Ben Flewett wrote:

Mark,

So am I! That's my whole point! I would like to see
the World Class concept take off but we need a better
glider as the PW5 is too many steps backwards (over
40 years) for most pilots to accept.

You talk about the Sparrowhawk or AC4 as candidates
for the next World class glider. I haven't flown either
of these (and never will). But why would you change
the PW5 for some other piece of rubbish when history
has shown that pilots will not accept such a regression
in performance? In fact, why bother making the change
at all - it's just a giant leap sideways.

The LS4 or Discus 1 would be ideal in my opinion.

A lot of the excitement over having the LS4 as the World Class glider
seems to revolve around the idea it would cost about as much as a PW5
and have the build quality of the LS4. I think that is a hopelessly
naive idea, based on these facts:

$35,000 PW5, IN THE USA, with standard instruments, radio, and trailer

$43,000 304C (standard class), IN EUROPE, no radio or trailer
$13,000 trailer, shipping, radio
-------
$56,000 in the USA

Basically, the 304C is an LS4. Now, maybe there are pilots that think
it's still the better value, even at $21,000 more, but it's not a cheap
glider. If a goal of the World Class is low cost gliders, pilots will
have to accept it must be a smaller, lighter glider that won't glisten
like a polished mirror. Size, weight, and finish do matter when you are
manufacturing something.

I hope someone with glider manufacturing experience will tell us why I
am right/wrong about this.

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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA