At 17:48 24 April 2006, Jono Richards wrote:

As a new (effectively) glider pilot, buy something
well known, with
decent perfromance and an easy to rig trailer, and
fly alot !


I agree - Grobs are great, no doubt about it - but
why not get something that will last you a bit longer.

If I was in your shoes there are many gliders I would
be thinking of, not just good well known German ones.
I am a firm believer that the LAK12 is well worth a
look at.

Fantastic performance, flapped and good trailers -
should have no trouble converting to it either.

Down side - heavy on the rigging side and big wings
mean a little more care needed takeoff/landing.

But the biggest plus side - 12k for it! You get a lot
of glider for the buck there, and it is something that
you quite possibly will never grow out of.

Thats my rant done...

JR


JR, thanks for that rant. You say that the LAK-12
trailers are nice, but to me they look huge, and they
are tube type, which I wouldn't favor. And you say
12K, that's in pounds, I presume?

OK, now we're getting down to my real question. What
decent gliders are bargains? I was looking into a
LAK-12, but was told that if I got one of those, I'd
lose all my friends, because the wings are so heavy.
There are at least 3 or 4 of those available below
$20k, and some of them are even relatively nearby.
Also a Jantar 2B, but it's out west. A couple of
Jantar Stds. 3 or 4 Grob 104s. Even a Grob 102, which
I've been flying lately, and like. For just a little
more a couple of Kestrel 19m. From what I read, I
could fly any of these. I've been warned away from
the first-generation glass ships, like the Std. Cirrus,
Mini Nimbus and the like. I don't see myself being
a competitor, at least not past the sport class, and
that in a couple of years. I just want to learn something
about XC, get my badges, and have fun.

I could have bought a very nice Ka6 cheap, but found
that I don't fit in that, no way. A 1-26 was recommended,
and I've flown and like them, but I'm looking higher.

Are there some types I'm overlooking?

TIA,
Ed