Chris Davison wrote:
We are thinking of getting a wooden glider as a second
glider and are looking for something;

1) Cheap
2) Fun
3) Capable of cross country flying...so ok performance
(UK conditions) and comfortable.

Looking at things like a Dart 17 or Cobra 15. Anyone
got any thoughts, experience or alternatives??

Thanks Chris


You might want to consider a Pirat. I only have two flights in this
model, but both were good fun. In particular, the cockpit is
comparatively large, and the handling and visibility are pretty good, as
is the seating position. The main drawback is the three-piece wing for
rigging, but I've helped rig Pirats numerous times and it's not too
onerous. Make a dolly for the centre section.

Performance is just sub-K6E I believe, so XC is perfectly possible
though less good than a Dart or Cobra.

Biggest plus is the price - Pirats seem to be advertised for GBP 2k to
3k, with trailer, so there's not much cheaper for reasonable XC
performance in wood.