No gliders less than 15m were entered. They were too low performance/

Not afraid of the World class just think that the PW5 is the wrong glider for
it

In general, it seems like 15 meters is the shortest span which
can give good performance given the fairly wide range of pilot weights
and sizes and the need for cockpit comfort.

As a lightweight, I'd personally prefer something with less span.
Paying for more span and then needing to add lots of water seems silly
to me. But the market is what the market is, and manufacturers
need to make gliders to fit the bulkier, richer pilots too...

The lightweight construction techniques of the Sparrowhawk are
really the only things that might make shorter spans
competitive. I'm interested in seeing the performance of a
retractable Sparrowhawk.

For the next World Class glider, I wonder if retract will be allowed.
I'd still like to see specifications which keep the
cost down, however, and something's gotta give...

In any case, I think the PW-5 and the Russia were an excellent start
towards the World Class goals, but yes, in the intervening years
better technologies have come along and there has been some
learning. I hope this will make the next World Class glider
manufacturers come up with some interesting designs...
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Mark Boyd
Avenal, California, USA