Bill Daniels wrote:
2-33's are cheap. Shooting yourself in the foot is also cheap. 2-33's are
cheap for a very good reason - they're terrible gliders.

I've flown some terrible gliders, 2-33s aren't terrible. They're cheap
because they're old and there are still a lot of them around, and fewer
people flying.

2-33's have done untold damage to American soaring. Since 2-33's were
introduced as many as a hundred thousand potential glider pilots have walked
away because they were introduced to the sport with a ride in a 2-33. In
the long run, THAT was expensive.

Since the 2-33 was introduced a lot of people, like myself, learned to
fly in them, and otherwise might not have had the opportunity. I
started in the late 60 and early 70s, and from my perspective, without
the 2-33 there would be no American soaring today. I got to fly the
occasional K7 and K13 back then, and most ended up broken, with no local
knowledge on how to fix them. The 2-33 was far more robust, and could
be repaired by just about any shade tree A&P back then (and now).

When 2-33's were introduced in the late 1960's they cost $25,000. In todays
Dollars, that's $145,000. by comparison, the PW-6U is a screaming bargan.

Clubs don't have $145,000 2-33s today, they have $10,000 2-33s. Yes,
there are a few clubs that can afford upwards of $90,000 to get a shiny
new trainer, and I would encourage them to do so (after they get a shiny
new winch, of course), but most can't. Just look at what is being asked
for ratty old K21s, if you can find one. 2-33s aren't killing American
soaring, the unbalanced US economy and lack of manufacturing innovation
in the glider industry is killing it...

Marc