Michael wrote:
I have a friend who got an HP-18 as his first ship. He had something
like 50 hours total time, and no time in a flapped ship. His first few
landings were interesting, but he did OK. It was his experienced CFIG
partner who bent the ship.

I had 20 hours total flying *anything* when I first flew my RS-15.
Thanks to information from the HP group everything went just fine. And
continues to. The very robust oleo strut landing gear is nice to have
when you make an "interesting" landing. ;-)

The major disadvantage [ of an HP glider]- it doesn't fly
like most gliders.

I would say that about the only time it "doesn't fly like most gliders"
is when landing. Glide path control is flaps only, no spoilers. Many
consider this to be an advantage. But it is personal preference I'm
sure. I can say that with an HP I've never forgotten to hook up the
spoilers and I've never had the spoilers accidentally deploy.

From a builder's perspective for the HP kits: 1) No spoilers makes for
an easier build. 2) The V-tail makes for an easier build (just make
two identical parts, except mirror-imaged). 1) and 2) assume the
builder is constructing the wings and tail using a metal-skin built-up
technique, not using molded glass parts.

Regards,

-Doug