GliderReview

[Jacopo Romei]

Hello everybody,

considering:

- the feedback I received on this thread
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.aviation.soaring/w2vbVmjQ5K0

- posts who keep on being posted like this
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.aviation.soaring/7-IlL7BlrCw

- an amazingly boring Xmas

I decided to set this up:
http://www.gliderreview.com/

It aims to help answering the question "what glider should I buy?" by means of both editorial and crowdsourced content and rating.
It is not meant to be an exhaustive repository of every existing glider, but it will focus on the gliders who are most shown on classifieds website.

I hope you all will enjoy it and help reviews grow thicker.
I will keep on adding gliders in the next days and a glider comparator feature within a couple of weeks.

Happy new year to everybody.

--
Jacopo

[Casey[_2_]]

The Sailplane Directory already exists and anyone can make comments.

http://sailplanedirectory.com/sailplanes/

[JS]

On Sunday, January 1, 2017 at 10:26:23 AM UTC-8, Casey wrote:
> The Sailplane Directory already exists and anyone can make comments.
>
> http://sailplanedirectory.com/sailplanes/

Some of those comments are "interesting".
Jacopo's site has a much nicer format. Thanks.
Jim

[Casey[_2_]]

The comment description is mostly taken from the manufacture. But if you look at the "Review" it gives anyone the opurtunity to write a review. I did not start or have much control over the Sailplane Directory but I have been adding some of the newest gliders.

http://sailplanedirectory.com/sailplanes/hp-24/

[JS]

On Sunday, January 1, 2017 at 11:43:28 AM UTC-8, Casey wrote:
> The comment description is mostly taken from the manufacture. But if you look at the "Review" it gives anyone the opurtunity to write a review. I did not start or have much control over the Sailplane Directory but I have been adding some of the newest gliders.
>
> http://sailplanedirectory.com/sailplanes/hp-24/

The comments I'd mentioned were from the older version. The sailplane directory has been around for decades, and was the basis for the SSA directory. It had been heavily spammed and became unusable.
What you'll see now from the link Casey posted is new.
Jim

[Casey[_2_]]

Jim. I believe this version has been around a little more than a year and it apaers usable to me. I am working with GREG to iron out a few issues with the default description. All anyone needs to do is have a WordPress account and simply sign in to leave a review or comment. I don't know how much easier it could be. I volunteered to help GREG out when I noticed that several models in the last few years had not been added. One page shows the last glider added and the home page has the search. I'm not knocking anyone's page. And I'm just having fun adding the newest of gliders. I plan to add the YouTube link of the the JS3 being described by Uys. I do believe the Sailplane Directory can capture very useful information of reviews if people would make comments and reviews.

[Jacopo Romei]

GliderReview requires *no login* to submit reviews.

Gliderreview will *never* try to be as exhaustive as Sailplane Directory. We are not even trying to serve the same segment. We are not a "glideopedia", we are a review tool.

GliderReview has a *very* specific focus: help the buyer understand what to buy.
I see no overlap.

If I was the owner of Sailplane Directory I would worry more about Wikipedia: all I know about looking for gliders online is that Wikipedia always come out first.

--
Jacopo

[Paul T[_4_]]

At 20:38 01 January 2017, Casey wrote:
>Jim. I believe this version has been around a little more than a
year and
>=
>it apaers usable to me. I am working with GREG to iron out a few
issues
>wit=
>h the default description. All anyone needs to do is have a
WordPress
>accou=
>nt and simply sign in to leave a review or comment. I don't know
how much
>e=
>asier it could be. I volunteered to help GREG out when I noticed
that
>seve=
>ral models in the last few years had not been added. One page
shows the
>las=
>t glider added and the home page has the search. I'm not
knocking
>anyone's=
> page. And I'm just having fun adding the newest of gliders. I
plan to add
>=
>the YouTube link of the the JS3 being described by Uys. I do
believe the
>S=
>ailplane Directory can capture very useful information of reviews if
>people=
> would make comments and reviews.

https://www.j2mcl-planeurs.net/ a far more comprehensive
resource that rarely seems to get a mention.

[Jacopo Romei]

Thank you Paul! Very nice website, again amazingly invisible among Google Search results. Thanks again for letting me know that.

My aim with GliderReview is to provide reviews to go beyond mere technical specifications. Apparently equivalent gliders may feature very different handling and flying behaviour. We want our reviews to provide crisp data along with fuzzy opinions.

Here is GliderReview's reason-why: http://www.gliderreview.com/about

Sailplanes all look too similar if you only read tech specs. Instead, when you talk with pilots, you discover a world of details and feelings that are never caught in tables.

Thanks again Paul,
ciao!

[Duster]

IMHO, Jacopo has a great idea here and should be encouraged to build this info-base to address this very important, simple mission.

Jacopo- How will you organize, filter, weigh and display all this objective input? Is it worth considering working with a Wikipedida type of oversight?

Good Luck!

[Jacopo Romei]

Thanks Duster,

> How will you organize, filter, weigh and display all this objective input?

