John Brenann wrote:

We are considering the purchase of a DG 505 as our
top end cross country and aerobatic training glider.

Which DG 505? There are myriades of variants...

Our budget and delivery requirements, preclude consideration
of either a DG 1000 or a Duo Discus at this time.

The Duo Discus is not certificated for aerobatics. And, I *hate* its
cockpit. But this wasn't your question.

Any feedback concerning glider handling on the ground
and in the air would be appreciated. How well does

Air-handlingwise, it's a dog. Heavy as hell. No feeling. A truck. But
then, I'm probably a bit unfair comparing it with the LS7.

Seriously, we have a 22m M. Performance is quite good. The airfoil of
the earlier models is very susceptible to bugs and rain, but they
corrected this on later models. Control forces are very heavy, again,
worse in earlier models and better in later models. Frankly, I hate the
ship, but I fly it when I have a passenger because it's a well
performing two seater.

Stefan