going into
details, is a nightmare. I would recommend not considering purchase of
one of these. We are doing significant work to correct major problems
on his glider.
I don't like to badmouth stuff, but this is pretty bad.
UHCan you get details how bad it is? I was actually saving up for an Atlas.

[Brad[_2_]]

On Jul 16, 10:23*am, EvValentin808
> wrote:
> Mark Jardini;734756 Wrote:> I have an Apis M and I am very pleased with it.

[sisu1a]

> EvValentin808

Your second question (in the form of a changed subject) makes me
wonder if your original subjectquestion will be meaningfully
answered...

Where do you live? (country, region...)
Do you have any pilot ratings?

Answering this will allow people to make reasonable suggestions to you
for getting gliding lessons if you are actually looking into training
options. From your question though, it would seem that worrying about
which motorglider to buy might be a little premature at this stage...
not that I discourage dreaming ahead ;)

-Paul

[Martin Gregorie[_5_]]

On Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:23:50 +0000, EvValentin808 wrote:

> Mark Jardini;734756 Wrote:
>> I have an Apis M and I am very pleased with it.
>>
>> It is a very capable and forgiving ship.
>>
>> MarkIsn't it expensive, compairing to the other two? Alatus is
>> 18000(24000
> for self-launch), Atlas is around there, and the Apis 41000-85000?
>
If price is important, consider buying a used glider.

But my advice to anybody would be: if you're not yet solo and
(preferably) up to Silver C standard, don't even think about buying a
glider. Fly club gliders, rent, etc. and try as many types as possible to
get the feel of them before you buy.

Performance isn't all important, but IMO handling and your comfort are:
- do you like the glider's handling? Do *you* find it easy to fly?
- it must be comfortable, because you'll spend a lot of time in it.
OK, it may be comfortable if you just sit in it, but is it still
comfortable after 3 - 4 hours?
- Are there places you can easily reach to put your water, food, maps?
- What about the peeing arrangements?

So is ease of rigging and derigging. You don't want something that your
club mates will hate helping you to rig.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

[Jack Hamilton]

On Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:24:30 +0000 (UTC), Martin Gregorie
> wrote:


>- What about the peeing arrangements?

As a student pilot with a small bladder, I'm interested in the answer to
that question. I'm learning in an ASK-21, and it seems to me that the
combination of a bucket seat and a 5 point seat belt makes a solution
difficult.

A few months ago, after a new passenger had taken an unexpectedly
turbulent flight, it was mentioned by one of the pilots that an ASK-21
takes about half an hour to clean out. I guess the glider was designed
for that kind of thing - my car, for example, would take much longer
than half an hour to clean out - so the solution doesn't have to be
completely spillproof.

[Mark Jardini]

try a leg bag to start.

[Chris Nicholas[_2_]]

On Jul 17, 12:30*am, Mark Jardini > wrote:
> try a leg bag to start.

But not with tight-fitting jeans.

Chris N.

[Mike Ash]

In article >,
Jack Hamilton > wrote:

> On Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:24:30 +0000 (UTC), Martin Gregorie
> > wrote:
>
>
> >- What about the peeing arrangements?
>
> As a student pilot with a small bladder, I'm interested in the answer to
> that question. I'm learning in an ASK-21, and it seems to me that the
> combination of a bucket seat and a 5 point seat belt makes a solution
> difficult.

In my limited experience, nothing beats a dedicated tube with associated
medical-type fittings. Of course it's not always an option, but the
freedom to go as often as you need and drink as much as you can carry is
great.

For when that's not possible, I've had good experience with Travel John
products. They're plastic bags with funky gel stuff that absorbs the
liquid so it doesn't go all over the place. No idea how practical they
would be to use in an ASK-21 seat, but you can always experiment.... As
an added bonus, the TravelJohn bags also work great for when your (or
your passenger's) stomach contents attempt to leave the way they came in.

> A few months ago, after a new passenger had taken an unexpectedly
> turbulent flight, it was mentioned by one of the pilots that an ASK-21
> takes about half an hour to clean out. I guess the glider was designed
> for that kind of thing - my car, for example, would take much longer
> than half an hour to clean out - so the solution doesn't have to be
> completely spillproof.

We had a similar incident in my club a week or two ago, and it took
considerably more effort. Screwdrivers and wrenches were involved.
However, this was in the back seat, which may be worse for it.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

[EvValentin808]

EvValentin808

Your second question (in the form of a changed subject) makes me
wonder if your original subjectquestion will be meaningfully
answered...

Where do you live? (country, region...)
Do you have any pilot ratings?

Answering this will allow people to make reasonable suggestions to you
for getting gliding lessons if you are actually looking into training
options. From your question though, it would seem that worrying about
which motorglider to buy might be a little premature at this stage...
not that I discourage dreaming ahead ;)

-PaulI come form Thailand and I don't have any pilot ratings yet. And the sport is "non-existent" here. And I'm worried because taxes are high here. For example, the Lamborghini Murcielago sportscar cost $250,000 in the US, here it exceeds a million dollars. Same story with aviation. And I need a self-launcher due to no tugs or winches(after I get the training).

And I have to go abroad to get lessons. And even after that, I would only be able to glide once a year, sadly... But in ways that I'm obsessed with the beauty of gliders, I want to glide many times a year. In ways, gliding may help with my maniac depression and if I only can really cure maniac depression and enjoy the clouds for once a year only, it might be tough to move on in life....

[Martin Gregorie[_5_]]

On Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:13:16 -0700, Jack Hamilton wrote:

> On Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:24:30 +0000 (UTC), Martin Gregorie
> > wrote:
>
>
>>- What about the peeing arrangements?
>
This was aimed at used rather than new gliders - AFAIK there are no
relief tubes in new gliders but my Libelle has a fitting, installed by an
unknown previous owner, that lets me unplug a port behind the stick and
shove an exit tube down it and clear of the glider's underside. That sort
of system aside, the provision may simply be a pouch for storing freezer
bags.

> As a student pilot with a small bladder, I'm interested in the answer to
> that question. I'm learning in an ASK-21, and it seems to me that the
> combination of a bucket seat and a 5 point seat belt makes a solution
> difficult.
>
Indeed, hence the interest in external catheters and relief tubes.

Learning to match your drinking rate to your sweating and vapour
exhalation rate helps a lot too.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |