"Mark James Boyd" wrote in message
news:41a6305a$1@darkstar...
Bill Daniels wrote:

With retractable gear, flaps and winglets that would suggest ~45:1 L/D
and a
min sink of about .55 M/Sec. If flown with a cockpit load of 300 Kg the
min
sink would be less.

I bet you'd sell a lot more at 1/4 the price with fixed gear,
no flaps, 30:1 glide and higher wing loading.

In my experience, non-pilots are happier with glider rides,
and pilots want soaring rides. The 2-32 rides that succeed seem
to be in places with no lift or ridge lift, and are high tows
of short duration with little turbulence or "excitement."

The best part of these flights for the pax seem to be the great
visibility, smooth ride, and quiet sightseeing, for a reasonable price.
This isn't quite in line with the specs you suggest.

One of my pilot friends humped a bunch of rides in Hawaii. He thought there
was a market for a terminal to the numbers 2-32 ride. Climb to 3000agl then
due a vertical dive (with speed limiting brakes open) and pull out above the
numbers and land. Of course for this, the chutes are required, which limits
the load again.

In the UK, we did some evening rides for a group of fireman from the local
fire college. Not much lift late in the date, but some really got off on a
four-loop cloverleaf with a beatup at the end.

A club near Houston reports having been approached by Six Flags about a
concept for winch launch and soar back. I suppose a couple of loops or
something similar might be the icing on cake.

Granted, this type of operation may not appeal to many of us, but there may
be some other interest there.

Frank Whiteley