Mark James Boyd wrote:

In article ,
NigelPocock wrote:
If DG design and make new LS4 right now ,it would new cost about $70,000
Pw-5 new cost $22,000

But a new Junior, 15m strong, good handling with better performance costs about
the same as a PeeWee.
No contest which I would buy

But how about the Junior vs. a retract Russia AC-4c or a Sparrowhawk?

The PeeWee simply won't be the next World Class glider. But
there are other 15m gliders which may. Do you think
15m is simply the minimum span (a 12-13.5 meter glider
is just silly?)

And you glider makers and repairers out there (Bob K. and JJ),
is there enough savings in weight and money to make the extra
wing of 15m that a 12-13.5 meter glider costs significantly less?

I don't know the answer to these questions, but I find them interesting.
For me personally, the answer is just plain yes, I'm happier
with less span. But if I weighed 225 lbs, I'd say just the
opposite, perhaps...

Some element of answer about the influence of the wing span on the
price of the glider: IIRC just before the production was stoppped
a few years ago, the LAK12 (20m wingspan) was sold new at about $20k.
It seems that the major factor of cost is the country where the glider
is built and the cost of manpower in this country, rather than the
wing span.