I am publishing gliders one by one.
Every glider page is made of crowdsourced (no login required) star rating and free text comments.
Actually, to cover most of the used-ships market we only require to publish 30-40 gliders.

I am about to publish a comparison feature to show glider specs side-by-side.

Currently the worst bottleneck is having reviews: I am a newbie and certainly don't have the experience required to write more than 1 or 2 reviews.

> Is it worth considering working with a Wikipedida type of oversight?

All glider pages are and will be made of both crowdsourced and "editorial" content, to have the best of two worlds: quality and influence of expert writers along with "wisdom of the crowds".

> Good Luck!

I don't need luck! I just need experienced pilots willing to write what they think of their ships! ;-)

Thanks so much Duster!

--
Jacopo

[Jacopo Romei]

New feature: gliders side-by-side comparison.

E.g. http://www.gliderreview.com/comparing-gliders/schleicher-ask-21/grob-g103-twin-ii

Enjoy!

--
Jacopo

[Casey[_2_]]

On Sunday, January 1, 2017 at 9:02:07 PM UTC-5, Jacopo Romei wrote:
> New feature: gliders side-by-side comparison.
>
> E.g. http://www.gliderreview.com/comparing-gliders/schleicher-ask-21/grob-g103-twin-ii
>
> Enjoy!
>
> --
> Jacopo

The comparison is a nice feature.

[Jacopo Romei]

> The comparison is a nice feature.

I am just building what I think I need to choose my next glider! ;-)
Now I just need reviews and reviews!!!

Thank you Casey!

--
Jacopo

[Jacopo Romei]

Hello again!

Now all the prices found *and* available on the web are linked to their original webpage so that you can browse its source.

E.g. www.gliderreview.com/glider/grob-g103-twin-ii

I hope this helps understanding the real value of each glider.

--
Jacopo

[Michael Opitz]

At 13:11 02 January 2017, Jacopo Romei wrote:
>Hello again!
>
>Now all the prices found *and* available on the web are linked to
their
>original webpage so that you can browse its source.
>
>E.g. www.gliderreview.com/glider/grob-g103-twin-ii
>
>I hope this helps understanding the real value of each glider.
>
>--
>Jacopo
>
The prices will vary greatly depending on prior damage history, and
how much weight has been added due to the repairs. Some Twin II's
have been crashed and repaired so often that they have usable
payloads of only 320 pounds. Some people joke that these gliders
are now "a single seat glider with a large baggage compartment". The
resale value of these gliders is correspondingly a lot less than a glider
with a high seat load and little to no damage history. That is all before

you figure in the condition of the gel-coat, cracked canopies, etc.. For
example, to replace just one cracked canopy can cost between $4000
and $8000 USD....

In the USA, there is a shortage of higher performance 2 seaters that
have a high seat load capability. A good G-103 with enclosed trailer
will cost ~$50K USD because of the scarcity.

[Jacopo Romei]

Hi Michael,

though I'd consider such a specific comment on G103 quotations a bit OT, thanks anyway: thoughtful considerations like yours are *exactly* the reason why I thought useful to make as many crawled prices as possible available to GliderReview users.

Thank you!

--
Jacopo

[Jim[_33_]]

On Sunday, January 1, 2017 at 6:02:07 PM UTC-8, Jacopo Romei wrote:
> New feature: gliders side-by-side comparison.
>
> E.g. http://www.gliderreview.com/comparing-gliders/schleicher-ask-21/grob-g103-twin-ii
>
> Enjoy!
>
> --
> Jacopo
The comparison feature is very nice. It may be helpful to include "km/hr" or some such on the airspeeds though - as you already do on a glider's detail page.

[[email protected]]

If you're interested, I would like to review the Pilatus B4.
I own one since 2010, and know several other owners. I own a Idaflieg polar measurement of the glider.

[Jacopo Romei]

> The comparison feature is very nice.

Thank you Jim.
Just developing what I'd have loved to find online. :)

> It may be helpful to include "km/hr" or some such on the airspeeds though - as you already do on a glider's detail page.

Ooops! Lost in a recent deployment. Fixing in 24 hrs.
Thank you for your precious feedback.

--
Jacopo

[Jacopo Romei]

Hello Roel,

> If you're interested, I would like to review the Pilatus B4.

I definitely am!
Please send me your review, at the contacts you find here:
http://www.gliderreview.com/contact

> I own a Idaflieg polar measurement of the glider.

Thanks for caring, but I would prefer you to focus on what is your *opinion* of a Pilatus B4. Write a review as you were talking about a movie or a band or a recipe: be personal and honest.

I will take care of data ;-) and just a few: there are tons of data-oriented glider website out there. We miss the guts!

Thank you again Roel,
let me know

--
Jacopo

[Jacopo Romei]

> It may be helpful to include "km/hr" or some such
> on the airspeeds though - as you already do on a glider's detail page.

Fixed. :-)

http://www.gliderreview.com/comparing-gliders/schleicher-ask-21/allstar-szd-54-perkoz

--
Jacopo