Ian Johnston wrote:

And part of the reasons that many people have been put off soaring is
the cost, complexity and infrastructure.

Yeah, it's hard to overcome the character defects in your customers.

Chris O'Callaghan has it right:

"...there was a day when the 2-33 sufficiently
inspired me. And not long after when the 1-26
was as pretty and nimble as you could want a
glider to be. There were glass gliders on the
field, but they didn't diminish my interest in
those gliders I had access to.

"Let's be clear about something... real pilots
need to fly...."

"...If you are a real pilot, as opposed to someone
who just likes to tell his friends he's a pilot,
you'll fly what you can afford and love it. Or
you'll find a way to afford your dreams."

The cost of my 1-26 is minimal. It flies wonderfully. What more could
I ask? Being retired after a full and diverse aviation career, I can
enjoy flight for its own sake more perfectly now than ever.

My club is very much a mutually supportive environment for my soaring
activities, and there is nothing less complex in aviation that I know
of than flying sailplanes.

If "cost, complexity and infrastructure" are major impediments to
soaring for some people I cannot sympathize with them at all.


Jack